Kuna (Dulegaya)

Kuna is a Chibchan language spoken in southeastern Panama and northwestern Colombia by about 50,000 people. There are two varieties of this language. One is known as Kuna, Cuna, San Blas Kuna or Island Kuna, and the other is known as Border Kuna or Mountain Kuna. They are seen as dialects of a single language, though some linguistics think of them as closely related languages.

In 2010 The National Kuna Congress (Congreso Nacional Guna) decided on a spelling reform for the Kuna language. As a result, tense consonants are now written as digraphs (bb, dd, etc). The letters b, d and g were chosen to represent the phonemes [b/p], [d/t] and [g/k]. Also the phoneme [ʧ] is written ss or ds rather than ch, as it was previously.

Kuna alphabet and pronunciation

Kuna alphabet and pronunciation

Download an alphabet chart for Kuna (Excel)

Notes

Some phrases in Kuna

Nuwedi = Thank you, Good morning
Nuweigambi = nice to meet you
Beikeni ginika? = What's your name?
Anugaden ... = My name is ...
Beiya benega? = Where are you from?
Takeimalo = Goodbye

Source: http://paigepenland.com/wp-content/uploads/kuna-dictionary.pdf

Sample videos in Kuna

Information about Kuna | Tower of Babel

Links

Information about the Kuna language
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kuna_language
http://www.native-languages.org/cuna.htm
http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=cuk
http://www.molagirl.com/j/content/view/44/29/

Chibchan languages

Arhuaco, Bribri, Buglere, Cabécar, Guaymí, Kuna, Maléku, Paya, Rama, Teribe

Languages written with the Latin alphabet

Page last modified: 23.04.21

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