Culle, also spelled Culli, Cullí, or Kulyi, is a poorly attested extinct language of the Andean highlands of northern

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = National seal , national_motto = "Firm and Happy f ...

. It is the original language of the highlands of

La Libertad Region La Libertad (; in English: ''The Liberty'') is a region in northwestern Peru. Formerly it was known as the Department of La Libertad ('). It is bordered by the Lambayeque, Cajamarca and Amazonas regions on the north, the San Martín Region on t ...

, the south of the

Cajamarca Region Cajamarca (; qu, Kashamarka; ay, Qajamarka) is a department and region in Peru. The capital is the city of Cajamarca. It is located in the north part of the country and shares a border with Ecuador. The city has an elevation of above sea lev ...

( Cajabamba), and the north of the

Ancash region Ancash ( qu, Anqash; es, Áncash ) is a department and region in northern Peru. It is bordered by the departments of La Libertad on the north, Huánuco and Pasco on the east, Lima on the south, and the Pacific Ocean on the west. Its capital is ...

(

Pallasca The Pallasca Province (from Quechua Pallasqa) is one of 20 provinces of the Ancash Region in Peru. Geography One of the highest peaks of the province is Utkhu Qucha at approximately . Other mountains are listed below:http://escale.minedu.gob.pe ...

and Bolognesi). It is known through various word lists collected while the language was still spoken and through vocabulary loaned into the

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

spoken in the region. Flores Reyna (1996) reports that Culli was spoken by at least one family in the town of Tauca, Pallasca Province, Ancash region, until the middle of the 20th century. While it appears that Culli has been displaced in its whole range by Spanish, the possibility of speakers remaining in some remote village cannot be ruled out altogether. Culli was the language spoken in the territory of at least three Pre-Inca cultures or dominions: The kingdom of Konchuko ( Conchucos), in the north of the Ancash region; the kingdom of Wamachuko (

Huamachuco Huamachuco (possibly from Quechua ''waman'', falcon or variable hawk, and Kulyi ''chuco'', earth or land, "land of falcons") is a town in northern Peru and capital of the province Sánchez Carrión in La Libertad Region. The city is the sea ...

), in the highlands of La Libertad region; and Culli was spoken at least in the southern part of the kingdom of Kuismanko (Cuismanco), in the south of the Cajamarca region.

Classification

Because it is poorly attested, it has not been possible to definitively classify Culle. Jolkesky (2016) also notes that there are lexical similarities with Leco.

Vocabulary

What little is known of the Culle language consists mostly of vocabulary. A sample list of words is given by Loutkotka (1968); some of these are presented here: *ahhi – ''woman'' *pič – ''bird'' *čallua – ''fish'' *ču – ''head'' *čukuáll – ''heart'' *mai – ''foot'' *koñ, goñ – ''water'' *kumú – ''drink'' *mú – ''fire'' *sú – ''sun'' *múñ – ''moon'' *urú – ''tree'' *usú – ''man'' A more extensive word list from Loukotka (1949) is given below:Loukotka, Čestmír. 1949. Sur Quelques Langues Inconnues de l'Amerique du Sud. ''Lingua Posnaniensis'' I: 53-82. ;Notes *(Sp.) = Spanish loanword (excluded) ;Sources used by Loukotka (1949) *Manuscript by

Martínez Compañón Martínez or Martinez may refer to: Places Argentina * Martínez, Buenos Aires * Coronel Martínez de Hoz, Buenos Aires Province France * Hôtel Martinez, in Cannes Mexico * Martínez de la Torre, Veracruz Spain * Martínez, Ávila, a municip ...

from the 1700s *Words collected by

Paul Rivet Paul Rivet (7 May 1876, Wasigny, Ardennes – 21 March 1958) was a French ethnologist known for founding the Musée de l'Homme in 1937. In his professional work, Rivet is known for his theory that South America was originally populated i ...

in 1934 from Gonzales, a Kulli medicine man in

Department of Ancash Ancash ( qu, Anqash; es, Áncash ) is a department and region in northern Peru. It is bordered by the departments of La Libertad on the north, Huánuco and Pasco on the east, Lima on the south, and the Pacific Ocean on the west. Its capital is ...

, Peru :

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Culle Language Indigenous languages of the Andes Languages of Peru Extinct languages of South America Languages extinct in the 20th century Language isolates of South America