List of proposed language families

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The following is a list of proposed language families, which connect established families into larger genetic groups (macro-families). Support for these proposals vary from case to case. For example, the Dené–Yeniseian languages are a recent proposal which has been generally well received, whereas reconstructions of the Proto-World language are often viewed as fringe science. Proposals which are themselves based on other proposals have the likelihood of their parts noted in parentheses.

## Contents

* 1 Under considerations
* 2 Widely rejected
* 3 See also
* 4 References

## Under considerations

Template:Incomplete table

Proposed name  | Proposal  | Agree  | Disagree  | Doubt  | Ref.

|
|
|
|
|

Alarodian |  | Alarodian |  |  |

Hurro-Urartian

|

Northeast Caucasian

Igor M. Diakonoff (initiator), Sergei Starostin, Petri Kallio  | Johanna Nichols, Allan R. Bomhard  |  |
Austric |  | Austric |  |  |

Austroasiatic

|

Austronesian

Wilhelm Schmidt (initiator), La Vaughn H., Lawrence Reid, Gérard Diffloth, Paul Sidwell, Paul K. Benedict (later rejected), Sergei Starostin, John Bengtson, Automated Similarity Judgment Program (database)  |  | Robert Blust, Paul K. Benedict  | [1][2][3][4]
| Austric |  |  |

Austroasiatic

|

Austronesian

Japonic

Wilhelm Schmidt (initiator)  |
| Austric |  |  |  |  |

Austroasiatic

|

Hmong–Mien

|  |  |

Austronesian

|

Kra–Dai

Paul K. Benedict (initiator, later rejected), Sergei Starostin, John Bengtson, Weera Ostapirat (tentative)  |
| Austric |  |  |

Ainu

|

|  |  |  |  |

Austroasiatic

|

Hmong–Mien

|  |  |

Austronesian

|

Kra–Dai

Nihali

John Bengtson (initiator)  |
Austro-Tai |  | Austro-Tai |  |  |

Austronesian

|

Kra–Dai

Paul K. Benedict (initiator, also including Japanese), Weera Ostapirat, Alexander Smith  | Graham Thurgood  | Laurent Sagart  | [5]
Aztec–Tanoan |  | Aztec–Tanoan |  |  |

Tanoan

|

Uto-Aztecan

|  |  |
Chukotko-Kamchatkan–Amuric |  | Chukotko-Kamchatkan–Amuric |  |  |

Chukotko-Kamchatkan

|

Nivkh

|  |  |
Dene–Yeniseian |  | Dene–Yeniseian |  |  |

Na-Dene

|

Yeniseian

Alfredo Trombetti (initiator), Merritt Ruhlen, Edward Vajda, Michael Krauss, Jeff Leer, James Kari, Heinrich Werner, Bernard Comrie, Johanna Nichols, Victor Golla, Michael Fortescue, Eric Hamp, Bill Poser, and Paul Kiparsky  | Georgiy Starostin (Vajda's proposal)  | Lyle Campbell  | [6][7]
Gulf |  | Gulf |  |  |

Atakapa

|

Chitimacha

Muskogean

Natchez

Tunica

|  |  |
Hokan |  | Hokan |  |  |

Chimariko

|

Coahuilteco

Comecrudan

Esselen

Jicaquean

Karuk

|  |  |

Palaihnihan

|

Shastan

Pomoan

Salinan

Seri

Tequistlatecan

Washo

Yana

Yuman–Cochimí

|  |  |
Indo-Uralic |  | Indo-Uralic |  |  |

Indo-European

|

Uralic

Holger Pedersen (initiator), Kortlandt, Hannes Sköld, Alwin Kloekhorst, and Nikolai Dmitrievich Andreev  | Christian Carpelan, Asko Parpola, Petteri Koskikallio, and Johan Schalin  |  | [8]
| Indo-Uralic |  |  |

Indo-European

|

|  | Uralic–Yukaghir |  |  |

Uralic

|

Yukaghir

Kortlandt (initiator)  |  | [9]
Japonic-Koreanic  |  | Japonic‑Koreanic  |  |  |

Japonic

|

Koreanic

John Whitman, Alexander Takenobu Frances-Ratte, Samuel E. Martin  |  | Alexander Vovin
Je–Tupi–Carib |  | Je–Tupi–Carib |  |  |

Cariban

|

|  | Macro-Jê |  |  |

Bororoan

|

Jaikó

Kamakã

Karajá

Kariri

Krenak

Maxakalían

Ofayé

Purian

Rikbaktsa

Yabutian

Tupian

|  |  |
Karasuk |  | Karasuk |  |  |

Burushaski

|

Yeniseian

|  |  |
Macro-Chibchan |  | Macro-Chibchan |  |  |

Chibchan

|

Lencan

Misumalpan

|  |  |
Macro-Pama–Nyungan |  | Macro-Pama–Nyungan |  |  |

Garawan

|

Macro-Gunwinyguan

Pama–Nyungan

Tangkic

|  |  |
Macro-Panoan |  | Macro-Panoan |  |  |  | Moseten–Chonan |  |  |

Chimane

|

Chonan

|  | Pano-Tacanan |  |  |

Panoan

|

Tacanan

|  |  |
Macro-Siouan |  | Macro-Siouan |  |  |

Caddoan

|

Iroquoian

Siouan

Yuchi

|  |  |
Mataco–Guaicuru |  | Mataco–Guaicuru |  |  |

Guaicuruan

|

Matacoan

Mascoian

Charruan

Guachi

Payagua

|  |  |
Miao–Dai  |  | Miao–Dai  |  |  |

Hmong–Mien

|

Kra–Dai

Ryuichi Kosaka (initiator)  |  |  | [10]
Niger–Congo |  | Niger–Congo |  |  |

Atlantic–Congo

|

Dogon

Ijaw

Katloid

Mande

Rashad

|  |  |
Nilo-Saharan |  | Nilo-Saharan |  |  |

Kuliak

|

Saharan

|  |  |  |  |

Bʼaga

|

Eastern Sudanic

Kadu

Koman

|  |  |

Berta

|

Central Sudanic

Fur

Kunama

Maban

Songhay

|  |  |
North Caucasian |  | North Caucasian |  |  |

Northeast Caucasian

|

Northwest Caucasian

|  |  |
Penutian |  | Penutian |  |  |

Chinookan

|

Plateau Penutian

Takelma

Kalapuyan

|  |  |

Alsean

|

Siuslaw

Coosan

Wintuan

Maiduan

Yok-Utian

Tsimshianic

|  |  |
Pontic |  | Pontic |  |  |

Indo-European

|

Northwest Caucasian

Émile Benveniste, Winfred P. Lehmann, Aert Kuipers, and John Colarusso  |  |  | [11]
Quechumaran |  | Quechumaran |  |  |

Aymaran

|

Quechuan

|  |  |
Sino-Austronesian |  | Sino-Austronesian |  |  |  |  |

Austronesian

|

Kra–Dai

Sino-Tibetan

Laurent Sagart (initiator), Stanley Starosta  | Weera Ostapirat, Alexander Vovin, George van Driem  | Paul Jen-kuei Li and Robert Blust  | [12][13]
Tequiraca-Canichana  |  | Tequiraca-Canichana  |  |  |

Aʔɨwa

|

Canichana

Terrence Kaufman (initiator)  |  |  | [14]
Totozoquean |  | Totozoquean |  |  |

Chitimacha

|

Mixe–Zoque

Totonacan

|  |  |
Uralic–Yukaghir |  | Uralic–Yukaghir |  |  |

Uralic

|

Yukaghir

|  |  |
Uralo-Siberian |  | Uralo-Siberian |  |  |

Eskaleut

|

|  | Uralic–Yukaghir |  |  |

Uralic

|

Yukaghir

Michael Fortescue (initiator), Frederik Kortlandt  |  |  | [15]
| Uralo-Siberian |  |  |

