| Misumalpan | |
|---|---|
| Misuluan | |
| Geographic distribution | Mosquitia |
| Linguistic classification | Macro-Chibchan ?
|
| Subdivisions |
|
| Language codes | |
| Glottolog | misu1242 |
 Historical (dotted) and current (colored) distribution of the Misumalpan languages | |
TheMisumalpan languages (alsoMisumalpa orMisuluan) are a small family of languages spoken by different ethnic groups inMosquitia.[1] The name "Misumalpan" was devised byJohn Alden Mason and is composed of syllables from the names of the family's three membersMiskito,Sumo languages andMatagalpan.[2] It was first recognized byWalter Lehmann in 1920. While all the languages of the Matagalpan branch are now extinct, the Miskito and Sumu languages are alive and well: Miskito has almost 200,000 speakers and serves as a second language for speakers of other indigenous languages ofMosquitia. According to Hale,[3] most speakers of Sumu also speak Miskito.
Kaufman (1990) finds a connection withMacro-Chibchan to be "convincing", but Misumalpan specialistKen Hale considered a possible connection between Chibchan and Misumalpan to be "too distant to establish".[3]
Miskito became the dominant language ofMosquitia from the late 17th century on, as a result of the people's alliance with the British Empire. In north-eastern Nicaragua, it continues to be adopted by former speakers of Sumo. Its sociolinguistic status is lower than that of the English-basedcreole of the southeast, and in that region, Miskito seems to be losing ground. Sumo is endangered in most areas where it is found, although some evidence suggests that it was dominant in the region before the ascendancy of Miskito. The Matagalpan languages are long since extinct, and not very well documented.
All Misumalpan languages share the same phonology, apart fromphonotactics. The consonants are p, b, t, d, k, s, h, w, y, andvoiced andvoiceless versions of m, n, ng, l, r; the vowels are short and long versions of a, i, u.
Below is a full list of Misumalpan language varieties listed byLoukotka (1968), including names of unattested varieties.[4]
| Proto-Misumalpan | |
|---|---|
| Reconstruction of | Misumalpan languages |
Below are Proto-Misumalpan reconstructions byAdolfo Constenla Umaña (1987):[5]
| No. | Spanish gloss (original) | English gloss (translated) | Proto-Misumalpan |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | abuela | grandmother | titiŋ |
| 2 | abuelo | grandfather | *nini |
| 3 | acostarse | lie down | *udaŋ |
| 4 | agua | water | *li |
| 5 | amarillo | yellow | *lalalh |
| 6 | árbol | tree | *ban |
| 7 | arena | sand | *kawh |
| 8 | atar | tie | *widi |
| 9 | ayote | pumpkin | |
| 10 | beber | drink (v.) | *di |
| 11 | boca | mouth | *ta |
| 12 | bueno | good | *jam- |
| 13 | búho | owl | *iskidi |
| 14 | cantárida | Spanish fly | *mada |
| 15 | caracol | snail | *suni |
| 16 | caramba | interjection | *anaj |
| 17 | casa | house | *u |
| 18 | cocer | cook (tr.) | *bja |
| 19 | cocerse | cook (intr.) | *wad |
| 20 | colibrí | hummingbird | *sud |
| 21 | cuarta persona | fourth person | *-ni |
| 22 | chica de maíz | corn girl | *sili |
| 23 | chile | chile | *kuma |
| 24 | dar | give | *a |
| 25 | dinero | money | *lihwan |
| 26 | dormir | sleep | *jabu |
| 27 | dos | two | *bu |
| 28 | esposa | wife | *maja |
| 29 | estar | to be | *da |
| 30 | exhortativo-imperativo plural | plural exhortative-imperative verb | *-naw |
| 31 | flecha | arrow | |
| 32 | formativo de verbo intransitivo | formative intransitive verb | *-wa |
| 33 | gallinácea silvestre | wild fowl | |
| 34 | garrapata | tick | *mata |
| 35 | garza | heron | *udu |
| 36 | guardar | watch (v.) | *ubak |
| 37 | guatusa | Dasyprocta punctata | *kjaki |
| 38 | gusano | worm | *bid |
| 39 | hierro | iron | *jasama |
| 40 | humo | smoke | |
| 41 | interrogativo | interrogative | *ma |
| 42 | interrogativo | interrogative | *ja |
| 43 | ir | go | *wa |
| 44 | jocote | Spondias purpurea | *wudak |
| 45 | lejos | far | *naj |
| 46 | lengua | tongue | *tu |
| 47 | luna | moon | *wajku |
| 48 | llamarse | be called, named | *ajaŋ |
| 49 | maíz | corn | *aja |
| 50 | maduro | mature | *ahawa |
| 51 | matapalo | strangler fig | *laka |
| 52 | mentir | lie | *ajlas |
| 53 | mujer | woman | *jwada |
| 54 | murciélago | bat | *umis |
| 55 | nariz | nose | *nam |
| 56 | negativo (sufijo verbal) | negative (verbal suffix) | *-san |
| 57 | nube | cloud | *amu |
| 58 | ocote | Pinus spp. | *kuh |
| 59 | oír | hear | *wada |
| 60 | oler (intr.) | smell (intr.) | *walab |
| 61 | oreja | ear | *tupal |
| 62 | orina | urine | *usu |
| 63 | perezoso | lazy | *saja |
| 64 | pesado | heavy | *wida |
| 65 | piedra | stone | *walpa |
| 66 | piel | skin | *kutak |
| 67 | piojo | louse | |
| 68 | pléyades | Pleiades | *kadu |
| 69 | podrido | rotten | |
| 70 | meter | place, put | *kan |
| 71 | pozol | pozol | *sawa |
| 72 | presente (sufijo verbal) | present (verbal suffix) | *ta |
| 73 | primera persona (sufijo) | first person (suffix) | *-i |
| 74 | primera persona (sufijo) | first person (suffix) | *-ki |
| 75 | red | net | *wali |
| 76 | rodilla | knee | *kadasmak |
| 77 | rojo | red | *paw |
| 78 | sangre | blood | *a |
| 79 | segunda persona (sufijo) | second person (suffix) | *-ma |
| 80 | tacaní (tipo de abeja) | tacaní (type of bee) | *walaŋ |
| 81 | tepezcuintle (paca) | Cuniculus paca | *uja |
| 82 | tercer persona (sufijo) | third person (suffix) | *-ka |
| 83 | teta | nipple | *tja |
| 84 | teta | nipple | *su |
| 85 | tigre | jaguar | |
| 86 | tos | cough | *anaŋ |
| 87 | tú | you (sg.) | *man |
| 88 | verde | green | *saŋ |
| 89 | viento | wind | *win |
| 90 | yerno | son-in-law | *u |
| 91 | yo | I | *jam |
| 92 | zacate | grass | *tun |
| 93 | zopilote | vulture | *kusma |
| 94 | zorro hediondo | skunk | *wasala |
