Uru–Chipaya languages explained

Uru–Chipaya
Also Known As:Uruquilla
Familycolor:American
Glotto:uruc1242
Glottorefname:Uru–Chipaya
Child2:Uru
Child3:Uru of Ch'imu
Child4:Murato
Map:Chipaya - mapa etnia.svg
Mapcaption:Current distribution of Uru-Chipaya-speaking peoples

The Uru–Chipaya family is an indigenous language family of Bolivia.

The speakers were originally fishermen on the shores of Lake Titicaca, Lake Poopó, and the Desaguadero River.

Chipaya has over a thousand speakers and sees vigorous use in the native community, but all other Uru languages or dialects are extinct.

Loukotka (1968) also lists the Chango language, once spoken on the coast of Chile from Huasco to Cobija in Antofagasta Province. The population has since been Araucanized.[1]

Proposed external relationships

See main article: Maya–Yunga–Chipayan languages. Stark (1972) proposed a Maya–Yunga–Chipayan macrofamily linking Mayan with Uru–Chipaya and Yunga (Mochica).[2]

Language contact

Jolkesky (2016) notes that there are lexical similarities with the Kunza, Pukina, Pano, Jaqi, Kechua, Mapudungun, and Moseten-Tsimane language families due to contact.[3]

Vocabulary

Loukotka (1968) lists the following basic vocabulary items for Uro (Uru) and Chipaya.[1]

gloss Chipaya
onesipi shintal'a
twopisk'i pishk
threechepe chep
headácha acha
eyeshukui chuki
handkárshi kxara
womantúkũ txuna
waterkoási kuas
suntúñi túñi
maizetura tara

Bibliography

Notes and References

  1. Book: Loukotka, Čestmír . Čestmír Loukotka . Classification of South American Indian languages . registration . UCLA Latin American Center . 1968 . Los Angeles.
  2. Stark. Louisa R.. Maya-Yunga-Chipayan: A New Linguistic Alignment. International Journal of American Linguistics. 38. 2. 1972. 119–135. 0020-7071. 10.1086/465193.
  3. Jolkesky . Marcelo Pinho de Valhery . 2016 . Estudo arqueo-ecolinguístico das terras tropicais sul-americanas . Ph.D. dissertation . Brasília . University of Brasília . 2.