Yaqui language facts for kids

The Yaqui language, also called Hiaki or Yoem Noki, is a special language spoken by the Yaqui people. It's part of the Uto-Aztecan family, which includes many languages spoken by Native American groups. About 20,000 people speak Yaqui. Most live in Sonora, a state in Mexico, and some live across the border in Arizona in the United States. Yaqui is quite similar to the Mayo language, another language spoken in Sonora. Together, they are known as Cahitan languages.

How Yaqui Sounds: Phonology Basics

The way Yaqui words sound can be written down using an orthography (a system of writing). The Pascua Yaqui Tribe in the U.S. uses one system. In Mexico, other systems exist, often using Spanish spelling rules. For example, "rohikte" might be written as "rojicte." There are also small differences in how Yaqui is spoken in Mexico versus the U.S.

Yaqui Vowel Sounds

Yaqui has vowel sounds that are much like those in Spanish. These are a, e, i, o, and u.

• i (like the "ee" in "see")
• u (like the "oo" in "moon")
• e (like the "e" in "bed")
• o (like the "o" in "go")
• a (like the "a" in "father")

Vowels can be either short or long. Long vowels are written by doubling the vowel, like maaso (deer). Sometimes, a long vowel becomes short when the word is used in a phrase. For example, maaso (deer) becomes maso in maso bwikam (deer songs).

Yaqui Consonant Sounds

Yaqui has many consonant sounds. Most of them sound similar to how they do in English.

• Some common consonants are: b, ch, h, k, l, m, n, p, r, s, t, v, w, y.
• There's also a special sound called a glottal stop, which is like the pause in "uh-oh." It's written with an apostrophe (').
• The sounds "p," "t," and "k" are not aspirated (they don't have a puff of air after them) like they sometimes do in English.
• Many Yaqui speakers say "b" and "v" the same way.
• There are also sounds made by combining two letters, like "bw" (a rounded "b" sound) and "kt" (a "k" and "t" sound at the same time).
• Sounds like "d," "f," and "g" are mostly found in words borrowed from English or Spanish.

Glottal Stops: The "Uh-Oh" Sound

The glottal stop is an important sound in Yaqui. It's a quick stop of air in your throat. It helps tell words apart. Sometimes, there's a softer glottal stop between vowels, but it's not always easy to predict when it will happen.

Sound Symbolism: Words with Feelings

Yaqui uses sound symbolism. This means that how a word sounds can show how the speaker feels about something. For example, the sound /l/ in a word might show approval, but if you change it to /r/, it might show disapproval. Both ways are correct!

Devoicing: Breathy Sounds

At the end of sentences, some sounds in Yaqui become "devoiced," meaning they lose their voice-like quality. This is very noticeable with the "m" sound and with vowels. This can make Yaqui speech sound a bit "breathy" to English speakers.

Gestures: When Words Need a Hand

One interesting Yaqui word is laute. It can mean both "quickly" and "slowly"! To know which meaning is intended, speakers often use a hand gesture. A quick hand movement means "quickly," and a slow one means "slowly." It's like saying "at a different speed" and then showing what kind of speed you mean.

Yaqui Grammar: How Words Work Together

Sentence Structure: Subject-Object-Verb

In Yaqui, sentences usually follow a subject–object–verb (SOV) order. This means the person or thing doing the action (subject) comes first, then the person or thing receiving the action (object), and finally the action itself (verb).

• Example: Inepo hamutta vichu
• Meaning: "I woman look at" (I am looking at the woman.)
• Notice the -ta on hamut (woman). This suffix shows that "woman" is the object of the sentence.

Different Ways to Say Things

Sometimes, the word order can change a bit.

• Subject-Object (SO): This happens when you're saying that one thing is another.

Example: ʹáapo ʹáʹa Yoém-ia-k (He is his child.)

• Subject-Verb-Object (SVO): This is less common but can happen.

Example: née ʹáa Hi-máʹako Tépwa-m-mea (I am able to chop with an axe.)

