Chimuan languages
Proposed Andean language family
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Chimuan (also Chimúan) or Yuncan (Yunga–Puruhá, Yunca–Puruhán) is a hypothetical small extinct language family of northern Peru and Ecuador (inter-Andean valley).
| Chimúan | |
|---|---|
| Yuncan, Yunga-Puruhá | |
| (not widely accepted) | |
| Geographic distribution | Peruvian coast |
| Linguistic classification | Proposed language family |
| Subdivisions |
|
| Language codes | |
| Glottolog | None |
Family division
Chimuan is proposed to be consisted of at least three attested languages:
- Chimuan
- Mochica (a.k.a. Yunga, Chimú)
- Cañari–Puruhá
- Cañari (a.k.a. Cañar, Kanyari)
- Puruhá (a.k.a. Puruwá, Puruguay)
All languages are now extinct.
Campbell (2012) classifies Mochica and Cañari–Puruhá each as separate language families.[1]
Mochica was one of the major languages of pre-Columbian South America. It was documented by Fernando de la Carrera and Middendorf in the seventeenth and nineteenth centuries respectively. It became extinct around 1920, although some people remembered a few words into the late 20th century. Most scholars consider Mochica a language isolate.
Cañari and Puruhá are documented with only a few words. These two languages are usually connected with Mochica. However, as their documentation level is so low, it may not be possible to confirm this association. According to Adelaar & Muysken (2004), Jijón y Caamaño's evidence of their relationship is only a single word: Mochica nech "river", Cañari necha; based on similarities with neighboring languages, he finds a Barbacoan connection more likely.
Quingnam, considered the same language as the lengua pescadora, was sometimes erroneously taken to be a dialect of Mochica, but it is effectively unattested, excepting a list of numerals discovered in 2010 thought likely to be of Quingnam or Pescadora as expected. These numerals are not, however, Mochica.
Mason (1950)
Yunca-Puruhán (Chimuan) internal classification by Mason (1950):[2]
- Yunca–Puruhán
- Yuncan
- North group (Puruhá-Cañari)
- Puruhá
- Canyari (Cañari)
- Manabila (Mantenya)
- South group (Yunca)
- Yunga
- Morropé
- Eten (?)
- Chimu
- Mochica (Chincha)
- Chanco
- North group (Puruhá-Cañari)
- Atalán
- Wancavilca (Huancavilca)
- Mania
- Tumbez
- Puna
- Carake: Apichiki, Cancebi
- Wancavilca (Huancavilca)
- Yuncan
Mason (1950) added Atalán to the family.
Tovar (1961)
Tovar (1961),[3] partly based on Schmidt (1926),[4] adds Tallán (Sechura–Catacao) to Chimuan (which he calls Yunga-Puruhá). Tovar's (1961) classification below is cited from Stark (1972).[5]
Proposed external relationships
Stark (1972) proposed a Maya–Yunga–Chipayan macrofamily linking Mayan with Uru–Chipaya and Yunga (Mochica).[5]