Macro-Chibchan languages

Short description: Native American proposed language family

It has been suggested that portions of this page be split out into another page titled Lenmichí languages. (Discuss) (October 2025)

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Macro-Chibchan

Lenmichí
(controversial)
Geographic
distribution| Central America and Colombia
Linguistic classification| Proposed language family
Subdivisions|

* Chibchan
* Misumalpan
* Lencan †

Glottolog| None

The Chibchan, Misumalpan, and Lencan languages

Macro-Chibchan is a proposed grouping of the languages of the Lencan, Misumalpan, and Chibchan families into a single large phylum (macrofamily).

## Contents

* 1 History
* 2 Reconstruction
* 2.1 Vowels
* 2.2 Consonants
* 3 Vocabulary
* 4 References

## History

The Lencan and Misumalpan languages were once included in the Chibchan family proper, but were excluded pending further evidence as that family became well established. Kaufman (1990) finds the Chibchan–Misumalpan connection convincing, if as yet unsubstantiated, though Campbell (1997) finds it doubtful. The Xincan family was once included in Macro-Chibchan, but this is now doubtful.

Constenla (2005) calls this proposed phylum Lenmichí (Lencan–Misumalpan–Chibchan) and provides 85 cognate sets which exhibit regular sound correspondences among the three families. He suggests that Chocoan may be related as well.

Greenberg proposed a broader conception of Macro-Chibchan, one dismissed by linguists working on the families in question. It included Yanomam, Purépecha, and Cuitlatec in addition to Chibchan–Misumalpan–Xinca–Lenca. Greenberg (1987) included Paezan languages in a Chibchan-Paezan stock with Barbacoan, Chibchan, Chocoan, Jirajaran, and the isolates Betoi, Kamsá (Sibundoy), Yaruro, Esmeraldeño, Mochica, Cunza, Itonama, Timucua and Yurumanguí.

An automated computational analysis (ASJP 4) by Müller et al. (2013)[1] also found lexical similarities between Chibchan and Misumalpan. However, since the analysis was automatically generated, the grouping could be either due to mutual lexical borrowing or genetic inheritance.

## Reconstruction

Phylogenetic tree for Macro-Chibchan (Lenmichian) languages.

Constenla (2005) reconstructed five vowels and eleven consonants for Proto-Lenmichian, with the following reflexes:

### Vowels

Proto-Lenmichian | *a | *e | *i | *o | *u

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Proto-Chibchan | *a | *e | *i | *o | *u
Proto-Lencan | *a *e | *e | *i | *o *u | *u
Proto-Misumalpan | *a | *i | *i | *u | *u

There are also a series[clarification needed] of nasal vowels.

### Consonants

Proto-Lenmichian | *b | *d | *t | *k | *ʔ | *ts | *s | *h | *l | *ɾ | *w

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Proto-Chibchan | *b | *d | *t | *k | *ʔ | *ts | *s | *h | *ɾ | ∅
Proto-Lencan | *p
*m | *l
*n | *t | *k | ∅ | *ts' | ∅ | *l | *w
Proto-Misumalpan | *b

*m | *d
*n | *t | *k | ∅ | *s | ∅ | *l | *ɾ | *w

## Vocabulary

Below is a comparison of selected basic vocabulary items.[2]

gloss | Xinca (Guazacapán)[3] | Lenca (Chilanga)[4] | Proto-Lencan[5] | Proto-Misumalpan[6] | Proto-Chibchan[7]

