Chicham languages

The Chicham languages, also known as Jivaroan (Hívaro, Jívaro, Jibaro) is a small language family of northern Peru and eastern Ecuador.

Chicham
Jibaroan
Geographic distribution	Peru
Linguistic classification	Macro-Jibaro ? Chicham
Subdivisions	Shuar Aguaruna Huambisa Shiwiar ?Palta †
Language codes
Glottolog	jiva1245
Chicham (violet) and Cahuapanan (pink) languages. Spots are documented locations, shadowed areas probable extension in 16th century.

Family division

Chicham consists of four languages:

1. Shuar

2. Achuar-Shiwiar

3. Awajun

4. Huambisa

This language family is spoken in Amazonas, Cajamarca, Loreto, and San Martin, Peru and the Oriente region of Ecuador.

Mason (1950)

Internal classification of the Chicham languages by Mason (1950):^[1]

• Chicham
  • Aguaruna
    • Alapico
    • Indanza
    • Iransa
    • Maranza
    • Santiago
    • Patocuma
    • Chiguasa
    • Yuganza
  • Wambisa
    • Uambisa
    • Cherembo
    • Chirapa
    • Chiwando
    • Candoa
    • Cangaime
    • Mangosisa
  • Achuale
    • Capawari
    • Copatasa
    • Machine
    • Pindu
    • Wampoya
  • Antipa
  • Maca
    • Walakisa
    • Zamora
    • Pintuc
    • Ayuli
    • Morona
    • Miazal
  • Upano
  • Bolona
  • Bracamoro (Pacamuru)

Jolkesky (2016)

Internal classification by Jolkesky (2016):^[2]

(† = extinct)

• Jivaro
  • Aguaruna
  • Palta †
  • Jivaro, Nuclear
    • Achuar-Shiwiar
    • Wambisa
    • Shuar

Genetic relations

The extinct Palta language was classified as Chicham by Jacinto Jijón y Caamaño about 1940 and was followed by Čestmír Loukotka. However, only a few words are known, and Kaufman (1994) states that there is "little resemblance".

The most promising external connections are with the Cahuapanan languages and perhaps a few other language isolates in proposals variously called Jívaro-Cahuapana (Hívaro-Kawapánan) (Jorge Suárez and others) or Macro-Jibaro or Macro-Andean (Morris Swadesh and others, with Cahuapanan, Urarina, Puelche, and maybe Huarpe).

The unclassified language Candoshi has also been linked to Chicham, as David Payne (1981) provides reconstructions for Proto-Shuar as well as Proto-Shuar-Candoshi. However, more recently, linguists have searched elsewhere for Candoshi's relatives.

Language contact

Jolkesky (2016) notes that there are lexical similarities with the Quechuan, Kwaza, Taruma, Yanomami, Katukina-Katawixi, Kandoshi, Tupi, and Arawan language families due to contact. This suggests that Chicham had originated further downstream in the Central Amazon region.^[2]

Vocabulary

Loukotka (1968) lists the following basic vocabulary items for the Chicham languages.^[3]

gloss	Palta	Shuara	Huambisa	Achual	Gualaquiza	Upano	Aguaruna
one		chikichik		akítsik	tikichi	shikitiki	tikídyi
two		xímer		hímer	ximára	himiːra	hima
three		manéndiuk		kombaːtã	kahvaton	minendu	kampátu
head		múga		mók	mugwá	múka	mók
ear		kuísh	kuíshi	kuísh	kweche	kuishi	kuwísh
tooth		nér		náyi	nai	inai	ñái
man	nuna	aíshmanu	ashmang	aíshmang	ashmano	aishmano	aíshmo
water	yuma	yumi	yumi	yumi	yume	yumé	yúmi
fire	kapal	xi		hí	xi	hi	hí
sun		atsa	átsa	itsã	ítsa	étsa	itsã
maize	xeme	shaʔa		sha	sha	shaya	sha
house		héa	hía	hía	xéa	yéa	hína

Proto-language

Payne's (1981) Proto-Shuar reconstruction is based on data from Shuar, Achuar, Aguaruna, and Huambisa, while his Proto-Shuar-Candoshi reconstruction also integrates data from Candoshi and Shapra.

For reconstructions of Proto-Shuar and Proto-Shuar-Candoshi by Payne (1981), see the corresponding Spanish article.