SIL Electronic Working Papers
SILEWP 1998-003

: Author: Ronald G. Metzger
Title: The Morpheme KA- of Carapana (Tucanoan)
Keywords: linguistics, morphology, Tucanoan, Colombia
Abstract:

The Carapana language is principally spoken in the Department of the Vaupés, S.E. Colombia. It is one of four languages, viz., Carapana, Tatuyo, Wáimajã, and Yurutí (CTWY), utilizing a prefix unique to the twenty or so members of the TUCANOAN language family. In this paper the function of the morpheme KA- of Carapana is presented in its various environments, compared with the KA- of "sister" languages Tatuyo, Wáimajã and Yurutí and a unified definition presented. CTWY KA- is then compared to a similar morpheme in several ARAWAKAN languages in historically areal contact with CTWY, and a hypothesis of borrowing across language family lines proposed. Lastly, the author postulates how prefix KA- [and/or (a) more widespread form(s) of KA] may have influenced TUCANOAN languages as a whole.

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