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Language family of the western US–Mexico border region From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Yuman–Cochimí languages are a family of languages spoken in Baja California, northern Sonora, southern California, and western Arizona. Cochimí is no longer spoken as of the late 18th century, and most other Yuman languages are threatened.
 | This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. (December 2019) |
| Yuman–Cochimí | |
|---|---|
| Yuman | |
| Geographic distribution | Colorado River basin and Baja California |
| Linguistic classification | Hokan ?
|
| Subdivisions | |
| Language codes | |
| Glottolog | coch1271 |
 Pre-contact distribution of Yuman–Cochimí languages | |
There are approximately a dozen Yuman languages. The dormant Cochimí, attested from the 18th century, was identified after the rest of the family had been established, and was found to be more divergent. The resulting family was therefore called Yuman–Cochimí, with Yuman being the extra-Cochimí languages.
Cochimí is now dormant. Cucapá is the Spanish name for the Cocopa. Diegueño is the Spanish name for Ipai–Kumeyaay–Tipai, now often referred to collectively as Kumeyaay. Upland Yuman consists of several mutually intelligible dialects spoken by the politically distinct Yavapai, Hualapai, and Havasupai.
| Proto-Yuman | |
|---|---|
| Reconstruction of | Yuman languages |
| Lower-order reconstructions |
|
Mauricio Mixco of the University of Utah points to a relative lack of reconstructible Proto-Yuman terms for aquatic phenomena as evidence against a coastal, lacustrine, or riverine Urheimat.[1]
Proto-Yuman reconstructions by Mixco (1978):[2]
| gloss | Proto-Yuman |
|---|---|
| be | *wi/*yu |
| be located (sg) | *wa |
| belly | *pxa; *p-xa |
| big | *tay |
| bird | *č-sa |
| body hair | *mi(ʔ) |
| bone | *ak |
| breasts | *ñ-maːy |
| cat | *-mi(ʔ) |
| causative | *x- |
| chief man | *-pa/*(ma) |
| chief, lord | *-pa/*ma |
| cold | *x-čur |
| cry | *mi(ʔ) |
| dance | *-ma(ʔ) |
| daughter | *p-čay |
| die | *pi |
| die (sg) | *pi |
| do | *wi/uːy |
| do; make | *wi/*uy |
| dog | *(č)-xat |
| dove | *k-wi(ʔ) |
| drink | *(č)-si; *si ? |
| ear | *ṣma(k)l ~ *ṣmal(k) |
| earth, place | *ʔ-mat |
| eat (hard food) | *č-aw |
| eat (soft food) | *ma |
| extinguish | *spa |
| eye | *yu(w) |
| face | *yu(w) (p)-xu |
| fall | *-nal |
| father | *n-ʔay; *-ta; *-ku ? |
| feather | *-waR |
| fire | *ʔ-ʔa(ː)w |
| give | *wi; *ʔi |
| he | *ña/*ya- |
| head | *ʔi(y) |
| hear | *kʷi(ː) |
| heaven, sky | *ʔ-ma(ʔ)y |
| horn | *kʷa ? |
| hot | *paR |
| house | *ʔ-wa(ʔ) |
| husband | *miːy |
| imperative prefix | *k- |
| irrealis | *-x(a) |
| kill | *pi |
| leaf | *ṣmak; *smaR |
| lie (be prone) | *yak |
| locative | *wa-l |
| locative (illative) | *-l |
| locative (thither) | *-m |
| man, male | *-miː(y); *maː(y) |
| man, person | *-pa/*ma |
| mother | *-tay; *-siy |
| mountain lion | *-miʔ tay |
| mountain sheep | *ʔ-mu(w) |
| mouth | *(y-)a |
| name | *maR |
| navel | *-pu |
| neck/nape | *iː-(m)puk ? |
| non-present aspect | *t |
| nose | *(p-)xu |
| object, plural | *pa |
| object, unspec. (anim.) | *ñ- |
| perceive | *kʷi |
| possessive prefix (inal.) | *ñ |
| prefixes (trans.) | *-, *m, *Ø |
| priest | *maː(y) |
| pronominal prefixes (stative) | *ñ, *m-, *w- |
| pronominal subject | *ʔ-, *m-, *Ø |
| rabbit | *pxar |
| reed | *xta |
| relative pronoun | *ña-/*ya |
| relativizer | *kʷ- |
| salt | *-ʔiR (< *s-ʔiR) |
| say | *ʔi |
| shaman | *-maː(y) |
| sit | *waː |
| skunk | *-xʷiw |
| sleep | *ṣma |
| son (w.s.) | *s-ʔaːw ? |
| star | *xmṣi |
| subject suffix | *-č; *-m |
| sun, day | *paR |
| that | *-ña/*-ya |
| there | *ña/*ya |
| thing, something | *ʔ-č |
| third person | *ña-/*ya |
| this | *p-u |
| thorn | *ʔ-ta(ː)t |
| three | *x-muk |
| to blow | *p-č/sul |
| tongue | *ʔimpal; *(y)pal; *-paR |
| two | *x-wak |
| water | *-xa(ʔ); *si |
| we | *ña-p |
| wife | *ku/*ki |
| wing | *waR |
| woman | *ki/*ku; *siñʔak |
| word | *maR |
| yes | *xaː |
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