Cacán language

Language of northern Argentina and Chile From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Cacán (also Cacan, Kakán,[1] Kakana,[2] Calchaquí, Chaka, Diaguita, and Kaka) is a presumably extinct language spoken by the Diaguita and Calchaquí tribes in northern Argentina and Chile.[3] The language was documented in a grammar by the Jesuit Alonso de Bárcena, but the manuscript is lost. Genetic affiliation of the language remains unclear, and it has not been conclusively linked to any existing language family,[4] though past proposals have included a link with Kunza and the essentially unknown Humahuaca.[5]

NativetoNorthern Argentina and Chile
Dialects
  • Diaguit
  • Calchaqui/Cacan
  • Cupayana/Capayana
  • Amaná
  • Chicoana
  • Chicoana/Pulare
  • Indama/Ambargasta
  • Copiapó
Quick facts Native to, Ethnicity ...
Cacán
Diaguita–Calchaquí
Kakán
Native toNorthern Argentina and Chile
EthnicityDiaguita, Calchaquí
unclassified (Diaguit)
Dialects
  • Diaguit
  • Calchaqui/Cacan
  • Cupayana/Capayana
  • Amaná
  • Chicoana
  • Chicoana/Pulare
  • Indama/Ambargasta
  • Copiapó
Language codes
ISO 639-3None (mis)
Glottologcalc1235  Calchaqui
Close

The name Diaguita is from Cacán tiac-y-ta 'village inhabitant'.[6]

Dialects

Loukotka (1968)

Varieties classified by Loukotka (1968) as part of the Diaguit language group:[7]

  • Diaguit - extinct language once spoken by many tribes in the Argentine province of Catamarca. All the survivors are now Quechuanized. Dialects, all extinct:
    • Quilme - once spoken by the Quilmes people, originally from neighboring Tucumán Province, later relocated to the city of Quilmes, Buenos Aires Province
    • Yocabil - once spoken in Catamarca in the Yocabil Valley.
    • Andalgalá - once spoken around the city of Andalgalá, Catamarca.
    • Abaucan or Tinogasta - once spoken in the Abaucán Valley, Catamarca.
    • Pasipa - once spoken in the Vicioso Valley, Catamarca.
    • Ancasti - once spoken in the Sierra de Ancasti, Catamarca.
    • Hualfin - once spoken in the Hualfin Valley, Catamarca.
    • Famatina - once spoken in the province of La Rioja in the Famatina Valley.
    • Caringasta - once spoken Calingasta in the Anguco Valley, San Juan province.
    • Sanogasta - once spoken in the province of La Rioja in the Sanogasta Valley.
    • Calian or Mocalingasta - once spoken in La Rioja province in the valley of Guadacol.
    • Sanagasta - once spoken in the Sierra de Velasco, La Rioja province.
    • Musitian - once spoken in La Rioja province in the Sierra de los Llanos.
    • Nolongasta - once spoken in the Chilecito Valley, La Rioja province.
  • Calchaqui or Cacan or Tocaque - extinct language once spoken in Salta province, in the Quimivil and Santa María Valleys. Dialects are:
    • Guachipa - once spoken in Salta Valley.
    • Tolombon or Pacioca - once spoken in the province of Tucumán in the Tolombon Valley.
    • Amaicha - once spoken in the Sierra de Aconquija, Tucumán province.
    • Tucumán or Tukma - once spoken around the city of Tucumán.
    • Soleo - once spoken in Tucumán province north of the Tucumán tribe.
  • Cupayana or Capayana - extinct language once spoken in San Juan and La Rioja provinces.
  • Amaná - once spoken around the city of Amaná, La Rioja province. (Unattested)
  • Chicoana or Pulare - once spoken in Salta Province in the Lerma Valley. (Unattested)
  • Indama or Ambargasta - once spoken north of Salinas Grandes, Santiago del Estero province. (Unattested)
  • Copiapó - once spoken around the city of Copiapó in the province of Atacama, Chile. (Unattested)

According to Adelaar (2004), some varieties, such as Capayana, required interpreters for the Spaniards to comprehend, indicating its status as a distinct language.[8]

Mason (1950)

Mason (1950) lists the Diaguita subgroups of Abaucan, Amaycha, Anchapa, Andalgalá, Anguinahao, Calchaquí, Casminchango, Coipe, Colalao, Famatina, Hualfina, Paquilin, Quilme, Tafí, Tocpo, Tucumán, Upingascha, and Yocabil. Acalian, Catamarca, and Tamano are possibly also Diaguita subgroups.[9]

Vocabulary

Cacán vocabulary possibly exists today in toponyms and local surnames, but the etymologies are often dubious. A comprehensive list may be found in Nardi (1977)[10] and Piispanen (2021).[6]

Other known words include:

  • Ao, hao, ahao — house
  • Gasta — town
  • Kakanchik (transcribed into Spanish: cacanchic) — name of a deity apparently of fertility
  • Titakin (transcribed to the Castilian titaquin) — lord and king
  • Zupka — altar, place of sacrifice.

Calchaqui words listed in Loukotka (1968):[7]

  • enxam — head
  • ma — water
  • tutu — fire
  • fil — sun
  • ki — tree
  • hua — maize.

The following list of Cacán words is from Piispanen (2021).[6]

More information Gloss ...
Cacán words with known meanings
Gloss Cacán
town, region; river; valley vile
town ahao[a]
cactus thorn ali
town gasta[b]
fertility deity cacanchik
lord and king titakin
Inca inca
courageous kalcha
much qui
altar; place of sacrifice zupka
shaman; medic machi
head enxam
water ma
water ango ~ anco
channel, stream mampa
fire tutu
sun fil
tree ki
type of acacia bisco
type of lignum vitae guacala[c]
type of edible fruit legume chica
possible name of hallucinogenic fruit sibil[d]
likely type of fruit-bearing plant tasi
type of poisonous bush nio
type of cactus quimil
type of owl colcol[e]
type of bird of prey choya
trush viñi
type of small bird isma ~ ishma[f]
sea bird waco
chicken walpa[g]
type of beetle champi
type of guanaco talca
tortuga walu
cat mishi[h]
likely type of raven or vulture paja
arrow talcol
maize hua
Close

Notes

  1. May be exclusive to northern Cacán
  2. May be exclusive to southern Cacán
  3. May be from Spanish guacal 'wooden crate, calabash tree (Crescentia cujete), vessel of about equal height and width for storing or washing things in' ultimately from Classical Nahuatl huacalli.
  4. Toponym
  5. Borrowed into Argentinian Spanish colcol 'great horned owl (Bubo virginianus)', which is likely the original meaning in Cacán.
  6. Borrowed into Argentinian Spanish isma 'chiguanco thrush (Turdus chiguanco)', which is likely the original meaning in Cacán.
  7. Quechua loanword
  8. Loanword

References

Related Articles

Wikiwand AI