| Culle | |
|---|---|
| Culli, Kulyi | |
| Native to | Peru |
| Region | La Libertad,Cajamarca (Cajabamba),Ancash (Pallasca) |
| Extinct | mid-20th century possible speakers in remote villages |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | None (mis) |
| Glottolog | cull1235 |
 | |
Culle, also spelledCulli,Cullí, orKulyi,[1] is a poorly attested extinct language of the Andean highlands of northernPeru. It is the original language of the highlands ofLa Libertad Region, the south of theCajamarca Region (Cajabamba), and the north of theAncash region (Pallasca andBolognesi[2]). It is known through two word lists collected while the language was still spoken and through vocabulary loaned into theSpanish spoken in the region.[3]
Flores Reyna (1996) reports that Culli was spoken by at least one family in the town ofTauca, Pallasca Province, Ancash region, until the middle of the 20th century. While it appears that Culli has been displaced in its whole range by Spanish, the possibility of speakers remaining in some remote village cannot be ruled out altogether.[4]
Culli was the language spoken in the territory of at least three pre-Inca cultures or dominions: the kingdom of Konchuko (Conchucos), in the north of the Ancash region; the kingdom of Wamachuko (Huamachuco), in the highlands of La Libertad region; and Culli was spoken at least in the southern part of the kingdom of Kuismanko (Cuismanco), in the south of the Cajamarca region.
Because it is poorly attested, it has not been possible to definitively classify Culle. It is typically considered a language isolate.[5][6]
Jolkesky (2016) also notes that there are lexical similarities withLeco.[7]
What little is known of the Culle language consists solely of vocabulary.
A sample list of words is given by Loutkotka (1968); some of these are presented here:[8]
| Culli | Gloss |
|---|---|
| chu | head |
| mai | foot |
| goñ | water |
| mú | fire |
| sú | sun |
| múñ | moon |
| usú | man |
| pich | bird |
| chaľua | fish |
A more extensive word list from Loukotka (1949) is given below:[9]
| French gloss (original) | English gloss (translated) | Kulli (Martínez Compañón) | Kulli (Gonzales) | comparisons |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| animal | animal | (Sp.) | ||
| arbre | tree | urú | ||
| boire | drink | kumú | Kolan: kum | |
| chandelle | candle | nina | Kechua: nina | |
| bois | wood | guro | ||
| bois à brûler | firewood | pišoče | ||
| chapeau | hat | muntua | ||
| chien | dog | korep | ||
| ciel | sky | (Sp.) | ||
| cœur | heart | čukuáll | ||
| corps | body | (Sp.) | ||
| cou | neck | uro | ||
| couverture | blanket | maiko | ||
| douleur | pain | pillač | ||
| eau | water | koñ | goñ | |
| étoiles | stars | čuip | Sechura: chúpchúp | |
| femme | woman | ahhi | ||
| feu | fire | mú | ||
| fille | daughter | ahhi ogóll | cf. ahhi 'woman' | |
| fils | son | usu ogóll | cf. usú 'man' | |
| fleur | flower | čučú | Hibito: chukchum | |
| fleuve | river | uram | ||
| frère | brother | kimit | ||
| fruit | fruit | huakohu | ||
| gai | happy | kuhi | ||
| herbe | grass | paihak | Chimú [Mochica]: pey | |
| homme | man | usú | Katakao: aszat | |
| lune | moon | múñ | ||
| main | hand | pui | ||
| manger | eat | miú | ||
| mangeur de pain | bread eater | huiku-vana | ||
| mer | sea | kida | ||
| mère | mother | mamá | Kechua: mama | |
| mort | dead | koní | ||
| ohé! | hey! | čo | ||
| oiseau | bird | pičuñ | pičon | Kechua: pisku |
| ondes | waves | kóñpulkasú | cf. koñ 'water' | |
| os | bone | moskár | ||
| pain | bread | vana | ||
| père | father | kinú | ||
| pied | foot | mai | ||
| pleurer | cry | akasú | Hibito: atzakem | |
| pluie | rain | kau | ||
| poisson | fish | čallua | Kechua: challua | |
| poule | chicken | guallpe | Kechua: atahuallpa | |
| rameau | branch | urú sagars | ||
| régner | reign | kankiá | ||
| sandales | sandals | maivil | cf. mai 'foot' | |
| sœur | sister | kañi | ||
| soleil | sun | sú | ||
| terre | earth | pús | ||
| tête | head | ču | ||
| tronc | trunk | mukh-kusgá | ||
| vent | wind | lluká | ||
| ventre | belly | odre | ||
| viande | meat | ayča |
