Matacoan (also ''Mataguayan, Matákoan, Mataguayo, Mataco–Mataguayo, Matacoano, Matacoana'') is a
language family
A language family is a group of languages related through descent from a common ''ancestral language'' or ''parental language'', called the proto-language of that family. The term "family" reflects the tree model of language origination in h ...
of northern
Argentina
Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...
, western
Paraguay
Paraguay (; ), officially the Republic of Paraguay ( es, República del Paraguay, links=no; gn, Tavakuairetã Paraguái, links=si), is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to th ...
, and southeastern
Bolivia.
Family division
Matacoan consists of four clusters of languages. The family also has a clear binary split between Wichí-Chorote and Maká-Nivaclé according to Nikulin (2019).
[Nikulin, Andrey V. 2019. ]
The classification of the languages of the South American Lowlands: State-of-the-art and challenges / Классификация языков востока Южной Америки
'. Illič-Svityč (Nostratic) Seminar / Ностратический семинар, Higher School of Economics, October 17, 2019. Gordon (2005) in ''
Ethnologue'' divides Wichí into three separate languages and Chorote into two languages.
;Matacoan
* Wichí-Chorote
**
Wichí
The Wichí are an indigenous people of South America. They are a large group of tribes ranging about the headwaters of the Bermejo River and the Pilcomayo River, in Argentina and Bolivia.
Notes on designation
This ethnic group was named by the En ...
(also known as Mataco, Wichi, Wichí Lhamtés, Weenhayek, Noctenes, Matahuayo, Matako, Weʃwo. The name ''Mataco'' is common but pejorative.)
***''Vejoz'' (also known as Vejo, Pilcomayo, Bermejo,
Wichí Lhamtés Vejoz
Wichí Lhamtés Vejoz is a Mataco-Guaicuru language of Argentina and Bolivia. Speakers are concentrated in northern parts of Chaco, Formosa, Salta, Jujuy Provinces, as well as west of Toba, the upper Bermejo River valley, and Pilcomayo River. Th ...
)
***''Noktén'' (also known as Noctén,
Wichí Lhamtés Nocten
Wichí Lhamtés Nocten, or Weenhayek, is a Wichí language primarily spoken in Bolivia, where an estimated 1,810 Wichí people spoke it in 1994. An additional one hundred people spoke the language in Argentina in 1994. In Bolivia, the language is ...
)
***''Wiznay'' (also known as Güisnay,
Wichí Lhamtés Güisnay
Wichí Lhamtés Güisnay or Wiznay is a Wichí language. Wichí Lhamtés Güisnay had an estimated 15,000 speakers in 1999 in Argentina. The language is centered in the Pilcomayo River region. Other names for the language include Güisnay, Mataco ...
)
***''Matawayo'' (also known as Matahuayo).
**
Chorote (also known as Chorotí, Yofúaha, Tsoloti)
***''Manhui'' (also known as Manjuy,
Iyo’wujwa Chorote)
***''Eklenhui'' (also known as Eclenjuy, Eklehui,
Iyojwa’ja Chorote, Chorote, Choroti).
* Maká-Nivaclé
**
Nivaclé (also known as Chulupí–Ashlushlay, Chulupí, Ajlujlay, Alhulhai, Niwaklé, Niwaqli, Churupi, Chulupe. The name ''Chulupí'' is common but pejorative.)
***Forest Nivaclé
***River Nivaclé
**
Maká (also known as Macá, Maca, Towolhi, Toothle, Nynaka, Mak’á, Enimaca, Enimaga)
***''Ma’ká'' (also known as Towolhi)
***''Enimaga'' (also known as Enimaa, Kochaboth)
Mason (1950)
Internal classification by
Mason (1950):
;Mataco-Maca
*Mataco
**Mataco-Mataguayo
***Mataco
****Guisnay
****Nocten (Octenai)
***Mataguayo
****Northern: Hueshuo, Pesatupe, Abucheta
****Southern: Vejoz
**Chorotí-Ashluslay
***Chorotí (Yofuaha)
***Ashluslay (Chulupí, Chonopí, Sukin, Sotiagay, Tapieté)
*Macá (Enimagá, Cochaboth, Guaná, Lengua)
**Enimagá
***Macá (Towothli, Toosle)
**Guentusé
**Cochaboth-Lengua
Vocabulary
Loukotka (1968) lists the following basic vocabulary items for the Matacoan languages.
Proto-language
For a reconstruction of Proto-Mataguayo by Viegas Barros (2002),
[Viegas Barros, Pedro. 2002. Fonología del Proto-Mataguayo: Las fricativas dorsales. Mily Crevels, Simon van de Kerke, Sérgio Meira & Hein van der Voort (eds.), ''Current Studies on South American Languages'' ndigenous Languages of Latin America, 3 p. 137-148. Leiden: Research School of Asian, African, and Amerindian Studies (CNWS).] see the corresponding
Spanish article.
References
Bibliography
* Adelaar, Willem F. H.; & Muysken, Pieter C. (2004). ''The languages of the Andes''. Cambridge language surveys. Cambridge University Press.
* Campbell, Lyle. (1997). ''American Indian languages: The historical linguistics of Native America''. New York: Oxford University Press. .
* Fabre, Alain (2005) Los Mataguayo (Online version: http://www.ling.fi/Entradas%20diccionario/Dic=Mataguayo.pdf)
External links
* Proel
Familia matákoan
{{Authority control
Mataco–Guaicuru languages
Language families
Chaco linguistic area