Culli language

Culli
Culli
Ilinga
Native to	Peru
Region	La Libertad, Cajamarca (Cajabamba), Ancash (Pallasca)
Extinct	mid-20th century; possible speakers in remote villages
Language family	Language isolate
Language codes
ISO 639-3	None (mis)
Glottolog	cull1235
Linguasphere	84-EAA-aa
	Culle
	Culle is classified as Extinct by the UNESCO Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger.

Culli, also spelled Culle, Cullí, or Kulyi, also called Ilinga, is a poorly attested extinct language of the Andean highlands of northern Peru.

Vocabulary

Manuscript by Martínez Compañón from the 1700s
Words collected by Paul Rivet in 1934 from a 1915 wordlist recorded by priest of Cabana Teodoro Meléndez Gonzales of Pallasca, Department of Ancash, Peru

The following wordlist from the "plan" is taken from the Madrid manuscript.

gloss	Culli (Martínez Compañón)
God	yaià
man	usù
woman	ahhi
soul	alma
body	cuerpu
heart	chucuàll
meat/flesh	aycha
bone	mosčár
father	quinù
mother	mamǎ
son	usu ogǒll
daughter	ahhi ogǒll
brother	quimit
sister	cañi
eat	miù
drink	cumù
laugh	canquiù
cry	ačasù
die	čollapù
joy	cuhi
pain	pillach
death	caní
sky	cielo
sun	sú
moon	mùñ
stars	chuip
fire	mú
wind	llucá
bird	pichuñ
earth	pús
animal	animal
tree	urù
trunk	mučh-cusǧá
branch	urù saĝ̌ars
flower	chuchú
fruit	huačohú
grass	paihač
water	coñ
sea	quidā
river	uram
waves	còñpulcasù
rain	čau
fish	challuǎ

gloss	Culli (Gonzáles)
wood	guro
firewood	pišose
poncho	maiko
hat	muntua
dog	korep
neck	uro
water	goñ
bird drinking water	pičon-goñ
listen!	čo
candle	nina
hand	pui
I want to eat chicken	ki amberto gual′pe
bread eater	huiku-vana
dead	kani
bread	vana
foot	mai
sandals	mai-vil
head	ču
stomach	odre

References

↑ Moseley, Christopher; Asher, Ronald E. (1994). Atlas of the world's languages. London: Routledge. ISBN 978-0-415-01925-5.
1 2 Urban, Matthias (2024-12-31), "Small and extinct languages of Northern Peru", in Urban, Matthias (ed.), The Oxford Guide to the Languages of the Central Andes (1 ed.), Oxford University PressOxford, pp. 419–437, doi:10.1093/oso/9780198849926.003.0014, ISBN 978-0-19-884992-6, retrieved 2026-02-02
↑ Loukotka, Čestmír (1968). Classification of South American Indian languages. Los Angeles: UCLA Latin American Center.
↑ Adelaar, William F.H.; Pieter C. Muysken (2004). The Languages of the Andes. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. pp. 401–405. ISBN 0-521-36275-X.
↑ Adelaar, Willem F. H. (1988-01-01), "Search for the Culli Language", in Jansen; van der Loo; Manning (eds.), Continuity and Identity in Native America, BRILL, pp. 111–131, doi:10.1163/9789004660656_009, ISBN 978-90-04-66065-6, retrieved 2025-10-26
↑ Campbell, Lyle (2024). The indigenous languages of the Americas: history and classification. Oxford scholarship online. New York, NY: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-767346-1.
↑ "Glottolog 5.2 - Culli". glottolog.org. Retrieved 2025-10-26.
↑ Jolkesky, Marcelo Pinho de Valhery (2016). Estudo arqueo-ecolinguístico das terras tropicais sul-americanas (Ph.D. dissertation) (2 ed.). Brasília: University of Brasília.
↑ Martínez de Compañón, Baltasar Jaime (1782–1785). "PLAN que contiene 43. vozes Castellanas traducidas ãlas õcho lenguas que hablan los Yndios de la costa, Sierras, y Montañas del Obp̃do. de Trugillo del Perù". Trujillo del Perú en el siglo XVIII. Madrid.
↑ Loukotka, Čestmír (1949). "Sur Quelques Langues Inconnues de l'Amerique du Sud" (PDF). Lingua Posnaniensis. I: 53–82.
↑ Rivet, Paul (1949). "Les Langues De L'ancien Diocèse De Trujillo". Journal de la Société des américanistes. 38: 1–51. ISSN 0037-9174.

[1] Moseley, Christopher; Asher, Ronald E. (1994). Atlas of the world's languages. London: Routledge. ISBN 978-0-415-01925-5.

[:0-2] 1 2 Urban, Matthias (2024-12-31), "Small and extinct languages of Northern Peru", in Urban, Matthias (ed.), The Oxford Guide to the Languages of the Central Andes (1 ed.), Oxford University PressOxford, pp. 419–437, doi:10.1093/oso/9780198849926.003.0014, ISBN 978-0-19-884992-6, retrieved 2026-02-02

[Loukotka-3] Loukotka, Čestmír (1968). Classification of South American Indian languages. Los Angeles: UCLA Latin American Center.

[4] Adelaar, William F.H.; Pieter C. Muysken (2004). The Languages of the Andes. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. pp. 401–405. ISBN 0-521-36275-X.

[5] Adelaar, Willem F. H. (1988-01-01), "Search for the Culli Language", in Jansen; van der Loo; Manning (eds.), Continuity and Identity in Native America, BRILL, pp. 111–131, doi:10.1163/9789004660656_009, ISBN 978-90-04-66065-6, retrieved 2025-10-26

[6] Campbell, Lyle (2024). The indigenous languages of the Americas: history and classification. Oxford scholarship online. New York, NY: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-767346-1.

[7] "Glottolog 5.2 - Culli". glottolog.org. Retrieved 2025-10-26.

[Jolkesky-2016-8] Jolkesky, Marcelo Pinho de Valhery (2016). Estudo arqueo-ecolinguístico das terras tropicais sul-americanas (Ph.D. dissertation) (2 ed.). Brasília: University of Brasília.

[9] Martínez de Compañón, Baltasar Jaime (1782–1785). "PLAN que contiene 43. vozes Castellanas traducidas ãlas õcho lenguas que hablan los Yndios de la costa, Sierras, y Montañas del Obp̃do. de Trugillo del Perù". Trujillo del Perú en el siglo XVIII. Madrid.

[10] Loukotka, Čestmír (1949). "Sur Quelques Langues Inconnues de l'Amerique du Sud" (PDF). Lingua Posnaniensis. I: 53–82.

[11] Rivet, Paul (1949). "Les Langues De L'ancien Diocèse De Trujillo". Journal de la Société des américanistes. 38: 1–51. ISSN 0037-9174.