In this section we will be reading Timucua texts. We will work through different types of texts, some simple and some far more complex. In each lesson, we want to share the tools and approaches we have developed to read this language.
We will help you:
- Identify the main clauses of each sentence
- Analyze the verbs
- Look out for some of the most common affixes
- Define key words and ideas through a “word gloss”
- Provide a more literal translation of the sentence
Since Timucua has many affixes, we have created this quick list with some of the most common ones. Recognizing these affixes will help you better read Timucua.
- Person Verb Prefixes: ni– (I, me, we, us), chi– (you), na– (at, with)
- Person Verb Suffixes: –bo (plural), –mo (they), –nica (we), –naye (you), –naqe (y’all)
- Tense: –te (present), –habe (irrealis, will), –he (future)
- Verb Suffixes: –la (declarative), –n(i) (honorific), –hero (desire), –siro (desire), –s(i) (benefactive)
- Noun Suffixes: –ma (the), –care (plural)
- Noun Possessive Suffixes: –na (my), –ye (your), –mitono (his/her honorific), –mi (his/her)
- Auxiliary Verbs: le (is), quene/queni (and), pon(o) (come, towards here), mi (go, away)
So when you see a sentence like: niama ulemicare, you can quickly identify some of the affixes: –ma (the), –mi (her), and –care (plural) and then look up the word roots nia (woman) and ule (children). Niama ulemicare means woman-the child-her-plural, or the children of the woman.
Timucua texts are rich and complicated.
For the past 400 years they have been mostly read in translation, but we are trying to change that!
Follow these lessons to read these materials in Timucua.