draft manuscript - Linguistics - University of California, Berkeley

Uriarte’s own, and as such we do not make use of it here. 270 Perhaps the greatest problems involve
the reflexive construction Ratiti ayuka Ranu (presumably ‘he killed himself’). This utterance would
not be grammatical in modern Omagua, with titi ‘be alone’ in clause-initial position, although it is
grammatical when titi follows the entire verb phrase, as in (8.3). Likewise the syntactic role of the
3pl.ms pronoun Ranu is unclear, given that the reflexive verb should not take an object argument.
(8.3) awitaku las once yini, nani takumIsa titikatu.
awi =taku las once yini nani ta= kumIsa titi =katu
already =dub eleven o’clock 1pl.incl quot 1sg.ms= say be.alone =intsf
“‘It’s already eleven o’clock’, I said to myself.”
(MCT:C1.S5)
The use of ablative =sui in (8.2b) is clearly a calque based on the Spanish de otra mano ‘by
another hand’, as =sui otherwise only indicates motion away from some relevant reference point,
and not an instrumental role. Lastly, the response in (8.2b) suggests that the question in (8.2a)
should begin with a reason interrogative pronoun, but it does not.
8.3 Part II, Section 105
In the latter part of 1759, Uriarte and the residents of San Joaquín repeatedly came into conflict
with the local secular governor (see Uriarte ([1776]1986:269-275)), who eventually threw an Omagua
man named Pantaleón in the stocks. Uriarte then reports a relative of Pantaleón as having uttered
the sentence in (8.4). The curaca, Tadeo Gualinima, freed Pantaleón without informing either the
governor or Uriarte, and the two fled with their extended families to the Ucayali. They returned
in 1760, but in the interim the governor had, on Uriarte’s recommendation, appointed Nicolás
Zumiari 271 as the new curaca.
(8.4) a. Ayaize Tuisa, yane zeta ya napara. Enome yomuera Patiri. roaya epecatarasi Pantaleón,
upaicana usuari cauacati.
b. Ayaize Tuisa, yanezeta yanapara. Enome yomuera Patiri. roaya epecatarasi Pantaleón,
upaicana usuari cauacati.
c. ayaise tuisa, yeneseta yawapaRa. ename yum1Ra patiRi. Roaya epekataRaSi pantaleón,
upaikana usuaRi kawakate.
ayaise tuisa 272 yene= seta yawapaRa 273
wicked chief 1pl.incl= want flee
ename
proh
yum1Ra patiRi
get.angry priest 274
270 The translation appears to have been inserted by Bayle himself, as it is identical to a translation provided in a
footnote on the same page that comes from Lucas Espinosa, and more closely resembles an interlinear gloss than
a free translation, which Uriarte’s own translations clearly are. In line with our own discussion of the grammatical
inconsistencies of this passage, Espinosa himself comments on this passage in the following way: “Noto alguna
diferencia en la estructura de las palabras comparando con el modo de expresión que emplean actualmente los
omaguas, pero son perfectamente inteligibles las frases” [Translation (ours): “I notice some difference in the
structure of the words when comparing them with the mode of expression that the Omagua employ currently, but
the phrases are perfectly intelligible”] (Uriarte [1776]1986:253).
271 The surname also appears spelled as in Uriarte’s diaries.
110