Huarpean languages

Language family of central Argentina

Huarpe (Warpe) was a small language family of central Argentina (historic Cuyo Province) that consisted of two closely related languages. They are traditionally considered dialects, and include Allentiac (Alyentiyak, Huarpe) and Millcayac (Milykayak). A third, Puntano of San Luis, was not documented before the languages became extinct.

Kaufman (1994) tentatively linked Huarpe to the Mura-Matanawi languages in a family he called Macro-Warpean. However, he noted that "no systematic study" had been made, so that it is best to consider them independent families. Swadesh and Suárez both connected Huarpe to Macro-Jibaro, a possibility that has yet to be investigated.

Varieties

Loukotka (1968)

Varieties classified by Loukotka (1968) as part of the Huarpe language cluster (all unattested unless noted otherwise, i.e. for Chiquiyama and Comechingon):^[1]

• Oico / Holcotian - once spoken in Mendoza Province in the Diamante Valley.
• Orcoyan / Oscollan - once spoken in the southern regions of Mendoza Province.
• Chiquiyama - once spoken between the city of Mendoza and the Barranca River. (documented in Latcham 1927)
• Tuluyame / Puelche algarrobero - once spoken in the Calamuchita Valley [es], Córdoba Province. (Unattested.)
• Michilenge / Puntano - once spoken in the Conlara Valley, San Luis Province. (Unattested.)
• Olongasto - once spoken in La Rioja Province by the neighbors of the Allentiac tribe. (Unattested.)
• Comechingon - extinct language once spoken in the Sierra de Córdoba in Córdoba Province, Argentina (documented in Cafferata 1926; Canals Frau 1944a; Serrano 1944, 1945)

Mason (1950)

Varieties of the Huarpe-Comechingon linguistic group cited from Canals Frau (1944) by Mason (1950):^[2]

• Huarpe-Comechingon
  • Allentiac (Huarpe of San Juan)
  • Millcayac (Huarpe of Mendocino)
  • Puntano Huarpe
  • Puelche of Cuyo
  • Ancient Pehuenche
  • Southern Comechingón (Camiare)
  • Northern Comechingón (Henia)
  • Olongasta (Southern Rioja) ?

Pericot y Garcia (1936) lists Zoquillam, Tunuyam, Chiquillan, Morcoyam, Diamantino (Oyco), Mentuayn, Chom, Titiyam, Otoyam, Ultuyam, and Cucyam.^[2]

• Comechingón varieties^[2]
  • Comechingón
    • Main
    • Tuya
    • Mundema
    • Cáma
    • Umba
  • Michilingwe
  • Indama

Phonology

The two languages had apparently similar sound systems, and were not dissimilar from Spanish, at least from the records we have. Barros (2007) reconstructs the consonants as follows:

Allentiac had at least six vowels, written a, e, i, o, u, ù. The ù is thought to represent the central vowel [ɨ].

Vocabulary

Loukotka (1968) lists the following basic vocabulary items for the Huarpean languages.^[1]

References

1. Loukotka, Čestmír (1968). Classification of South American Indian languages. Los Angeles: UCLA Latin American Center.
2. 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.

• J. Pedro Viegas Barros, 2007. Una propuesta de fonetización y fonemización tentativas de las hablas huarpes, Universidad de Buenos Aires.
• Catalina Teresa Michieli, 1990. Millcayac y Allentiac: Los dialectos del idioma Huarpe
• Lengua Huarpe at pueblosoriginarios.com