LWM 193: Kiliwa

Kiliwa

Mauricio J. Mixco
University of Utah

Kiliwa, sole member of one of the four branches of Yuman (within Cochimæi-Yuman), has under 8 fluent speakers, among some 35 members of its comunidad indígena. Poverty and the strictures of the kinship system have reduced the Kiliwa, from some 2,000 in the 1790s to their present numbers. They occupy a fragment of their aboriginal territory in the municipalidad de Ensenada, Baja California Norte, Mexico. Kiliwa has vocalic epenthesis, a rich consonant system with many clusters, 3 vowels (plus length). It is a verb-final, head-marking language, with positional auxiliary verbs (sit, stand, lie) and classificatory verbs (be, do, say) marking tense-aspect-modality along with benefactives, causatives, etc. The verb has subject-object nominative-accusative prefixation with root ablaut and affixation for subject-object number agreement. Coordinate clauses suffix a three-way realis/irrealis distinction subject-continuity/switch-reference; this combines with a system for tracking predicate-continuity with fronted classificatory auxiliaries. Relative clauses distinguish subject from non-subject heads.

ISBN 9783895862335. Languages of the World/Materials 193. 60pp. 2000.