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head  | húš̱i | oso |  |  |
hair  | múti | alah | *asak |  | *ʦa
eye  | hurayí | sap |  |  | *uᵐba
ear  | mánka | tokoro |  | *tupal |
nose  | narí | nepkuru | *nep | *nam | *ⁿdii(k)
tooth  | rajáj (Chiquimulilla)[8] | neh | *nek |  | *ⁿduʔ
tongue  | elahá | Nepal |  | *tu | *kuʔ(-Ba)
mouth  | š̱ahá | iɴ-ts’ats’a | *in | *ta | *kah-ka
hand  | pu | koʃaka |  |  | *kuuʔ; *haⁿd- ~ *hat-
foot  | wapilí | waʃaka |  |  | *kihʦa ~ *kihsa
breast  | šéke | ts’ukiɴ 'nipple' |  |  | *kãʔ; *ʦuʔ
meat  | uwí | waʃa |  |  | *ᵑgaʔⁿda ~ *ᵑgaʔta; *sih
blood  | káma | ala |  | *a | *hapi ~ *apiʔ
bone  | hararí | ʃila-ts’e | *ts’ek |  | *kãⁿd-, *ⁿdaⁿdi ~ *ⁿdaiⁿd- / *saⁿdi ~ *saiⁿd-
person  | šurúmu, hurákɨ | iʃko |  |  | *ᵐbaⁿdi ~ *ᵐbaiⁿd
name  | š̱a |  |  |  | *haka ~ *akaʔ
dog  | čúčo (Chiquimulilla)[9] | ʃuʃu | *su |  | *tau
fish  | séma | ʃok’ín |  |  | *ᵑgwa ~ *uᵑg
louse  | tɨmáƚi | tem | *tem |  | *kũʔ
tree  | hútu | suɴ |  | *ban | *ˈkàr; *kaˈri (C)
leaf  | píya | aw |  |  | *ka
flower  | túƚu | ʃila | *sula |  |
water  | uy |  | *was | *li | *ⁿdiʔ
fire  | uráy | ik’aɴ | *juk’a |  | *ᵑgi 'firewood'
stone  | híš̱i | ke | *ke | *walpa | *hak ~ *kaʔ
earth  | náru | omoɴ |  |  | *taB(a)
salt  | tíʔla | ts’epe |  |  | *ⁿdaᵑg
road  | táƚma | k’iɴ | *k’in |  | *hi
eat  | rúka | rom- |  |  | *kuⁿdi ~ *kuiⁿd
die  | teró | ʃil- |  |  |
I  | nin | unani | *unani | *jam | *ⁿdaH(ⁿd)
you  | náka | manani | *amanani | *man | *ᵐbaʔ

## References

1. ↑ Müller, André, Viveka Velupillai, Søren Wichmann, Cecil H. Brown, Eric W. Holman, Sebastian Sauppe, Pamela Brown, Harald Hammarström, Oleg Belyaev, Johann-Mattis List, Dik Bakker, Dmitri Egorov, Matthias Urban, Robert Mailhammer, Matthew S. Dryer, Evgenia Korovina, David Beck, Helen Geyer, Pattie Epps, Anthony Grant, and Pilar Valenzuela. 2013. ASJP World Language Trees of Lexical Similarity: Version 4 (October 2013).
2. ↑ Constenla Umaña, Adolfo (1987). "Elementos de Fonología Comparada de las Lenguas Misumalpas," Revista de Filología y Lingüística de la Universidad de Costa Rica 13 (1), 129-161.
3. ↑ Schumann Galvez, Otto. 1966. Fonemica del dialecto xinca de Chiquimulilla. In Antonio Pompa y Pompa (ed.), Summa antropológica de homenaje a Roberto J. Weitlaner, 449-454. Mexico: Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia (INAH).
4. ↑ del Río Urrutia, Ximena. 2004. El lenca de Chilanga: Léxico. Revista de Filología y Lingüística XXX. 289-313.
5. ↑ Arguedas Cortés, Gilda Rosa. 1988. Los Fonemas Segmentales del Protolenca: Reconstrucción Comparativa. Filología y lingüística XIV. 89-109.
6. ↑ Constenla Umaña, Adolfo (1987). "Elementos de Fonología Comparada de las Lenguas Misumalpas," Revista de Filología y Lingüística de la Universidad de Costa Rica 13 (1), 129-161.
7. ↑ Pache, Matthias J. 2018. Contributions to Chibchan Historical Linguistics. Doctoral dissertation, Universiteit Leiden.
8. ↑ McArthur, Harry S. 1966. Xinca [word list]. In Marvin K. Mayers (ed.), Languages of Guatemala, 309-312. 23: Janua Linguarum, series practica.
9. ↑ Schumann Galvez, Otto. 1967. Xinca de Guazacapán. (MA thesis, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México; 140pp.)

* Campbell, Lyle (1997). American Indian languages: the historical linguistics of Native America. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-509427-1.
* Constenla Umaña, Adolfo (2002). "Acerca de la relación genealógica entre las lenguas lencas y las lenguas misumalpas". Revista de Filología y Lingüística de la Universidad de Costa Rica 28: 189–206. doi:10.15517/rfl.v28i1.4509. http://www.latindex.ucr.ac.cr/filologia-28-1/filyling-28-1-12.pdf.
* Constenla Umaña, Adolfo (2005). "¿Existe relación genealógica entre las lenguas misumalpas y las chibchenses?". Estudios de Lingüística Chibcha 24: 7–85. http://163.178.111.13/cgi-olib?session=53628212&infile=details.glu&loid=9071683&rs=7973523&hitno=3. * Greenberg, Joseph H. (1987). Language in the Americas. Stanford, California: Stanford University Press.
* Kaufman, Terrence (1990). "Language History in South America: What we know and how to know more." In Doris L. Payne, ed. Amazonian Linguistics, pp. 13–74. Austin: University of Texas Press.

