Caranqui, or Cara (Kara), is an extinct, probably

Barbacoan language Barbacoan (also Barbakóan, Barbacoano, Barbacoana) is a language family spoken in Colombia and Ecuador. Genealogical relations The Barbacoan languages may be related to the Páez language. Barbacoan is often connected with the Paezan languages ...

Ecuador Ecuador ( ; ; Quechuan languages, Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; Shuar language, Shuar: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''), officially the Republic of Ecuador ( es, República del Ecuador, which literally translates as "Republic of the Equator"; Quechuan ...

. Caranqui was replaced by

Quechua Quechua may refer to: *Quechua people, several indigenous ethnic groups in South America, especially in Peru *Quechuan languages, a Native South American language family spoken primarily in the Andes, derived from a common ancestral language **So ...

, perhaps surviving as late as the 18th century. It seems in turn to have influenced

Imbabura Quechua Kichwa (, , also Spanish ) is a Quechuan language that includes all Quechua varieties of Ecuador and Colombia (''Inga''), as well as extensions into Peru. It has an estimated half million speakers. The most widely spoken dialects are Chimboraz ...

. There are similarities between Caranqui and the Barbacoan languages

Pasto Pasto, officially San Juan de Pasto (; "Saint John of Pasto"), is the capital of the department of Nariño, in southern Colombia. Pasto was founded in 1537 and named after indigenous people of the area. In the 2018 census, the city had app ...

and

Tsafiki Tsafiki, also known as Tsachila or Colorado, is a Barbacoan language spoken in Ecuador by c. 2000 ethnic Tsáchila people. Phonology Consonants * /b, d/ are preglottalized �b, ˀdwhen occurring intervocalically. * /k/ can become voiced ...

, so Caranqui is often classified as Barbacoan, but the evidence is not conclusive due its poor documentation.

References

Barbacoan languages Extinct languages of South America Languages of Ecuador Languages extinct in the 18th century Unclassified languages of South America {{na-lang-stub