Guaicuruan languages

Not to be confused with Guaicurian languages.

Guaicuruan (Guaykuruan, Waikurúan, Guaycuruano, Guaikurú, Guaicuru, Guaycuruana) is a language family spoken in northern Argentina, western Paraguay, and Brazil (Mato Grosso do Sul). The speakers of the languages are often collectively called the Guaycuru peoples. For the most part, the Guaycuruans lived in the Gran Chaco and were nomadic and warlike, until finally subdued by the various countries of the region in the 19th century.

Guaicuruan
Waikurúan
Geographic distribution	northern Argentina, western Paraguay, southern Brazil
Ethnicity	Guaycuru peoples
Linguistic classification	Mataco–Guaicuru ? Guaicuruan
Subdivisions	Kadiweu Southern ?Eastern (Guachí–Payaguá) †
Language codes
Glottolog	guai1249

Genetic relations

Jorge A. Suárez includes Guaicuruan with Charruan in a hypothetical Waikuru-Charrúa stock. Morris Swadesh includes Guaicuruan along with Matacoan, Charruan, and Mascoian within his Macro-Mapuche stock. Both proposals appear to be obsolete.

Family division

There is a clear binary split between Northern Guaicuruan (Kadiwéu) and Southern Guaicuruan according to Nikulin (2019).^[1] Guaicuruan/Waikurúan languages are often classified as follows:

• Guaicuruan
  • Northern Guaicuruan
    • Kadiweu (also known as Caduveo, Kadiwéu, Mbayá-Guaycuru, Mbayá, Guaicurú, Waikurú, Ediu-Adig)
  • Southern Guaicuruan
    • Pilagá (also known as Pilacá)
    • Toba Qom (also known as Chaco Sur, Namqom)
    • Mocoví (also known as Mbocobí, Mokoví, Moqoyt)
    • Abipón (also known as Callaga, Kalyaga, Abipon) †
  • Eastern Guaicuruan (often considered to be separate language isolates rather than part of Gaicuruan^[2][1])
    • Guachi (also known as Wachí) †
    • Payagua (also known as Payawá) †

Abipón, Guachí, and Payaguá all are extinct.

Lyle Campbell (2012) classifies Guachi and Payagua each as language isolates.^[2]

Harriet Klein argues against the assumption that Kadiweu is Guaicuruan. Most others accept the inclusion of Kadiweu into the family. The Guachi were absorbed by the Mbayá. The similarities with the Mbayá language may be due to borrowing rather than a familial relationship.^[3]

• Toba is spoken in the eastern part of the Chaco and Formosa provinces of Argentina, in southern Paraguay, and in the eastern part of Bolivia; there are approximately 25,000 speakers. The Guaicuruan Toba language here should not be confused with the Mascoy language of the Mascoyan family which is also called Toba (or Toba-Emok, Toba-Maskoy).
• Pilagá, with about 4,000 speakers, is spoken in the northeastern part of Chaco province, and in eastern Formosa, Argentina;
• Mocoví, with about 7,000 speakers, is spoken in Argentina in the northern part of Santa Fe and southern Chaco provinces.
• Abipón, which was spoken in the eastern part of Chaco province, Argentina, is now extinct and was very closely related to the other languages in the southern branch

Mason (1950)

Internal classification of the Guaicuruan languages by Mason (1950):^[4]

• Guaicuruan
  • Guaicurú, Northern: Mbayá-Guaicurú
    • West: Caduveo (Cadiguegodí), Guetiadegodí (Guetiadebo)
    • East: Apacachodegodegí (Mbayá Mirim), Lichagotegodí (Icachodeguo ?), Eyibogodegí, Gotocogegodegí (Ocoteguebo ?)
    • Payaguá (Lengua)
      • North: Sarigué (Cadigué)
      • South: Magach (Agacé, Siacuás, Tacumbú)
  • Frentones
    • Middle: Toba (Tocowit)
      • Toba: Guazú, Komlék, Michi (Miri), Cocolot, Lanyagachek, Mogosma, Chirokina, Natica
      • Pilagá
      • Aguilot
    • South
      • Abipón (Callaga)
        • Mapenuss (Yaukanigá)
        • Mepene
        • Gulgaissen (Kilvasa)
      • Mocoví (Mbocobí)

Possible or doubtful Guaicuruan languages listed by Mason (1950):

• Guachi
• Layaná
• Juri (Suri)
• Querandí
• Mahoma (Hohoma)

Vocabulary

Loukotka (1968) lists the following basic vocabulary items for the Guaicuruan languages.^[5]

gloss	Guaicuru	Kaduveo	Beakeo	Toba-Guazú	Toba-Michí	Komlék	Pilagá	Mocoví	Abipon	Guachí	Payaguá
one	uniniteguí	oniúde	uniditik	natedak	molek	niátakolék	onolik	iñiateda	iñitãra	tamak	hesle
two	itoada	edoáda	itio-átate	kakainí	divastoluka	diákte		iñabako	iñoaká	euexo	tigaké
eye	ni-güekogüe	o-gekore	i-gékure	iya-iti	kada-ité	kade-ité	kada-ité	niko-té	nato-ete	ya-taya	ya-tígui
ear	na-pagate	ona-paráte	a-parate	tela	ke-telá	kadke-tilá	kalke-telá	li-kela	ketal	irtan-meté	ya-igua
tooth	no-güe	odo-a	odoː-ué	ka-duhe	kada-uvé	kado-daití	kada-eté	ové	na-vue	ya-va	ya-serata
man	uneleiːgua	onelégio	inelégioː	yalé	yalé	yalé	lxiguo	yalé	yoalé	shakup	akú
water	nogodi	niorodi	níoroːdi	etarat	netath	noröp	itarat	varayák	enarp	öak	ueig
fire	nuledi	nolédi	noːlédi	nodék	nodék	dóle	dolé	norík	nkátek		hicháte
earth	iyogodi	iːgo	íru	aloa	alugá	l'ova	aluá	alobá	alóa	leek	nagiku
fish	nagoyegí	norodzyei	nrodzyég	niyak	niyak	niːak	nigiyak	nayí	noayi	anei	nahiguáte