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Guaicuruan languages

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Ethnicity:
  
Guaycuru peoples

Glottolog:
  
guai1249

Geographic distribution:
  
northern Argentina, western Paraguay, southern Brazil

Linguistic classification:
  
Mataco–Guaicuru ? Guaicuruan

Subdivisions:
  
Kadiweu Southern Eastern

Guaicuruan (Guaykuruan, Waikurúan, Guaycuruano, Guaikurú, Guaicurú, Guaycuruana) is a language family spoken in northern Argentina, western Paraguay, and Brazil (Mato Grosso do Sul).

Contents

Family division

Guaicuruan/Waikurúan languages are often classified as follows:

  • Kadiweu (also known as Caduveo, Kadiwéu, Mbayá-Guaycuru, Mbayá, Guaicurú, Waikurú, Ediu-Adig)
  • Southern Guaicuruan
  • Pilagá (also known as Pilacá)
  • Toba (also known as Qom, Chaco Sur, Namqom)
  • Mocoví (also known as Mbocobí, Mokoví, Moqoyt)
  • Abipón (also known as Callaga, Kalyaga, Abipon) (†)
  • Eastern Guaicuruan
  • Guachí (also known as Wachí) (†)
  • Payaguá (also known as Payawá) (†)

    • Abipón, Guachí, and Payaguá all are extinct.

    Harriet Klein argues against the assumption that Kadiweu is Guaicuruan. Most others accept the inclusion of Kadiweu into the family.

  • Toba is spoken in the eastern part of the Chaco and Formosa provinces of Argentina, in southern Paraguay, and in the eastern part of Bolivia; there are approximately 25,000 speakers. The Guaicuruan Toba language here should not be confused with the Mascoy language of the Mascoyan family which is also called Toba (or Toba-Emok, Toba-Maskoy).
  • Pilagá, with about 4,000 speakers, is spoken in the northeastern part of Chaco province, and in eastern Formosa, Argentina;
  • Mocoví, with about 7,000 speakers, is spoken in Argentina in the northern part of Santa Fe and southern Chaco provinces.
  • Abipón, which was spoken in the eastern part of Chaco province, Argentina, is now extinct and was very closely related to the other languages in the southern branch

    • Genetic relations

    Jorge Suárez includes Guaicuruan with Charruan in a hypothetical Waikuru-Charrúa stock. Morris Swadesh includes Guaicuruan along with Matacoan, Charruan, and Mascoyan within his Macro-Mapuche stock. Both proposals appear to be obsolete.

    References

    Guaicuruan languages Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA