Bora–Witoto_languages
Bora–Witoto languages
Proposed language family of South America
Bora–Witóto (also Bora–Huitoto, Bora–Uitoto, or, ambiguously, Witotoan) is a proposal to unite the Boran and Witotoan language families of southwestern Colombia (Amazonas Department) and neighboring regions of Peru and Brazil. Kaufman (1994) added the Andoque language.
| Bora–Witóto | |
|---|---|
| Witotoan | |
| (controversial) | |
| Geographic distribution | northwestern Amazon |
| Linguistic classification | Proposed language family |
| Subdivisions | |
| Glottolog | None |
Kaufman (1994) lists Bóran and Witótoan (Huitoto–Ocaina) as separate families (they are grouped together with Andoque as Bora–Witótoan; by 2007 he moved Andoque to Witotoan). (Note that Andoque was later demonstrated to be part of the Andoque–Urequena family.)
Aschmann (1993) proposed Bora–Witoto as a connection between the Boran and Witotoan language families. Echeverri & Seifart (2016) refute the connection.
Kaufman (2007) includes Bora-Witoto in his Macro-Andean proposal, and added the Andoque language to the Witotoan family.[1] (Aschmann had considered Andoque a language isolate.) These proposals have not been accepted by other linguists. Gildea and Payne (2007) checked Bora-Witoto with Andoque, Proto-Cariban and Yagua, and found Bora-Witoto to be not related to any of the others.
Mason (1950: 236–238) groups Bora–Witoto, Tupian, and Zaparoan together as part of a proposed Macro-Tupí-Guaranían family.[2]
Below is a comparison of selected basic vocabulary items in Proto-Bora-Muinane (i.e., Proto-Boran), Bora, Proto-Witotoan, Witoto, and Andoque.
| gloss | Proto-Bora-Muinane[3] | Bora[4] | Proto-Witotoan[5] | Witoto[4] | Andoque[4] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| head | *niga-ɨ | nīːkʷàɯ̀ | ɨɸogɨ | -tai | |
| hair | *-hee- | níːkʷākō | ɨɸotɨraɨ | ka-tai ʌka-be | |
| eye | *aʤɨ-ɨ | ācɯ̄ː | uˑɨθɨ | -ʔákʌ | |
| ear | *nɨ()-meeʔu | nɯ́mɨ̄̇ō | ?**()po | heɸo | -bei |
| nose | *tɨhɨ-ʔu | Tɨ́hɨ̄̇ò | *topo-(ʔ) | doɸo | -pɤta |
| tooth | *iʔgai | íʔkʷāhɨ̀ | ?**iiʔ-gi-() | iθido | -kódi |
| tongue | *nehe | nɨ́ːhɨ̄̇ʔkʷā | ?**()pe | iɨɸe | -sodɤ̃ |
| mouth | *i-hɨ | īʔhʲɯ̀ | **(-)po(e) | ɸue | -ɸi |
| hand | *ʔutʦe | ōhtsɨ̄̇ | onoɟɨ | -dobi | |
| foot | *ttɨʔaai | mēhtíā | **(ï)ta() (lower leg) | eˑɨɟɨ | -dʌka |
| breast | *mɨppaino | **xebae-gaï | -ɲeé | ||
| meat | *ʔookuu, *duu | éːkó | ɟɨkɨθi | -ɤ̃ta | |
| blood | *tɨɨ | **tï-xë(ʔe) | dɨe | -duʔs | |
| bone | *bakkɨ | p̻āhkɯ̄ | iɟaikɨ | -tadɤ̃ | |
| person | *m()a-mɨnaa-ppi (sg.), *m()a-mɨnaa (pl.) | kʷàhp̻ì | ɨima | ʝóʔhʌ | |
| name | *momo | **maime | mamekɨ | -ti | |
| dog | *ʔuuʔi | ōíp̻ʲē | **xï̄ʔko | hɨko | ĩɲõ |
| fish | āmōmè | ɟɨkɨaɨ | bei | ||
| louse | *gaaini-ʔu | kʷāánī | ɨboma | táʔsi | |
