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Uka.xa.y yat.chi aliq..
that know NI other

'That one may know, anyone (might) . . .' (Sitajara)

Personal pronouns are used only for human beings or
anthropomorphized animals, or very occasionally, for domes-
ticated animals, as in the case of an old lady talking to

her only companion, a cat.

Juma.s jagi.:.sma... ‘If only you were human (could
2p people 2>+3 talk) . . .' (La Paz/Tiahuanaco)
D-1

8-2.22 Noun reference

Certain nouns in La Paz Aymara (and presumably
elsewhere) are basically nonhuman; others, basically human.
Examples of nouns or noun phrases that are always nonhuman

in reference are muxsa 'Sweet-tasting'; nayra.p g"ipa.p

 

‘back and forth' (e. g. a dog running back and forth); and
jach'a ‘'big' and jisk'a 'small' except when they occur in
the noun phrases jach'a tansa 'tall' and jisk'a tansa
‘short'.

A noun which sometimes has human, and sometimes
nonhuman reference, is suma, which has a range of meanings
including ‘good, nice, tasty, delicious, very, nicely'.

In Calacoa and Jopoqueri it means ‘beautiful, pretty’; in
Socca it is used in these meanings as well as the others.

The following examples are all from La Paz: