Boruca language

The Boruca language (also known as Bronka, Bronca or Brúnkajk.) is the native language of the Boruca people of Costa Rica. It is one of the Chibchan languages. It is nearly extinct; it was spoken fluently by only five women in 1986, while 30 to 35 others spoke it non-fluently. The rest of the tribe's 1,000 members speak Spanish. The language is taught as a second language at the local primary school Escuela Doris Z. Stone. One can hear Bronka words and phrases mixed into Spanish conversations but it is extremely rare to hear prolonged exchanges in Bronka.

Boruca
Bronca
Native to	Costa Rica
Ethnicity	one thousand Boruca people (1991)[1]
Native speakers	3 (2007)[1]
Language family	Chibchan Boruca
Language codes
ISO 639-3	brn
Glottolog	boru1252
ELP	Boruca[2]

Greetings:

¿Ishójcre rában? = What's up?

Morén, morén. = Fine, well.[3]

The personal pronouns in Boruca (the ᵛ represents a glottal stop.)[4]

Person	Singular	Plural
1st	át	diᵛ / diᵛ rójc
2nd	bá	biᵛ / biᵛ rójc
3rd	i	i rójc / iᵛ rójc

The numbers (the "n̈", "n" with the diaeresis "¨" on top may be unavailable in some fonts, it represents a slightly different sound from the normal n or ñ.)[5]

Numbers	Bronka
1	éᵛxe, éᵛxi
2	búᵛc
3	man̈
4	bájcan̈
5	shishcán̈
6	téshan
7	cúj, cújc
8	éjtan̈
9	cújtan̈, éjcuj
10	téjcuj, cróshtan̈, búᵛc cúj

Map of Boruca

See also

• Brunca Sign Language

References

1. Boruca at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015)
2. Endangered Languages Project data for Boruca.
3. Maroto Rojas, Espíritu Santo (1999). "Palabras varias Saludos". Lengua o dialecto Boruca o Brunkajk. (in Spanish and Boruca). San José, Costa Rica: Editorial de la Universidad de Costa Rica. p. 49. ISBN 9977-67-554-6.
4. Quesada Pacheco, Miguel Ángel (1995). Hablemos Boruca. (in Spanish and Boruca). San José, Costa Rica: Ministerio de Educación Pública. p. 33. ISBN 9977-60-114-3.
5. Quesada Pacheco, Miguel Ángel (1995). Hablemos boruca. (in Spanish and Boruca). San José, Costa Rica: Ministerio de Educación Pública. p. 82. ISBN 9977-60-114-3.