Eskaleut

|

Nivkh

|  | Uralic–Yukaghir |  |  |

Uralic

|

Yukaghir

Frederik Kortlandt (initiator)  |  |  | [16]
Yok-Utian |  | Yok-Utian |  |  |

Utian

|

Yokuts

Geoffrey Gamble (initiator), Catherine Callaghan  |  |  |

## Widely rejected

Below are language families that are already rejected by most linguists. As they are widely rejected, only linguists who agree are shown. Template:Incomplete table

Proposed name  | Proposal  | Status  | Agree  | Ref.

|
|
|
|

Almosan |  | Almosan |  |  |

Algic

|

Kutenai

|  | Mosan |  |  |

Chimakuan

|

Salishan

Wakashan

Widely rejected  | Joseph Greenberg, Georgiy Starostin, Ilia Peiros, Murray Gell-Mann |
Amerind |  | Amerind |  |  |  | Almosan |

Script error: No such module "Clade/hidden".

|

|  | Keresiouan  |

Script error: No such module "Clade/hidden".

|

|  | Penutian |

Script error: No such module "Clade/hidden".

|

|  | Hokan |

Script error: No such module "Clade/hidden".

|

|  | Central Amerind  |

Script error: No such module "Clade/hidden".

|

|  | Macro-Chibchan |

Script error: No such module "Clade/hidden".

|

|  | Macro-Paezan |

Script error: No such module "Clade/hidden".

|

|  | Andean  |

Script error: No such module "Clade/hidden".

|

|  | Macro‑Tucanoan  |

Script error: No such module "Clade/hidden".

|

|  | Equatorial  |

Script error: No such module "Clade/hidden".

|

|  | Macro‑Carib  |

Script error: No such module "Clade/hidden".

|

|  | Macro‑Panoan  |

Script error: No such module "Clade/hidden".

|

|  | Macro-Jê |

Script error: No such module "Clade/hidden".

|

Rejected  | Joseph Greenberg (initiator), Merritt Ruhlen  |
Altaic |  | Altaic |  |  |

Mongolic

|

Tungusic

Turkic

Widely rejected; generally considered a Sprachbund  |  |
| Altaic |  |  |  |  |

Mongolic

|

Turkic

|  |  |

Tungusic

|

Austronesian–Ongan |  | Austronesian–Ongan |  |  |

Austronesian

|

Ongan

Widely rejected  | Juliette Blevins (initiator)  | [17]
Borean |  | Borean |  |  |

Afroasiatic

|

Kartvelian

Dravidian

|  |  |  |  |

Sumerian

|

Elamite

Hurro-Urartian

Hattic

|  | Eurasiatic |  |  |

Etruscan

|

Indo-European

|  | Uralic–Yukaghir |  |  |

Uralic

|

Yukaghir

|  | Altaic |  |  |

Mongolic

|

Tungusic

Turkic

|  | Korean–Japanese–Ainu  |  |  |

Koreanic

|

Japonic

Ainu

Nivkh

Chukotko-Kamchatkan

Eskaleut

|  | Vasco‑Caucasic  |  |  |

Basque

|

|  | North Caucasian |  |  |

Northwest Caucasian

|

Northeast Caucasian

|  | Karasuk |  |  |

Burushaski

|

Yeniseian

Sino-Tibetan

Na-Dene

|  | Amerind |

Script error: No such module "Clade/hidden".

|

Widely rejected  | Harold C. Fleming (initiator), Sergei Starostin, Murray Gell-Mann, John Bengtson  |
Coahuiltecan | Native languages of modern Texas  | Sprachbund  |  |
Dené–Caucasian |  | Dené–Caucasian |  |  |  | Eastern  |  |  |

