Choco languages

Language family of Colombia and Panama From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Choco languages

The Choco languages (also Chocoan, Chocó, Chokó) are a small family of Indigenous languages spread across Colombia and Panama.

Quick Facts Chocoan, Geographic distribution ...
Chocoan
Geographic
distribution
Colombia and Panama
Linguistic classificationOne of the world's primary language families
Subdivisions
Language codes
Glottologchoc1280
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Poet and politician Eduardo Cote Lamus on his journey in Río San Juan (Choco, Colombia) in 1958 with some of the people speaking Choco languages

Family division

Choco consists of six known branches, all but two of which are extinct.

At least Anserma, Arma, and Caramant are extinct.

The Emberá group consists of two languages mainly in Colombia with over 60,000 speakers that lie within a fairly mutually intelligible dialect continuum. Ethnologue divides this into six languages. Kaufman (1994) considers the term Cholo to be vague and condescending. Noanamá has some 6,000 speakers on the Panama-Colombia border.

Jolkesky (2016)

Internal classification by Jolkesky (2016):[1]

( = extinct)

Language contact

Jolkesky (2016) notes that there are lexical similarities with the Guahibo, Kamsa, Paez, Tukano, Witoto-Okaina, Yaruro, Chibchan, and Bora-Muinane language families due to contact.[1]

Genetic links between Choco and Chibchan had been proposed by Lehmann (1920).[2] However, similarities are few, some of which may be related to the adoption of maize cultivation from neighbors.[1]:324

Genetic relations

Choco has been included in a number of hypothetical phylum relationships:

Vocabulary

Loukotka (1968) lists the following basic vocabulary items for the Chocó languages.[4]

More information gloss, Sambú ...
glossSambúChocó Pr.CitaraBaudoWaunanaTadóSaixaChamíÁndaguedaCatioTukuráN'Gvera
one habaabáabaabahabaabaabbáabbaabá
two omeumedáonomiuméhoméuméómayteaunmé
three ompeaumpiadáonatupkimarishompéumpeaompayáumbeaunpia
head poroporoachiporopúroborótachi-púroboróbóroburuporú
eye tautautabútaudágatautaudáutowdabutabútapü
tooth kidakidakidakidáxidákidáchidachida
man amoxinamukiraumakiraemokoidamukiramukínamugiramohunámukira
water pañiapaniápaniapaniapaniapaníabaníapuneápaneapánia
fire tibuatibuáxemkavaitupuktuputubechuátübü
sun pisiapisiáumantagoveseaedauveseaáxonihinoumataemwaitonhumandayoahumautu
moon edexoédexohidexoxedekoxedegoedekoːátoníedexoheydahoxedekoxedékohedeko
maize pepepagapedeupepepe
jaguar imamaibamáibamáimamakumápimamáimamaimamáimamá
arrow enatrumahalomáhalomásiachókieraumatrumasíaukidaenentiera
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Proto-language

For reconstructions of Proto-Chocó and Proto-Emberá by Constenla and Margery (1991),[5] see the corresponding Spanish article.

See also

References

Bibliography

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