Guajiboan languages

Guajiboan (also Guahiban, Wahívoan, Guahiboan) is a language family spoken in the Orinoco River region in eastern Colombia and southwestern Venezuela, a savanna region known as the Llanos.

Guajiban
Wahívoan, Guajiboan
Geographic distribution	Colombian and Venezuelan Llanos
Linguistic classification	One of the world's primary language families
Subdivisions	Macaguane Southwest Central
Language codes
Glottolog	guah1252

Family division

Guajiboan consists of 5 languages:

• Guajiboan
  • Macaguane (also known as Hitnü, Macaguán, Makawane, Agualinda, Agualinda Guahibo, Támude)
  • Southwest Guajiboan
    • Guayabero (also known as Cunimía, Mítiwa, Mitúa, Mitu, Hiw, Jiw, Wayavero, Guaviare)
    • †Churuya (also known as Bisanigua, Guaigua)
  • Central Guajiboan
    • Guajibo (also known as Guahibo, Sikuani, Sicuani, Chiricoa, Hiwi, Jiwi, Jivi, Wahivo, Wahibo, Guaybo, Goahibo, Guaigua, Guayba, Goahiva)
      • Waü (west)
      • Newütjü (also known as Tigrero)
      • Parawá (east)
      • Hamorúa (also known as Amorúa, Jamorúa)
      • Dome (also known as Playero, Cajaro)
    • Cuiva (also known as Wamonae, Cuiba, Kuiba, Deja, Cuiba-Wámonae)
      • Pimenepiwi (Meta river)
      • Aitopiwi (Ariporo river)
      • Yaraüraxi (Capanaparo river)
      • Waüpiwi (also known as Wipiwi, Yomati)
      • Siripuxi (also known as Tsiripu, Siripu)
      • Mayaraxi (also known as Mariposo, Mayalero)

Churuya is now extinct. It was formerly spoken in Meta, Colombia.

Macaguane is listed as a dialect of Guajibo in Kaufman (1994) and Campbell (1997). Gordon (2005) lists Playero (also Rio Arauca Guahibo), a dialect of Guajibo, as a separate language with a "low intelligibility of other Guahibo".

Guajibo and Cuiva form a dialect continuum.

Guajibo has the most speakers (over 23,000) and is the largest indigenous group in eastern Colombia. Approximately 9,000 in Venezuela.

Guayabero is the most divergent language of the family.

Loukotka (1968)

Guahibo group

• Guahibo - language spoken by many tribes in Colombia and Venezuela on the Meta River, Arauca River, Vichada River, and Orinoco River.
• Dialects:
• Cuiloto - spoken on the Cuiloto River and Cravo Norte River, Arauca territory, Colombia. (Unattested.)
• Cuiva - spoken on the Meta River, Vichada territory, Colombia. (Unattested.)
• Amorúa - spoken in the same region on the Bita River. (Unattested.)
• Chiricoa - spoken on the Ele River and Lipa River, department of Arauca, on the Cravo Norte River and Arauca River, Arauca territory, Colombia, and on the Cinaruquito River, Cinamco River, Capanaparo River, and Arichuna River, state of Apure, Venezuela. (Hildebrandt ms.)
• Sicuane - spoken on the Tuparro River, Vichada territory, Colombia. (Unattested.)
• Cuiapo Pihibi - spoken on the Tomo River, Vichada territory. (Unattested.)
• Yamu - spoken on the right bank of the Ariari River, Meta territory. (Unattested.)
• Catarro - spoken in the Meta territory on the Yucavo River and in the old mission of San Miguel de Salivas. (Unattested.)
• Chumya / Bisanigua - language, now probably extinct, once spoken on the Güejar River and in El Piñal.
• Guayabero / Guyaverun - spoken in the Meta territory on the Guayabero River.

Genetic relations

Guajiboan has often been grouped together with Arawakan, Arauan, and Candoshi by many classifiers. However, this now seems unlikely as the similarity between Guajiboan and Arawakan has been attributed to language contact.

Language contact

Jolkesky (2016) notes that there are lexical similarities with the Yanomami, Arawak, Nadahup, Puinave-Kak, Bora-Muinane, and Choko language families due to contact.^[1]

Meléndez-Lozano (2014)^[2] has also noted that Guahiban has borrowed from Arawakan languages, especially the Achagua and Piapoco languages.^{[1]: 357–358}

An automated computational analysis (ASJP 4) by Müller et al. (2013)^[3] found that there are apparent lexical similarities with Yanomami and Ticuna-Yuri. However, since the analysis was automatically generated, the similarities could be either due to mutual lexical borrowing, genetic inheritance, or chance resemblances.