Sino-Tibetan

|

Na-Dene

|  | Western  |  |  |  |  |  |  |

Yeniseian

|

Burushaski

|  |  |  |  |  | North Caucasian |  |  |

Northeast Caucasian

|

Northwest Caucasian

Basque

Widely rejected  | John Bengtson, George Starostin, Sergei Starostin
Dravido-Korean |  | Dravido-Korean |  |  |

Dravidian

|

Koreanic

Obsolete  | Susumu Ōno  |
Elamo-Dravidian |  | Elamo-Dravidian |  |  |

Dravidian

|

Elamite

Widely rejected  | David W. McAlpin, Franklin Southworth  |
Eurasiatic |  | Eurasiatic |  |  |

Etruscan

|

Indo-European

|  | Uralic–Yukaghir |  |  |

Uralic

|

Yukaghir

|  | Altaic |  |  |

Mongolic

|

Tungusic

Turkic

|  | Korean–Japanese–Ainu  |  |  |

Koreanic

|

Japonic

Ainu

Nivkh

Chukotko-Kamchatkan

Eskaleut

Widely rejected  | Mark Pagel, Joseph Greenberg, Merritt Ruhlen  |
Ibero-Caucasian |  | Ibero-Caucasian |  |  |

Kartvelian

|

Northeast Caucasian

Northwest Caucasian

Widely rejected  | Arnold Chikobava (Initiator)  |
Indo-Pacific | Several Pacific families.  | Widely rejected  | Joseph Greenberg (initiator)  |
Indo-Semitic |  | Indo-Semitic |  |  |

Indo-European

|

Semitic

Widely rejected  | Graziadio Isaia Ascoli (initiator)  |
Japhetic |  | Japhetic |  |  |

Basque

|

Kartvelian

Semitic

Widely rejected  | Nikolai Marr (initiator)  |
Khoisan |  | Khoisan |  |  |

Hadza

|

Khoe–Kwadi

Kxʼa

Sandawe

Tuu

Widely rejected  | Joseph Greenberg (initiator)  |
Macro-Mayan |  | Macro-Mayan |  |  |

Huave

|

Mayan

Mixe–Zoque

Totonacan

Widely rejected  |  |
Mosan |  | Mosan |  |  |

Chimakuan

|

Salishan

Wakashan

Sprachbund  |  |
Nostratic |  | Nostratic |  |  |

Afroasiatic

|

Kartvelian

Dravidian

|  | Eurasiatic |  |  |

Indo-European

|

Uralic

|  | Altaic |  |  |

Mongolic

|

Tungusic

Turkic

Widely rejected  | Vladimir Dybo  |
Sino-Uralic |  | Sino-Uralic |  |  |

Sinitic

|

Uralic

Widely rejected  | Jingyi Gao (initiator)  |
Transeurasian  |  | Transeurasian  |  | Altaic |  |  |  |  |

Mongolic

|

Turkic

|  |  |

Tungusic

|

Japano‑Koreanic  |  |  |  |  |  |  |

Japonic

|

Koreanic

Widely rejected  | Martine Robbeets, Remco Bouckaert  |
Ural–Altaic |  | Ural–Altaic |  |  |  | Altaic |  |  |

