Witotoan (also Huitotoan or Uitotoan, occasionally known as Huitoto–Ocaina to distinguish it from
Bora–Witoto) is a small
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 southwestern
Colombia (
Amazonas Department
Amazonas () is a department of Southern Colombia in the south of the country. It is the largest department in area while also having the 3rd smallest population. Its capital is Leticia and its name comes from the Amazon River, which drains the ...
) and the neighbouring region of Peru.
Genetic relations
Aschmann (1993) proposed that the
Boran
Boran (also spelled Buran, Middle Persian: ; New Persian: پوراندخت, ''Pūrāndokht'') was Sasanian queen (or ''banbishn'') of Iran from 630 to 632, with an interruption of some months. She was the daughter of king (or '' shah'') Khos ...
and Witotoan language families were related, in a ''
Bora–Witoto'' stock. Echeverri & Seifart (2016) refute the connection.
Language contact
Jolkesky (2016) notes that there are lexical similarities with the
Pijao,
Yaruro
The Yaruro people (or Pumé, according to their self-determination) are a Circum-Caribbean indigenous people, native to the ecoregion of Llanos in Venezuela, located west of the Orinoco River. ,
Arawak
The Arawak are a group of indigenous peoples of northern South America and of the Caribbean. Specifically, the term "Arawak" has been applied at various times to the Lokono of South America and the Taíno, who historically lived in the Great ...
,
Bora-Muinane,
Choko, and
Tukano language families due to contact. Some of this contact had occurred due to the expansion of Witotoan speakers down the
Putumayo River
The Putumayo River or Içá River ( es, Río Putumayo, pt, Rio Içá) is one of the tributaries of the Amazon River, southwest of and parallel to the Japurá River.
Course
The Putumayo River forms part of Colombia's border with Ecuador, as well ...
.
Family division
*
Ocaina (also rendered Okaina)
*
Witoto Proper
**
Nïpode (also known as Nüpode, Nipode Huitoto, Nipode Witoto, Witoto Muinane, Muinane Huitoto, Muiname)
**Mïnïca–Murai
***
Mïnïca (also known as Witoto Meneca, Meneca, Meneka, Noaiko-Muína, Southern Witoto, Minica Huitoto, Minica)
***
Murui (also known as Witoto Murui, Murai, Búe, Murai Huitoto, Bue, Huitoto, Central Witoto proper, Komïne)
*
Nonuya
Nonuya (''Nononotá, Nyonuhu, Nonuña, Achiote)'' is a Witotoan language formerly spoken in Colombia and Peru that is now nearly extinct. Genocide, disease, and forced migration caused the Sparrowhawk and Backpacker tribes to form families with t ...
(also known as Nyonuhu, Nonuña, Achote, Achiote) ''Loreto, Peru''
The classification above is based on Campbell (1997), who follows Richard Aschmann's 1993 classification and
reconstruction
Reconstruction may refer to:
Politics, history, and sociology
*Reconstruction (law), the transfer of a company's (or several companies') business to a new company
*'' Perestroika'' (Russian for "reconstruction"), a late 20th century Soviet Unio ...
of proto-Witotoan.
Nonuya is nearly extinct, but attempts are being made at revival.
The following extinct languages are unclassified within Witotoan:
*
Andoquero (also known as Andokero, Miranya-Karapana-Tapuyo, Miraña, Carapana) ''Amazonas, Colombia'' ''(†)''
*
Coeruna (also known as Koeruna) ''Amazonas, Brazil'' ''(†)''
*
Koihoma (also known as Coto, Koto, Orejón, Coixoma) ''Loreto, Peru'' ''(†)''
*
Hairúya ''(†)''
[Loukotka, Čestmír. 1949. Sur Quelques Langues Inconnues de l'Amerique du Sud. ''Lingua Posnaniensis'' I: 53-82.]
Kaufman (2007) adds
Andoque.
Synonymy note:
* The name ''Muiname'' has been used to refer to the ''
Muinane language
Muinane is an indigenous American language spoken in Colombia.
Classification
Muinane belongs to the Boran language family, along with Bora.
Geographic distribution
Muinane is spoken by 150 people in Colombia along the Upper Cahuinarí river ...
(Bora Muinane)'' of the Boran family and also to the ''Nipode language (Witoto Muinane)'' of the Huitotoan family.
* The names ''Koto'', ''Coto'', and ''Orejón'' have been used to refer to the ''Koihoma language (Coixoma)'' and also to the unrelated ''
Orejón language
Orejón (Oregon), also Coto or ''Maijiki'', is a moribund Tucanoan language of Peru
, image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg
, image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg
, other_symbol = Great Seal of the Stat ...
'' (also known as ''Koto'' or ''Coto'') of the
Tucanoan
Tucanoan (also Tukanoan, Tukánoan) is a language family of Colombia, Brazil, Ecuador, and Peru.
Language contact
Jolkesky (2016) notes that there are lexical similarities with the Arutani, Paez, Sape, Taruma, Witoto-Okaina, Saliba-Hodi, ...
language family.
Mason (1950)
Internal classification of the Witotoan languages by
Mason (1950):
*Witoto
**Kaime (Caimo)
**Xúra
**Séueni
**Jayruya
**Mekka: Yaboyano
**Menekka
**Búe
**Ifikuene-Caimito (?)
*Miranyan, Boran
**Miranya-Carapana-Tapuyo
**Nonuya (Achiote)
**Ocaina-Muenane
**Ocaina (Ducaiya); Fitita (?)
**Muenane
*Southeastern
**Orejón
**Coeruna (?)
*Andoke (?)
**North: Araracuara
**South
*Resigero (?)
Vocabulary
Loukotka (1968) lists the following basic vocabulary items for Witotoan language varieties.
References
Bibliography
* Aschmann, Richard P. (1993). ''Proto Witotoan''. Publications in linguistics (No. 114). Arlington, TX: SIL & the University of Texas at Arlington.
* Campbell, Lyle. (1997). ''American Indian languages: The historical linguistics of Native America''. New York: Oxford University Press. .
* Echeverri, Juan Alvaro & Frank Seifart. (2016). ''Proto-Witotoan: A re-evaluation of the distant genealogical relationship between the Boran and Witotoan linguistic families.''
* Kaufman, Terrence. (1990). Language history in South America: What we know and how to know more. In D. L. Payne (Ed.), ''Amazonian linguistics: Studies in lowland South American languages'' (pp. 13–67). Austin: University of Texas Press. .
* Kaufman, Terrence. (1994). The native languages of South America. In C. Mosley & R. E. Asher (Eds.), ''Atlas of the world's languages'' (pp. 46–76). London: Routledge.
External links
* Proel:
*
Sub-familia Witoto
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bora-Witoto languages
Bora–Witoto languages
Indigenous languages of the South American Northern Foothills
Indigenous languages of Western Amazonia
Witotoan