Zamucoan languages

Zamucoan
Samúkoan
Geographic
distribution		Paraguay and Bolivia
Linguistic classificationOne of the world's primary language families
Subdivisions
Language codes
Glottologzamu1243

Zamucoan (also Samúkoan) is a small language family of Paraguay (northeast Chaco) and Bolivia (Santa Cruz Department).

The family has hardly been studied by linguists (as of Adelaar & Muysken 2004), although several studies have recently appeared (see: Bertinetto 2009, 2010, 2013; Ciucci 2007/08, 2009, 2010a, 2010b, 2013a, 2013b). Recent studies show that the Zamucoan languages are characterized by a rare syntactic configuration which is called para-hypotaxis, in which coordination and subordination are used simultaneously to connect clauses (Bertinetto & Ciucci 2012).

Classification

Extant languages

Zamucoan consists of two living languages:

Genetic relations

From the historical record of the Zamucoan peoples, the living Zamucoan languages appear to have had several relatives, now extinct. It is not clear if these were necessarily distinct languages, or even that they were Zamucoan, but Mason (1950) listed them as follows:

  • Zamucoan
    • Northern
      • Zamuco (Ayoreo): Zamuco (Samuca); Satienyo (Zatieño, Ibiraya)
      • Morotoco (Coroino)
        • Cucarate (Kukutade)
        • Orebate (Ororebate); Carerá
        • Panono (Panana)
        • Tomoeno
      • Guarañoca [possibly a dialect of Ayoreo]: Tsiracua (Empelota); Mora (remnants of Morotoco and Guarañoca)
      • Ugaraño
      • Tapii (Tapio)
      • Poturero (Ninaquiguilá)
    • Southern
      • Chamacoco (Tumanahá, Timinihá): Ebidoso, Horio (Ishira), Tumerehã
      • Imono
      • Tunacho (Tunaca)
      • Caipotorade

References

  1. ↑ Mason, John Alden (1950). "The languages of South America". In Steward, Julian (ed.). Handbook of South American Indians. Vol. 6. Washington, D.C., Government Printing Office: Smithsonian Institution, Bureau of American Ethnology Bulletin 143. pp. 157–317.
  2. ↑ Fabre 2007:3–5

Bibliography