| tree | *ɨmo-ʔo | ɯ̄mèè | ?**(aï)me() | amena | kɤ̃́ʔɤ̃dɤ |
| leaf | *-ʔaame | ɨ́nāʔámɨ̄̇ | rabe | -sedɤ̃ | |
| flower | θaɸia | ||||
| water | *nɨ-ppai()u | nēhp̻ākʲō | **nō-() | hɨnui | dúʔu |
| fire | *kɨɨhɨ-gai | kɯ́ːhɯ̄kʷā | irai | ʌʔpa | |
| stone | néékʷājī | **goti- | noɸɨkɨ | ɸisi | |
| earth | *hiinɨ-he | ìīɲɯ̀ | *xáénï̄ʔ-xë | enɨe | ɲṍʔĩ |
| salt | *ɨmo | **(ï)xaidzaï(ga) | ɨaiθaɨ | ||
| road | **(na)xï̄() | naˑɨθo | dubɤ, õbɤ | ||
| eat | *matʧu | **d(o)ʔ, **gōī(ne) | guite | -baʔi- | |
| die | *gihe-βo | baˑɨde | ĩ-hʌ́ʌ- | ||
| I | *uu | ōō | **(k)ōō-xe(ʔe) | kue | o-ʔɤ |
| you | *ɨɨ | **ō-xe(ʔe) | o | ha-ʔɤ |
- Kaufman, Terrence. 2007. South America. In: R. E. Asher and Christopher Moseley (eds.), Atlas of the World’s Languages (2nd edition), 59–94. London: Routledge.
- Mason, J. Alden. 1950. The languages of South America. In: Julian Steward (ed.), Handbook of South American Indians, Volume 6, 157–317. (Smithsonian Institution, Bureau of American Ethnology Bulletin 143.) Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office.
- Seifart, Frank, & Echeverri, Juan Alvaro (2015). Proto Bora-Muinane. LIAMES: Línguas Indígenas Americanas, 15(2), 279-311. doi:10.20396/liames.v15i2.8642303
- González de Pérez, María Setlla (ed). 2000. Lenguas indígenas de Colombia: una visión descriptiva. Bogotá: Instituto Caro y Cuervo.
- Aschmann, Richard P. (1993). Proto Witotoan. Publications in linguistics (No. 114). Arlington, TX: SIL & the University of Texas at Arlington.
- Aschmann, Richard P. (1993). Proto Witotoan. Publications in linguistics (No. 114). Arlington, TX: SIL & the University of Texas at Arlington.
- Campbell, Lyle. (1997). American Indian languages: The historical linguistics of Native America. New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-509427-1.
- Echeverri, Juan Alvaro & Frank Seifart. (2016). Proto-Witotoan: A re-evaluation of the distant genealogical relationship between the Boran and Witotoan linguistic families.
- Gildea, Spike and Doris Payne. (2007). Is Greenberg's "Macro-Carib" viable? Bol. Mus. Para. Emílio Goeldi. Ciencias Humanas, Belém, v. 2, n. 2, p. 19-72, May-Aug. 2007 Online version: http://www.museu-goeldi.br/editora/bh/artigos/chv2n2_2007/Greenbergs(gildea).pdf
- Greenberg, Joseph H. (1987). Language in the Americas. Stanford: Stanford University Press.
- Kaufman, Terrence. (1990). Language history in South America: What we know and how to know more. In D. L. Payne (Ed.), Amazonian linguistics: Studies in lowland South American languages (pp. 13–67). Austin: University of Texas Press. ISBN 0-292-70414-3.
- Kaufman, Terrence. (1994). The native languages of South America. In C. Mosley & R. E. Asher (Eds.), Atlas of the world's languages (pp. 46–76). London: Routledge.
- Proel: