Language of the Voiceless: Traces of Taino Language, Food, and Culture in the Americas From 1492 to the Present
by Leonardo Nin
by Leonardo Nin
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P a g e | 57<br />
Pic. 13 Canoa Pic. 14 Canarí Pic. 15 macana Pic. 16 cana<br />
If we use <strong>the</strong> symbolic comparative method <strong>to</strong> analyze <strong>the</strong>ir morphology it can be<br />
observed that canoa is a fusion <strong>of</strong> can > ‘center’ <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong> suffix oa > ‘<strong>to</strong> dig’,<br />
‘foundation’, ‘hole’, ‘stuck’, <strong>and</strong> possibly, ‘<strong>to</strong>wn’ e.g coa > ‘<strong>to</strong>ol for farm<strong>in</strong>g’, ocoa ><br />
‘great hole’, Harabacoa > ‘<strong>to</strong>wn (Hisp.)’, Guanabacoa > ‘<strong>to</strong>wn (Cuba)’, barbacoa<br />
> ‘wooden grill’ used <strong>to</strong> smoke <strong>and</strong> cook fish <strong>and</strong> meats (mostly sea mammals). The<br />
word canarí 90 is a comb<strong>in</strong>ation <strong>of</strong> can <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong> suffixes r > ‘place’ <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong> adverbial íx<br />
> ‘it looks like’, which could be translated as ‘th<strong>in</strong>g that looks like a canoa fixed at a<br />
place’. The word macana is <strong>the</strong> amalgamation <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> negative auxiliary prefix ma ><br />
‘not’ + cana = ‘it’s not a palm tree’. In addition, <strong>the</strong> word cana means ‘palm tree’.<br />
However, it is important <strong>to</strong> note that this comb<strong>in</strong>ation <strong>of</strong> can <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong> repetitive<br />
use <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> negative auxiliary verb form <strong>to</strong> describe an object contrary <strong>to</strong> its logical<br />
appearance seems <strong>to</strong> be a common element <strong>in</strong> <strong>Ta<strong>in</strong>o</strong> phonology. Examples <strong>of</strong> this<br />
l<strong>in</strong>guistic tendency can be found <strong>in</strong> very important elements <strong>of</strong> <strong>Ta<strong>in</strong>o</strong> culture <strong>and</strong><br />
cosmovision such as mayohuacan > ‘arey<strong>to</strong> drum’. This word is <strong>the</strong> fusion <strong>of</strong> ma ><br />
90<br />
(Coll y Toste, 1897)