Mongolic

|

Tungusic

Turkic

Uralic

Obsolete; considered a linguistic convergence zone  |  |

## See also

* List of language families
* Macrofamily

## References

1. ↑ Grierson, G. A. (January 1907). "Die Mon-Khmer-Völker, Ein Bindeglied Zwischen Völkern Zentralasiens und Austronesiens. By P. W. Schmidt, S.V.D. Reprinted from Archiv für Anthropologie, Neue Folge, Band v, Heft 1 u. 2. (Brunswick, 1906.)". Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain & Ireland 39 (1): 187–191. doi:10.1017/s0035869x00035711. ISSN 0035-869X. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0035869x00035711.
2. ↑ "Alphabetisches Verzeichnis der vorkommenden Sprachen und Dialekte", Die westlichen Sudansprachen und ihre Beziehungen zum Bantu, Berlin, Boston: DE GRUYTER, 1927, doi:10.1515/9783111390192-003, ISBN 9783111390192, http://dx.doi.org/10.1515/9783111390192-003, retrieved 2023-01-09
3. ↑ Benedict, Paul K. (1942-10-12). "Thai, Kadai, and Indonesian: A New Alignment in Southeastern Asia" (in en). American Anthropologist 44 (4): 576–601. doi:10.1525/aa.1942.44.4.02a00040.
4. ↑ Ostapirat, Weera. 2018. "Macrophyletic Trees of East Asian Languages Re examined." In Let's Talk About Trees, ed. by Ritsuko Kikusawa and Lawrence A. Reid. Osaka: Senri Ethnological Studies, Minpaku. doi:10.15021/00009007.
5. ↑ Smith, Alexander (2022-01-28). Alves, Mark; Sidwell, Paul (eds.). "More Austro-Tai Comparisons and Observations on Vowel Correspondences". Journal of the Southeast Asian Linguistics Society: Papers from the 30th Conference of the Southeast Asian Linguistics Society (2021). 15 (3): 112–134. doi:10.5281/zenodo.5781307. ISSN 1836-6821. Retrieved 2022-02-14.
6. ↑ Starostin, George (2012). "Dene-Yeniseian: a critical assessment". p. 137
7. ↑ Campbell, Lyle (2024). The Indigenous Languages of the Americas. New York: Oxford University Press. p. 365. ISBN 978-0-19-767346-1.
8. ↑ Aikio, Ante (January 2022). "Proto-Uralic". In Bakró-Nagy, Marianne; Laakso, Johanna; Skribnik, Elena (eds.). Oxford Guide to the Uralic Languages. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.
9. ↑ Kortlandt, Frederik (2004). "NIVKH AS A URALO-SIBERIAN LANGUAGE". researchgate.net.
10. ↑ Kosaka, Ryuichi (2002). "On the affiliation of Miao-Yao and Kadai: Can we posit the Miao-Dai family?" (PDF). Mon-Khmer Studies. 32: 71–100.
11. ↑ Colarusso, John (1997). "Proto-Pontic: Phyletic links between Proto-Indo-European and Proto-Northwest Caucasian". Journal of Indo-European Studies. 25: 119–51.
12. ↑ Sagart, L. (1990) "Chinese and Austronesian are genetically related". Paper presented at the 23rd International Conference on Sino-Tibetan Languages and Linguistics, October 1990, Arlington, Texas.
13. ↑ Sagart, Laurent (2016). "The wider connections of Austronesian: A response to Blust (2009)". Diachronica. 33 (2): 255–281. doi:10.1075/dia.33.2.04sag.
14. ↑ Moseley, Christopher; Asher, R. E.; Tait, Mary (1994), Atlas of the world's languages, London ; New York: Routledge, ISBN 978-0-415-01925-5
15. ↑ Fortescue, Michael (2011). "The relationship of Nivkh to Chukotko-Kamchatkan revisited". Lingua. 121 (8): 1359–1376. doi:10.1016/j.lingua.2011.03.001."I would no longer wish to relate CK directly to [Uralo-Siberian], although I believe that some of the lexical evidence [...] will hold up in terms of borrowing/diffusion."
16. ↑ Kortlandt, Frederik (2004). "NIVKH AS A URALO-SIBERIAN LANGUAGE". researchgate.net.
17. ↑ van Driem, George (2011). "Rice and the Austroasiatic and Hmong-Mien homelands". In N.J Enfield (ed.). Dynamics of human diversity: the case of mainland Southeast Asia. Canberra: Pacific Linguistics. Retrieved 13 November 2021.

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