masichí

Kariri

Alternative forms

Etymology

Ultimately from Proto-Arawak *marikɨ (“corn”) as a Wanderwort. Cognate with English maize.

Noun

masichí (unpossessable) (Kipeá)

  1. corn

Usage notes

masichí is an unpossessable noun; in Kipeá, certain nouns do not admit possession and are therefore indeclinable, with possession instead indicated by means of another generic noun. The categories of these nouns are as follows:

  1. Names of domesticated animals – for example, hienkí dó cradzó (“my cow”)
  2. Names of game, wild fruits, or any food brought from outside for consumption – for example, dzuaprú dó murawó, dó kentí (“my pig, honey”)
  3. Names of cooked foods – for example, dzudé dó ghinhé, dó cradzó (“my beans, meat”)
  4. Names of roasted foods – for example, dzupodó dó buké (“my deer”)
  5. Names of vegetables harvested from the fields – for example, dzudjé dó ghinhé (“my beans”)
  6. Names of manioc crops – for example, dzuanhí dó muicú (“my cassava”)
  7. Names of fruits that are harvested unripe to ripen at home – for example, dzubó dó ucrí, dó bacobá (“my mangabas, bananas”)

References

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