Proto-language

Proto-Guajiboan
Proto-Guahiban
Reconstruction of	Cariban languages

Below are Proto-Guahiban reconstructions by Christian and Matteson (1972):^[4]

Proto-Guahiban reconstructions by Christian and Matteson (1972)

no. gloss Proto-Guahiban 1. 'abdomen' *-khoto(-wita) 2. 'Adam's apple' *-kuaY(-bo-kará/batɨ)-to 3. 'agouti' *bɨnɨ, *bɨNɨ 4. 'all' *daxɨ́-ta 5. 'anaconda' *homo-wábi 6. 'ant' *pɨbɨ 7. 'ant' *kha-kha-ra-wa 8. 'anteater' *tsóNi (pre-Guahiban) 9. 'arm' *-ma-xi/xa-si-pa-to 10. 'armadillo' *tahaú-bi 11. 'arrow' *pú/ku-yani (pre-Guahiban) 12. 'ash' *i/a-pu-ma-na/Na 13. 'axe' *sipá-li-a- 14. 'bad' *a-béhe 15. 'bark' *-bauko- 16. 'bat' *hai-wi/si-ri-to (pre-Guahiban) 17. 'beard' *-bixi/o-pina/piNa 18. 'bee (honey)' *habi/bara-moNɨ 19. 'big' *pinihí-yi/nV 20. 'bite' *síne, *síNe 21. 'black' *-tsaebía-hawa 22. 'blood' *háNa 23. 'bow (n.)' *bitsá-bi 24. 'breast' *-mí-pa/pi-to 25. 'brush, woods' *uéNu 26. 'buzzard' *ké-ke-re 27. 'cane' *mu/ba-se-bo 28. 'canoe' *héra 29. 'capybara' *húmo-ko-bi-to 30. 'chili pepper' *noN-hi 31. 'chin' *bɨxi- 32. 'cold' *a-ke 33. 'come' *patao-ho-pa 34. 'corn' *hétsa 35. 'crocodile' *makhiNe-he 36. 'cultivated clearing' *pábi 37. 'curassow' *iɨhɨ-bɨrɨ 38. 'day' *mata-kái-bi 39. 'die' *tɨpa 40. 'dig' *kúa 41. 'doorway' *bau-pha-ka 42. 'down' *bé-reka 43. 'drink' *ápa 44. 'dry' *tséawa 45. 'dull' *a-wóno-bi 46. 'ear (inner)' *muxu/mi-Yó-lo/ri-to 47. 'earth' *íra 48. 'eat' *xáne, *xáNe 49. 'egg' *tobɨ 50. 'eye' *takhú 51. 'far' *tahɨ 52. 'father' *p-áxa 53. 'fear' *ku-húnawa, *ku-húNawa 54. 'finger' *ko-besí/tíya 55. 'fire' *iso, nawa 56. 'firewood' *íso 57. 'first' *kopiaya-pita 58. 'fish' *duhuaY 59. 'fish hook' *kulupú-bo 60. 'flesh' *-wúi 61. 'flower' *-ma-tóNo-to 62. 'fly (n.)' *dáina-, *dáiNa- 63. 'foot' *tákhua 64. 'forehead' *-ta-pa-thái- 65. 'fruit' *bobo-kuí 66. 'full' *wiNíka 67. 'fur' *-ná-i 68. 'gourd' *dére-bɨ 69. 'grease' *-nasí-tsi-/-wa, *-Na-sí-tsi/wa 70. 'guan' *kuYu-wi 71. 'hair' *ma-ta-nao 72. 'hammock' *buu 73. 'hand' *-kóbe 74. 'he' *khum-po-ni 75. 'hear' *húme-tane, *húme-taNe 76. 'heart' *-humata-bɨ-ɨthɨ-to 77. 'heavy' *a-réwi 78. 'hen' *wakará 79. 'here' *hó-ta 80. 'his' *pE- 81. 'hold' *xáina, *xáiNa 82. 'hot' *a-táhu-enik 83. 'house' *bau 84. 'how' *pa-kuénia, *pa-kuéNia 85. 'huge rocks' *p-ĩbo-to 86. 'hummingbird' *se-si-bá-ri/-u/-Ci-to 87. 'husband' *-amuNa-to 88. 'husband' *-pébi 89. 'I' *xá-ni 90. 'iguana' *matíbi 91. 'imperative' *-ma 92. 'imperative' *-re 93. 'in, at' *-ta 95. 'intestines' *-ɨ́nɨ 96. 'island' *tuanái-to 97. 'jaguar' *neúthɨ 98. 'kill' *beaxú-a-ba 99. 'knee' *-ma-ta-baókao 100. 'know' *yapí-tane, *yapí-taNe 101. 'lake' *púka 102. 'he down' *rúka 103. 'lightning' *Yáamaxɨ 104. 'lip' *Ci-uphi-Yólo/ri 105. 'liver' *pa-hapa- 106. 'long' *a-pía 107. 