Matacoan languages


Matacoan is a language family of northern Argentina, western Paraguay, and southeastern Bolivia.

Family division

Matacoan consists of four clusters of languages. Gordon in Ethnologue divides Wichí into three separate languages and Chorote into two languages.
  1. Wichí
  2. #Vejoz
  3. #Noktén
  4. #Wiznay
  5. #Matawayo.
  6. Chorote
  7. #Manhui
  8. #Eklenhui.
  9. Nivaclé
  10. #Forest Nivaclé
  11. #River Nivaclé
  12. Maká
  13. #Ma’ká
  14. #Enimaga

    Mason (1950)

Internal classification by Mason :
;Mataco-Maca
lists the following basic vocabulary items for the Matacoan languages.
glossChorotiChoropíSuhínSotsiagayAshlusláyMatacoVejozNoctenGuisnaiEnimagaMakká
headséteksatíkshutichshatishnu-xletékliteketekoːn-sletákin-hitla
toothsá-huehuetseːutetsauteseuténo-tsoténo-chetezotéoːs-totéʔikon-xeti
waterinátnaːʔateinaatinaːatinátinótguaginatinátgualéiwalü
firehouatitoxitoxitoxitóxitóxitagütaxetáxfeitfat
sunkilénʔkokláihankuklaifünchokʔlaaifingoklaixuálaixualaixualaixuálatátlaxunnu
moonhueläxuéklahiuerklaxiweklahuelaihuäläiguelachigueläivaʔedlaxuwãl
starkatéskatéskatésskatískatäskatésketesfoʔoteki
dognóonuuːxniuʔuxniuʔuxníusidnóxsignagesinaxatsünánunnax
jaguarayäyaáxyáoxyáʔoxiyoxhaiyüxyageyaxharóxkometenax
blacklämiklímklimlimpalüxpelagpeláxfo

Proto-language

For a reconstruction of Proto-Mataguayo by Viegas Barros, see the corresponding :es:Lenguas mataco-guaicurúes#Proto-mataguayo|Spanish article.