| Lycaonian | |
| Region: | Lycaonia, Asia Minor |
| Familycolor: | unclassified |
| Fam2: | Anatolian? |
| Fam3: | Hittite? Luwian? Greek |
| Iso3: | none |
| Glotto: | none |
Lycaonian is an unclassified language spoken in the former region of Lycaonia. The Lycaonians appear to have retained a distinct nationality in the time of Strabo, but their ethnical affiliations are unknown. The mention of the Lycaonian language in the Acts of the Apostles (14:11–12 ) shows that the native language was spoken by the common people of Lystra around 50 AD.[1]
The name "Lycaonia" is believed to be a Greek-adapted version (influenced by the Greek masculine name Lycaon) of an original Lukkawanna, which would mean 'the land of the Lukka people' in an old Anatolian language related to Hittite.[2]
It is notable though that in the Acts of the Apostles, Barnabas was called 'Zeus', and Paul was thought to be Hermes by the Lycaonians.