TheChaco linguistic area is alinguistic area that includes various South American language families and isolates of theChaco region of South America, in southernBrazil, southeasternBolivia,Paraguay,Uruguay, andArgentina.
Common Chaco areal features includeSVO word order andactive-stative verbalignment.[1]
Campbell and Grondona (2012) list the following languages as part of the Chaco linguistic area.[1]
Charruan is sometimes also included. Jorge Suárez includes Charruan withGuaicuruan in a hypotheticalWaikuru-Charrúa stock.Morris Swadesh includes Charruan along withGuaicuruan,Matacoan, andMascoyan within hisMacro-Mapuche stock. Both proposals appear to be obsolete.
Jolkesky (2016) suggests thatTrumai has lexical similarities with theMacro-Mataguayo-Guaykuru andTupian language families.[2] These apparent similarities with theMacro-Mataguayo-Guaykuru languages andTupi-Guarani languages suggest that Trumai had originated in theParaguay River basin. The Trumai had only arrived in theUpper Xingu basin via theCuluene River during the 19th century (Villas Bôas & Villas Bôas 1970:27[3]).[2]: 426
The following language families of the ArgentinianPampas are also included in some classifications.
Linguistic features that are characteristic of the Chaco linguistic area include:[1]
Nikulin (2019) suggests a Macro-Chaco hypothesis linkingJê-Tupí-Cariban (including Karirian and Bororoan) withMataco-Guaicuruan (possibly including Zamucoan):[4]