The Calusa–Tunica languages are a proposed small language family that comprises the Tunica language of Louisiana and the extinct Calusa language of Florida.
Proposal Julian Granberry (1994) suggests that the Calusa language was related to the Tunica language of the lower Mississippi River Valley, with Calusa possibly being relatively a recent arrival from the lower Mississippi region. Another possibility was that similarities between the languages were derived from long-term mutual contact.
Comparison of morphemes Granberry (1994: 510–512) compares the following Tunica and Calusa morphemes. The Tunica data is from Mary Haas,Haas, Mary R. 1946. A Grammatical Sketch of Tunica. In Linguistic Structures of Native America, Viking Fund Publications in Anthropology No. 6, ed. by Harry Hoijer, et al., New York, pp. 337-366.Haas, Mary R. 1953. Tunica Dictionary. University of California Publications in Linguistics, vol. 6, no. 2, pp. 175-332, Berkeley. while the Proto-Tunica reconstructions are Granberry's own work. The Calusa data is primarily drawn from Hernando de Escalante Fontaneda's 16th-century writings.
{| class="wikitable sortable" ! gloss !! Proto-Tunica !! Tunica !! Calusa B !! Calusa A |- | fem. sg. noun || *-hki ~ *-hči || -hči || -(h)ki || *-hki |- | imperative verb || *-k... || -ki || -ka || |- | over there, yonder || *-mi || mí-, -mí || -mi || |- | very much || *-štʔɛ || -štʔɛ || *st(ʔ)a || |- | this (noun designator) || *ka- || ká- || ka- || |- | all around, about || *te- || té- || te- || |- | watch (over, for), guard, wait || *hɛ́ra || hɛ́ra || śer(a) || |- | fast, prayer (noun) (húma = berry) || *huma || húma-ra || homa || |- | destroy, crush, mash || *kuč... || kúča || kuči || |- | assemble, gather together || *kunpa ([kuNpa] > kuhpa ?) || kúhpa || kupe ~ kunpe || *kuhpe ~ *kuNpe |- | settle, camp dwell, sit (down), stay, remain || *ʔuki || ʔúk(i) || (ʔ)uk(i) || |- | run || *lɔta || lɔ́ta || lɛte || |- | tongue(d), language || *lu || -lu || -lo ~ -lu || |- | make, build || *mašu || mášu || maś(u) || |- | on the other side || *may... || máyi || mayai || |- | come to rest, stop, lie down || *ña || ná || ño || |- | war, warrior || *ñaka || náka || ñoka || |- | look, find, see, watch || *po ~ *pe; *wo ~ *we || pó || we || |- | firm, hard, strong || *ra || rá || r(a) || |- | house, home, dwelling, building || *ri || r(í) || r(i) || |- | tree, branch, wood || *šahka || -šáhka || *śa(h)ka || *śahka |- | examine, look at || *sɛha || sɛ́ha || śe(h)(a) || |- | brave, bold || *ši || -š(í) || -ś(i) || |- | stick, impale, harpoon || *šihpu || šíhpu || śi(h)pi || *śihpi |- | prairie || *tahta || táhta || ta(h)te || *tahte |- | join, connect || *tepi || -tépi || -tepe || |- | cry, weep || *waha || wáha || wa(h)(a) || |- | water, liquid || *wiši ~ *ʔ...ši || wíš(i) || (ʔ)eś(i) || |- | bring, arrive || *yaka || yáka || yaka ||
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