// Workers AI · dad joke modeIs Isthmic Chibchan a narrow topic? It's a thin language.
| Isthmic | |
|---|---|
| Geographic distribution | Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia and Venezuela |
| Linguistic classification | Chibchan
|
| Subdivisions |
|
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | None (mis) |
| Glottolog | isth1243 |
The Isthmic languages are a branch of the Chibchan languages that includes the most speakers of the language family; they are spoken in Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia and Venezuela.
Definition
[edit]Costa Rican linguist specializing in Chibchan languages Adolfo Constenla Umaña identifies several phonological and grammatical characteristics that distinguish the Isthmic languages from other Chibchan languages.[1]
Classification
[edit]The Isthmic languages are subdivided into three groups: the Western Isthmic/Talamanca languages, the Doracic languages, and the Eastern Isthmic/Guaymí–Guna languages.
Western Isthmic/Talamanca languages
[edit]| Talamanca | |
|---|---|
| Western Isthmic | |
| Geographic distribution | Costa Rica, Panama |
| Linguistic classification | Chibchan
|
| Subdivisions | |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | None (mis) |
| Glottolog | west2641 |
The Western Isthmic languages are spoken in Costa Rica and northern Panama. They are Boruca, an extinct language that was spoken in the canton of Buenos Aires in Costa Rica;,[2] Bribri, spoken in the cantons of Buenos Aires and Talamanca in Costa Rica;,[2] Cabécar, spoken in the canton of Talamanca in Costa Rica;,[2] and Teribe, spoken in the south of Puntarenas Province in Costa Rica and in the north of Bocas del Toro Province in Panama.[2]
The similarities between Bribri and Cabécar justify grouping them together within a common subgroup, the Viceitic languages.[3]
Doracic languages
[edit]| Doracic | |
|---|---|
| Geographic distribution | Costa Rica, Panama |
| Linguistic classification | Chibchan
|
| Subdivisions | |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | None (mis) |
| Glottolog | dora1241 |
The Doracic languages were spoken in northern Panama, near the Costa Rican border. The two known representatives of this group are the extinct languages Changuena;[4] and Dorasque[5]
Eastern Isthmic/Guaymí–Guna languages
[edit]| Guaymí–Guna | |
|---|---|
| Eastern Isthmic | |
| Geographic distribution | Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia |
| Linguistic classification | Chibchan
|
| Subdivisions |
|
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | None (mis) |
| Glottolog | east2569 |
The Eastern Isthmic languages are spoken in Panama and Colombia. They are Buglere, spoken in Panama;,[5] Ngäbere, spoken in the Ngäbe-Buglé Comarca in Panama and in southern Costa Rica, near the Panamanian border;,[5] and Guna, spoken in Panama and Colombia.[5]
The similarities between Buglere and Ngäbere justify grouping them together within a common subgroup, the Guaymi languages.[3]
Lexical Comparison
[edit]The numerals in different Isthmic varieties are:
Glossary Western Eastern Proto-Isthmic Boruca Bribri Cabécar Teribe Buglere Ngäbere Guna 1 éʔtsè éköl é- kʰwara gdɑite di gwen *e-kwə 2 búʔk bö́l bó- pʰo̘k̚ gdɑboke bu bo *boke 3 máŋ mañál bāʤã́- mya gdɑmɑ̃ĩ mɔ baa *bayã 4 báxkàŋ tkë́l pkí-(N.)
tkí-(S.)pkɪŋ gdɑbɑgɑ bgɔ bake *bake 5 ʃɪʃkáŋ ské̠l skẽ́- ʃkɪŋ gdɑtigɑ rigɛ atar *tig(?)
(*skẽ-)6 téʃàŋ teröl sàhurà+1 tʰɛr gdɑdereke ti nergwa *ter- 7 kúx kúl sàhurà+2 kʰɔ̘k̚ gdɑguke kɯɡɯ gugle *gug(l)e 8 éxtàŋ
kúxtàŋpàköl sàhurà+3 kʰwoŋ gdɑpɑ kwɔ baabak *kwog-(?) 9 éxkùx su̠lì̠tu sàhurà+4 ʃkaw gdɑĩnkɑ ɤɡɔ̃ bakebak ? 10 téxkùx dabam sàhurà bótkʊ̀ sakwara gdɑtɑboko ni hɔdɔ ambe *taba(?)
References
[edit]- ↑ Constenla Umaña 2012, p. 410-412.
- 1 2 3 4 Constenla Umaña 2012, p. 392.
- 1 2 Constenla Umaña 2012, p. 417.
- ↑ Constenla Umaña 2012, p. 392-393.
- 1 2 3 4 Constenla Umaña 2012, p. 393.
Bibliography
[edit]- Constenla Umaña, Adolfo (2012). "Chibchan language". In Campbell, Lyle; Grondona, Veronica (eds.). The Indigenous Languages of South America: A Comprehensive Guide. Berlin, Boston: De Gruyter Brill. pp. 391–439. ISBN 978-3-11-025513-3..
- Natacha, Chevrier (2017). Analyse de la phonologie du bribri (chibcha) dans une perspective typologique: nasalité et géminée modulée. Lyon: University of Lyon. Retrieved 2026-05-26..
- Constenla Umaña, Adolfo. 1981. Comparative Chibchan Phonology. (Ph.D. dissertation, Department of Linguistics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia). "Enllaç".
- Constenla Umaña, Adolfo (1991). Las lenguas del Área Intermedia: Introducción a su estudio areal. San José, C.R.: Editorial de la University of Costa Rica.
- Constenla Umaña, Adolfo (1995). "Sobre el estudio diacrónico de las lenguas chibchenses y su contribución al conocimiento del pasado de sus hablantes". Boletín del Museo del Oro (38–39): 13–56. Archived from the original on 2009-09-09. Retrieved 2026-05-26.
- Constenla Umaña, Adolfo (2002). "Acerca de la relación genealógica entre las lenguas lencas y las lenguas misumalpas" (PDF). Revista de Filología y Lingüística de la Universidad de Costa Rica (28): 189–206.
- Constenla Umaña, Adolfo (2005). "¿Existe relación genealógica entre las lenguas misumalpas y las chibchenses?". Estudios de Lingüística Chibcha (24): 7–85.
- Constenla Umaña, Adolfo (2008). "Estado actual de la subclasificación de las lenguas chibchenses y de la reconstrucción fonológica y gramatical del protochibchense". Estudios de Lingüística Chibcha (27): 117–135.