Can you identify the language, and do you know where it’s spoken?
16 thoughts on “Language quiz”
Something inside tells me that this language is spoken in the Amazonian region of South America; but no further explanation from inside.
Without listening very closely, I get the impression of a Central Algonkian language, but not necessarily Cree.
I think it’s North American, but every time I say that it turns out to come from further south.
I’ll hazard a further guess that this might be Menominee.
I hear things that remind me very much of Cree: maci- which corresponds to a Cree preformative meaning ‘bad’, kaa- which is a verbal formative used for relative verbs (and perhaps other purposes if I remember correctly), and a particular speech rhythm involving clear alternations between short and fully long vowelled syllables.
The one thing that makes me think I may be off is the [dz] I hear at one point. If this is phonemic, then that would not be typical for an Algonkian language, at least one in the central group. I hear [ts] elsewhere, which in many Cree dialects is a variant pronunciation for /c/. I imagine this may be what this [ts] is here, and the [dz] just a voiced intervocalic variant.
Something in the Tupi–Guarani family?
I’m actually going to guess it’s Cree, spoken in Canada. The [dz] is probably an alteration on [ts], I remember learning in a linguistics class of Cree as an example of languages with voiced/unvoiced allophonic pairs…..
Just from the phrasing, it sounds like a set of sentences in a list, probably a prayer and perhaps the Our Father/Lord’s Prayer.
Here’s a clue: this language is spoken mainly in Brazil and Venezuela.
OK. So for no other reason: Macushi.
Should we posit a Carib-Algonkian connection? Issue a de-Cree?
My first thought would be Yąnomamɨ, but the phonological description I could find online doesn’t seem to fit with what I hear here: no clearly nasal vowels, and nothing in the description about a clear short/long vowel distinction.
I’ll just have to sit back and wait to be surprised, I guess!
PS Tood–
Who knokws, maybe there were some Algonkian language speakers sometime in the past who were REALLY good canoeists! 🙂 Cîmân oh man!
Here’s another clue: this is an Arawakan language.
What about Guarequena /Warekena?
I don’t know much about that language family, but: Wayuu?
The answer is Baniwa, an Arawakan language spoken in Brazil and Venezuela.
This will sound bizarre (coming from a Scottish Gaelic speaker) but at the very start I thought, “Wow, this sounds like someone speaking another Celtic language… I can’t understand it but I wonder if it’s the Lord’s Prayer?”
Something inside tells me that this language is spoken in the Amazonian region of South America; but no further explanation from inside.
Without listening very closely, I get the impression of a Central Algonkian language, but not necessarily Cree.
I think it’s North American, but every time I say that it turns out to come from further south.
I’ll hazard a further guess that this might be Menominee.
I hear things that remind me very much of Cree: maci- which corresponds to a Cree preformative meaning ‘bad’, kaa- which is a verbal formative used for relative verbs (and perhaps other purposes if I remember correctly), and a particular speech rhythm involving clear alternations between short and fully long vowelled syllables.
The one thing that makes me think I may be off is the [dz] I hear at one point. If this is phonemic, then that would not be typical for an Algonkian language, at least one in the central group. I hear [ts] elsewhere, which in many Cree dialects is a variant pronunciation for /c/. I imagine this may be what this [ts] is here, and the [dz] just a voiced intervocalic variant.
Something in the Tupi–Guarani family?
I’m actually going to guess it’s Cree, spoken in Canada. The [dz] is probably an alteration on [ts], I remember learning in a linguistics class of Cree as an example of languages with voiced/unvoiced allophonic pairs…..
Just from the phrasing, it sounds like a set of sentences in a list, probably a prayer and perhaps the Our Father/Lord’s Prayer.
Here’s a clue: this language is spoken mainly in Brazil and Venezuela.
OK. So for no other reason: Macushi.
Should we posit a Carib-Algonkian connection? Issue a de-Cree?
My first thought would be Yąnomamɨ, but the phonological description I could find online doesn’t seem to fit with what I hear here: no clearly nasal vowels, and nothing in the description about a clear short/long vowel distinction.
I’ll just have to sit back and wait to be surprised, I guess!
PS Tood–
Who knokws, maybe there were some Algonkian language speakers sometime in the past who were REALLY good canoeists! 🙂 Cîmân oh man!
Here’s another clue: this is an Arawakan language.
What about Guarequena /Warekena?
I don’t know much about that language family, but: Wayuu?
The answer is Baniwa, an Arawakan language spoken in Brazil and Venezuela.
The recording comes from the Global Recordings Network.
This will sound bizarre (coming from a Scottish Gaelic speaker) but at the very start I thought, “Wow, this sounds like someone speaking another Celtic language… I can’t understand it but I wonder if it’s the Lord’s Prayer?”