Macro-Chibchan is a proposed grouping of the languages of the Lencan, Misumalpan, and Chibchan families into a single large phylum (macrofamily).
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)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). 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
Constenla (2005) reconstructed five vowels and eleven consonants for Proto-Lenmichian, with the following reflexes:
Vowels Proto-Lenmichian*a*e*i*o*uProto-Chibchan*a*e*i*o*uProto-Lencan*a *e*e*i*o *u*uProto-Misumalpan*a*i*i*u*u
There are also a series of nasal vowels.
Consonants Proto-Lenmichian*b*d*t*k*ʔ*ts*s*h*l*ɾ*w 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 *p *m*d *n*t*k∅*s∅*l*ɾ*w
Vocabulary Below is a comparison of selected basic vocabulary items.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.
{| class="wikitable sortable" ! gloss !! Xinca (Guazacapán)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). !! Lenca (Chilanga)del Río Urrutia, Ximena. 2004. El lenca de Chilanga: Léxico. Revista de Filología y Lingüística XXX. 289-313. !! Proto-LencanArguedas Cortés, Gilda Rosa. 1988. Los Fonemas Segmentales del Protolenca: Reconstrucción Comparativa. Filología y lingüística XIV. 89-109. !! Proto-MisumalpanConstenla 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. !! Proto-ChibchanPache, Matthias J. 2018. Contributions to Chibchan Historical Linguistics. Doctoral dissertation, Universiteit Leiden. |- ! 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)McArthur, Harry S. 1966. Xinca [word list]. In Marvin K. Mayers (ed.), Languages of Guatemala, 309-312. 23: Janua Linguarum, series practica. || 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)Schumann Galvez, Otto. 1967. Xinca de Guazacapán. (MA thesis, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México; 140pp.) || 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
Campbell, Lyle (1997). American Indian languages: the historical linguistics of Native America. Oxford: Oxford University Press. .
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.