'long hair' *ã-ma-tao-ná-pia, *ã-ma-tao-Ná-pia 108. 'louse' *talí 109. 'lower arm' *ma-xi-sí-pa-pa 110. 'lower leg' *sí-to 111. 'lungs' *ka-fo-fóbi 112. 'macaw' *máha 113. 'man' *pébĩ 114. 'manioc' *bawá 115. 'manioc flour' *matsúka 116. 'many' *na-wi-ta 117. 'miriti palm' *ino-hóa-bo/to 118. 'monkey, howler' *níhẽ 119. 'mosquito' *wéasɨ 120. 'mother' *p-éna 121. 'mouth' *kui-bo-to 122. 'my' *ta-x 123. 'my' *taha- 124. 'name' *-wɨ́-ni 125. 'near' *imokhó-yo 126. 'neck' *Ce-i-sí-to 127. 'new' *ha-na-ha-wa, *ha-Na-ha-wa 128. 'night' *meráwi 129. 'nose' *phúmu 130. 'old man' *perú-hu-ni/wa-yo 131. 'old woman' *perú-hu-wa 132. 'one' *kaé-haewa 133. 'otter' *bohóNao-wi 134. 'our' *wa-ha 135. 'our' *pa-ta 136. 'paca' *opheá-bi 137. 'paddle' *ka-téna-pa, *ka-téNa-pa 138. 'parakeet' *tsé-le/Ci-to 139. 'parrot' *óNau 140. 'path, trail, road' *nã-mue-to 141. 'pebbles' *síki-ibo-to-xi/tiyo 142. 'white-lipped peccary' *habítsa 143. 'collared peccary' *tsamaú-li 144. 'people' *híwi 145. 'piranha' *kowára-bo 146. 'piranha' *fe-le-le-va- 147. 'push' *to-ró-/tá-ba 148. 'rain' *éma 149. 'rattle' *tsi-tsí-bu 150. 'rattlesnake' *yaa-sí-to 151. 'red' *tsobía 152. 'river, stream' *méne, *méNe 153. 'river turtle' *hála 154. 'root' *-tabú-topa 155. 'rope' *-amí-to 156. 'saliva' *-i-óne, *-i-óNe 157. 'sand' *tahita-atsa 158. 'see' *tá-Ne/naɨ/ne-kota 159. 'seed' *-xú- 160. 'sew' *horáuka 161. 'she' *pó-wa 162. 'shoulder' *-wɨ/o-tá-kura 163. 'shoulder' *kóf-ia/eri 164. 'sing' *na-xɨ́ana, *na-xɨ́aNa 165. 'sit' *éka 166. 'skin' *pera-bo/i 167. 'sky' *itá-bokhau 168. 'sleep' *mahí-ta/teka 169. 'smell' *tuxú-ne/na/Ne/Na 170. 'smooth' *kóni-hai 171. 'snake' *hómo 172. 'spider' *khaumɨ-bɨ-to 173. 'split' *waúkoba 174. 'stand' *Núka 175. 'stick' *náe-hava/wa-ta 176. 'stomach' *kó-to/so-to/-ro 177. 'stone' *ibó- 178. 'sun' *húami-to 179. 'sweet potato' *dáithi 180. 'swell' *ya-hín/Na 181. 'tail' *bosó-to 182. 'tapir' *métsa-ha 183. 'termite' *ophó 184. 'that' *bahará-xua 185. 'their' *pe- 186. 'their' *pi-ha/yeníhi- 187. 'they' *po-món/Nae 188. 'thick' *aitayáɨ 189. 'thigh' *-topa-thái 190. 'think' *nahunatabi xáin/Na 191. 'this' *xuá 192. 'thou' *xámɨ 193. 'toad' *busɨ-to 194. 'tobacco' *tséma 195. 'tongue tip' *e-bá-rɨ-to-kopi-a 196. 'tooth' *-a-wáuno 197. 'toucan' *tuikuékue 198. 'tree, stick' *náe-hava, *hae-wa 199. 'upper back' *-hu-ma 200. 'village' *tómara 201. 'vomit' *y/n-akába 202. 'walk' *póna-pona 203. 'wash' *ki-á-ta 204. 'water' *mé-ra 205. 'we' *waxái-tsi 206. 'when' *detsa/eta-pao-kuín/Naehi 207. 'whip' *détsa/éta hóta 208. 'wife' *piha-wa 209. 'wind' *hoibóa 210. 'wing' *kúarau-fe 211. 'woman' *pe-tíri-wa 212. 'worm' *oro 213. 'wrist' *kóbe-ya-vére/hóri-to 214. 'ye' *pa-xá-mi 215. 'year' *wái 216. 'your (pl.)' *pa-n/Ne- 217. 'your (sg.)' *ni-hi