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 ancestor, called the proto-language of that family. The term ''family'' is a metaphor borrowed from biology, with the tree model used in historical linguistics ...
of northern
Argentina
Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...
, western
Paraguay
Paraguay, officially the Republic of Paraguay, is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the Argentina–Paraguay border, south and southwest, Brazil to the Brazil–Paraguay border, east and northeast, and Boli ...
, and southeastern
Bolivia
Bolivia, officially the Plurinational State of Bolivia, is a landlocked country located in central South America. The country features diverse geography, including vast Amazonian plains, tropical lowlands, mountains, the Gran Chaco Province, w ...
.
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
''Ethnologue: Languages of the World'' is an annual reference publication in print and online that provides statistics and other information on the living languages of the world. It is the world's most comprehensive catalogue of languages. It w ...
'' divides Wichí into three separate languages and Chorote into two languages.
*Matacoan
** Wichí-Chorote
***
Wichí (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)
****''Noktén'' (also known as Noctén,
Wichí Lhamtés Nocten)
****''Wiznay'' (also known as Güisnay,
Wichí Lhamtés Güisnay)
****''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. A competing theory is advanced by Nikulin and Carol
[
]
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