The sound n, which is phonemic in other Western Tucanoan languages, is contained in Secoya as a variant of the voiced stop /d/.
The basic form of a noun, without suffixes, indicates the general category (men, children, canoes, stones, eggs, etc.)
The nouns denoting supernatural beings and celestial bodies appear in their basic form to indicate both the generic as the singular.
The nouns denoting people typically lead gender suffixes with a masculine or feminine singular.
"Si'aalljë̱-ñahand-PLhuë-ñahouse-PLpa-ji'i.to be-PAS.3SG.MSi'a jë̱-ña huë-ña pa-ji'i.all hand-PL house-PL {to be-PAS.3SG.M}"I had ten houses"To emphasize a number, express the same grammatical agreement suffix classifiers in the case of the adjective.
Yë'ëmytsi̱childte'ione.Mmaca-pisingle-sjoi-quëcry.fz.mñu-ji'isitting-PAS.3SG.MYë'ë tsi̱ te'i maca-pi oi-quë ñu-ji'imy child one.M single-sj cry.fz.m sitting-PAS.3SG.M"Of my children, one sat crying.
Sa-ni, caya hua'i-re huaĕ-'ĕall PL go-PAS go-sec, two PL-cd kill-PAS"We all went and killed two (animals).
"The suffix classifiers indicate, besides the idea of a specific unit, the form or function of the object, conceptualized by the Secoya perspective.
Some inanimate nouns never appear with a suffix classifier; in this case the sense of generality or unit is inferred from the context.
The demonstrative pronoun ja "that" occurs with suffixes classifiers, local or temporary, to refer to an object, place or time.
The demonstrative pronoun iye "this" occurs with suffix classifiers, local and temporary, as with the separate hua'i for plural words and maca to refer to a person, place, thing.
"This next example demonstrates the immediate past tense when the basic form of the verb ends in [í] or [ʔí].
"De'o-coser.bueno-fz.Fpa'i-toser-siyë'ë-piyo-sjhuero-ra'-huëcomprar-IRR-PASDe'o-co pa'i-to yë'ë-pi huero-ra'-huëser.bueno-fz.F ser-si yo-sj comprar-IRR-PAS"If it had been in good condition (canoe), I would've bought it.
"The obligative suffix is demonstrated by the addition of -ti̱ to the basic form of the verb and indicates an urgency to perform the action.
Dai-si-covenir-cto-fzhua'iPLpa-niestar-secnaso-rechorongo-cdhua-ti̱-ra'-huëmatar-OBL-IRR-PASDai-si-co hua'i pa-ni naso-re hua-ti̱-ra'-huëvenir-cto-fz PL estar-sec chorongo-cd matar-OBL-IRR-PAS"If they had come, we would surely have killed the woolly monkeys.
Ëja-ohead-nfhua'i-piPL-sjyë'e-nime-cdde'o-yebe.good-pp.nfsehuo-caë-'ëanswer-bto-PASËja-o hua'i-pi yë'e-ni de'o-ye sehuo-caë-'ëhead-nf PL-sj me-cd be.good-pp.nf answer-bto-PAS"The headmen answered me"Yë'ëmipa-co-niwife-fz.F-cdoca-nario.down-DESsao-huësend-PASYë'ë pa-co-ni oca-na sao-huëmi wife-fz.F-cd rio.down-DES send-PAS"My wife would send us downstream.
"The Ecuadorian-Peruvian War in 1941 had a great impact on the life of the Secoya after it created a separation of the local groups by splitting up the region.
In the early 1970s, the Texaco and Gulf oil companies converged on Ecuador when massive petroleum reserves were discovered underground.
The extensive periods of oil drilling ravaged many of their settlement areas, culminating in disastrous ecological problems like water and soil contamination.
Even today, the Secoya still face many problems involving geopolitical feuds, harassment by oil companies, and the colonization and assimilation of Mestizo culture.