* v
* t
* e

Language families of Mesoamerica

Demonstrated families|

* Chibchan
* Jicaquean
* Lencan
* Mayan
* Misumalpan
* Mixe–Zoque
* Oto-Manguean
* Tequistlatecan
* Totonacan
* Uto-Aztecan
* Xincan

Isolates|

* Cuitlatec
* Huave
* Purépecha
* (Alagüilac?)

Proposed macrofamilies|

* Hokan
* Macro-Mayan
* Macro-Chibchan
* Penutian
* Tolatecan
* Totozoquean

Linguistic areas|

* Mesoamerican language area

* v
* t
* e

Indigenous language families and isolates of South America
(based on Campbell 2012 classification)

Language families|

* Arawakan
* Cariban
* Chapacuran
* Chibchan
* Pano–Takanan
* Makúan
* Tukanoan
* Tupían
* Arawan
* Barbacoan
* Cahuapanan
* Chipaya–Uru
* Chocoan
* Cholonan
* Guajiboan
* Jirajaran
* Jivaroan
* Lule–Vilelan
* Nambikwaran
* Qawasqaran
* Paezan
* Sechura–Catacaoan
* Timotean
* Tiniguan
* Yanomaman
* Zamucoan

| Macro-Jê|

* Jê
* Jabutían
* Kamakanan
* Karajá
* Krenákan
* Maxakalían
* Jaikó
* Ofayé
* Rikbaktsá
* Bororoan ?
* Karirian ?
* Purían ?
* Guató ?

|

Arutani–Sape ?|

* Awaké
* Kaliana
* Máku ?

Bora–Witoto ?|

* Boran
* Witotoan

Chimuan ?|

* Cañar–Puruhá
* Mochica

Esmeralda–Yaruroan ?|

* Esmeralda
* Yaruro

Macro-Daha ?|

* Sáliban
* Tikuna–Yuri
* Jotí
* Andoque–Urequena ?

Macro-Otomákoan ?|

* Otomacoan
* Harákmbut–Katukinan
* Trumai ?

Macro-Warpean ?|

* Huarpean
* Muran
* Matanauí

Mataco–Guaicuru ?|

* Matacoan
* Guaicuruan
* Guachí ?
* Payaguá ?
* Charruan ?
* Mascoyan ?

Mosetén–Chon ?|

* Mosetenan
* Chonan

Quechumaran ?|

* Quechuan
* Aymaran

Saparo–Yawan ?|

* Zaparoan
* Yaguan

Tequiraca–Canichana ?|

* Tequiraca
* Canichana

Language isolates|

* Andaquí
* Atacameño
* Betoi
* Camsá
* Candoshi
* Chono
* Cofán
* Culle
* Gamela
* Irantxe
* Mapudungu
* Munichi
* Omurano
* Otí
* Puquina
* Sabela
* Taruma
* Taushiro
* Urarina
* Warao
* Yagan
* Yurumangui

| Northeast Brazil|

* Baenan
* Katembri
* Natú
* Pankararú
* Tarairiú
* Tuxá
* Wamoé
* Xokó
* Xukurú
* Yaté

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Rondônia|

* Aikanã
* Kanoê
* Kwazá

Bolivian Amazon|

* Cayuvava
* Chiquitano
* Itonama
* Movima
* Yuracaré

Others (uncertain
classification)|

* Guamo
* Leko
* Mure
* Puinave

Proposed groupings|

* Duho
* Macro-Andean
* Macro-Arawakan
* Macro-Chibchan
* Macro-Jê
* Macro-Jibaro
* Macro-Otomákoan
* Macro-Paesan
* Macro-Panoan
* Macro-Puinavean
* Macro-Warpean
* Arutani–Sape
* Bora–Witoto
* Esmeralda–Yaruroan
* Hibito–Cholon
* Je–Tupi–Carib
* Katembri–Taruma
* Mataco–Guaicuru
* Moseten–Chonan
* Quechumaran
* Saparo–Yawan
* Tequiraca–Canichana
* Wamo–Chapakura
* Amerind

Lists|

* Languages
* Extinct languages
* Marañón River basin
* Unclassified languages
* Classification
* Linguistic areas

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