| Bora–Witóto | |
| Also Known As: | Witotoan |
| Acceptance: | controversial |
| Region: | northwestern Amazon |
| Familycolor: | American |
| Glotto: | none |
| Map: | Bora-Witoto.png |
Bora–Witóto (also Bora–Huitoto, Bora–Uitoto, or, ambiguously, Witotoan) is a proposal to unite the Boran and Witotoan language families of southwestern Colombia (Amazonas Department) and neighboring regions of Peru and Brazil. Kaufman (1994) added the Andoque language.
Kaufman (1994) lists Bóran and Witótoan (Huitoto–Ocaina) as separate families (they are grouped together with Andoque as Bora–Witótoan; by 2007 he moved Andoque to Witotoan). (Note that Andoque was later demonstrated to be part of the Andoque–Urequena family.)
Aschmann (1993) proposed Bora–Witoto as a connection between the Boran and Witotoan language families. Echeverri & Seifart (2016) refute the connection.
Kaufman (2007) includes Bora-Witoto in his Macro-Andean proposal, and added the Andoque language to the Witotoan family.[1] (Aschmann had considered Andoque a language isolate.) These proposals have not been accepted by other linguists. Gildea and Payne (2007) checked Bora-Witoto with Andoque, Proto-Cariban and Yagua, and found Bora-Witoto to be not related to any of the others.
Mason (1950: 236–238) groups Bora–Witoto, Tupian, and Zaparoan together as part of a proposed Macro-Tupí-Guaranían family.[2]
Below is a comparison of selected basic vocabulary items in Proto-Bora-Muinane (i.e., Proto-Boran), Bora, Proto-Witotoan, Witoto, and Andoque.
| gloss | Proto-Bora-Muinane[3] | Bora | Proto-Witotoan[4] | Witoto[5] | Andoque | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| head |
| nīːkʷàɯ̀ | ɨɸogɨ | -tai | ||
| hair |
| níːkʷākō | ɨɸotɨraɨ | ka-tai ʌka-be | ||
| eye |
| ācɯ̄ː | uˑɨθɨ | -ʔákʌ | ||
| ear |
| nɯ́mɨ̄̇ō | ?**po | heɸo | -bei | |
| nose |
| Tɨ́hɨ̄̇ò |
| doɸo | -pɤta | |
| tooth |
| íʔkʷāhɨ̀ | ?**iiʔ-gi- | iθido | -kódi | |
| tongue |
| nɨ́ːhɨ̄̇ʔkʷā | ?**pe | iɨɸe | -sodɤ̃ | |
| mouth |
| īʔhʲɯ̀ |
| ɸue | -ɸi | |
| hand |
| ōhtsɨ̄̇ | onoɟɨ | -dobi | ||
| foot |
| mēhtíā |
| eˑɨɟɨ | -dʌka | |
| breast |
|
| -ɲeé | |||
| meat |
| éːkó | ɟɨkɨθi | -ɤ̃ta | ||
| blood |
|
| dɨe | -duʔs | ||
| bone |
| p̻āhkɯ̄ | iɟaikɨ | -tadɤ̃ | ||
| person |
| kʷàhp̻ì | ɨima | ʝóʔhʌ | ||
| name |
|
| mamekɨ | -ti | ||
| dog |
| ōíp̻ʲē |
| hɨko | ĩɲõ | |
| fish | āmōmè | ɟɨkɨaɨ | bei | |||
| louse |
| kʷāánī | ɨboma | táʔsi | ||
| tree |
| ɯ̄mèè | ?**(aï)me | amena | kɤ̃́ʔɤ̃dɤ | |
| leaf |
| ɨ́nāʔámɨ̄̇ | rabe | -sedɤ̃ | ||
| flower | θaɸia | |||||
| water |
| nēhp̻ākʲō |
| hɨnui | dúʔu | |
| fire |
| kɯ́ːhɯ̄kʷā | irai | ʌʔpa | ||
| stone | néékʷājī |
| noɸɨkɨ | ɸisi | ||
| earth |
| ìīɲɯ̀ |
| enɨe | ɲṍʔĩ | |
| salt |
|
| ɨaiθaɨ | |||
| road |
| naˑɨθo | dubɤ, õbɤ | |||
| eat |
|
| guite | -baʔi- | ||
| die |
| baˑɨde | ĩ-hʌ́ʌ- | |||
| I |
| ōō |
| kue | o-ʔɤ | |
| you |
|
| o | ha-ʔɤ |