• Object-Subject-Verb (OSV): This order might be used when the speaker wants to emphasize who or what is being remembered.

Example: ʹin malá-be-u ne wáate (I remember my mother.)

Cases: Giving Nouns a Job

Yaqui is an agglutinative language. This means it adds many suffixes (endings) to words to show their job in a sentence. Nouns get special suffixes to show their "case." Think of a case as a label that tells you what a noun is doing.

Here are some examples of what these suffixes can tell you:

• Ablative: Shows movement away from something.
• Absolutive: Marks the main noun in a sentence, like the subject of a simple action or the object of a transitive verb.
• Dative: Shows to whom something is given.
• Instrumental: Tells you how or with what something is done.
• Locative: Shows the location of something.
• Nominative: Marks the subject of a sentence, especially when there's an object.
• Possessor: Shows who owns something.

Nouns: Making Them Plural

To make a noun plural (meaning more than one), you usually add -im or -m to the end.

• Tekil (Job) becomes Tekilim (Jobs).
• If a noun ends in "t," it changes to "ch" before adding -im.

When a plural noun is the object of a sentence, you don't add the -t or -ta suffix that you would for a single object.

• Example: Inepo haamuchim vichu (I women look at - meaning "I am looking at the women.")

Verbs: Showing Time and Action

Verbs are action words. In Yaqui, you usually add -k to a verb to show it happened in the past. But there are many exceptions!

• If a verb ends in a vowel, different endings like -kan, -akan, -ekan, or -ikan might be added for past tense.
• To show something will happen in the future, you usually add -ne.

Tense and Aspect: When Actions Happen

Yaqui verbs also use suffixes to show aspect, which tells you about the nature of the action (like if it's ongoing or completed).

• Future tense: The suffix -nee shows something will happen or is possible.
• Perfective aspect: The suffix -k shows an action happened at a specific point in time, not continuously.
• Imperfect particle: The suffix -ka emphasizes an action that is ongoing or progressing.
• Inceptive aspect: -taite (for one person) or -hapte (for many) means "to begin doing something."
• Cessative aspect: -yaáte means "to stop" or "to cease" an action.

Adjectives: Describing Things

In Yaqui, adjectives (words that describe nouns) often act like verbs. For example, vemela means "new," but it's often used to mean "is new." Just like verbs, adjectives can also show tense.

Reduplication: Repeating for Meaning

Reduplication means repeating part of a word to change its meaning.

• Repeating the first syllable of a verb shows that an action happens habitually (often).
  • eta (shuts) becomes e'eta (usually shuts).
• Repeating the second consonant of a verb shows that an action is done rarely.

Common Yaqui Words and Phrases

Here are some words and phrases you might hear in Yaqui:

• o'ow - man
• hamut - woman
• tu'i hiapsek - kind (literally "good hearted")
• yantela - peace
• halla'i - friend
• maaso - deer
• aamu - to hunt
• totoi (plural: totoim) - chicken
• aman ne tevote em yevihnewi - "I extend my greetings"

Greetings in Yaqui are often very formal, even among friends. A common set of four phrases is used:

• Lios em chania - "Greetings!" (to one person) or Lios em chaniavu (to more than one). This means "God preserves you!" (Lios comes from the Spanish word "Dios" for God).
• Lios em chiokoe - The reply to the greeting, meaning "God pardons you!"
• Empo allea - "May you rejoice!" (allea is thought to come from the Spanish word alegre, meaning "happy").
• Kettu'i - "How kind!"

Family Words: Kinship Terms

Yaqui has special words for family members.

Keeping the Yaqui Language Alive

Efforts are being made to keep the Yaqui language strong and teach it to new generations. In 2009, the Pascua Yaqui Tribe and the University of Arizona started a program. In this program, older tribal members teach the Yaqui language to families. There was also a project to use old audio recordings from a tribal member named Maria Leyva to help teach the language. As of 2012, many teaching materials on the Pascua Yaqui Tribe's website were only for enrolled tribal members.

See also

In Spanish: Idioma yaqui para niños