Witotoan (alsoHuitotoan orUitotoan, occasionally known as Huitoto–Ocaina to distinguish it fromBora–Witoto) is a smalllanguage family of southeasternColombia (Amazonas Department) and the neighbouring region of Peru.

Aschmann (1993) proposed that theBoran and Witotoan language families were related, in aBora–Witoto stock. Echeverri & Seifart (2016) refute the connection.

Jolkesky (2016) notes that there are lexical similarities with thePijao,Yaruro,Arawak,Bora-Muinane,Choko, andTukano language families due to contact. Some of this contact had occurred due to the expansion of Witotoan speakers down thePutumayo River.^[1]

The classification above is based on Campbell (1997), who follows Richard Aschmann's 1993 classification andreconstruction of proto-Witotoan.

Nonuya is nearly extinct, but attempts are being made at revival.

The following extinct languages are unclassified within Witotoan:

• Andoquero(also known as Andokero, Miranya-Karapana-Tapuyo, Miraña, Carapana)Amazonas, Colombia(†)
• Coeruna(also known as Koeruna)Amazonas, Brazil(†)
• Koihoma(also known as Coto, Koto, Orejón, Coixoma)Loreto, Peru(†)
• Hairúya(†)^[2]

Kaufman (2007) addsAndoque.

Synonymy note:

• The nameMuiname has been used to refer to theMuinane language (Bora Muinane) of the Boran family and also to theNipode language (Witoto Muinane) of the Huitotoan family.
• The namesKoto,Coto, andOrejón have been used to refer to theKoihoma language (Coixoma) and also to the unrelatedOrejón language (also known asKoto orCoto) of theTucanoan language family.

Internal classification of the Witotoan languages byMason (1950):^[3]

Loukotka (1968) lists the following basic vocabulary items for Witotoan language varieties.^[4]

• Aschmann, Richard P. (1993).Proto Witotoan. Publications in linguistics (No. 114). Arlington, TX: SIL & the University of Texas at Arlington.
• Campbell, Lyle. (1997).American Indian languages: The historical linguistics of Native America. New York: Oxford University Press.ISBN 0-19-509427-1.
• Echeverri, Juan Alvaro & Frank Seifart. (2016).Proto-Witotoan: A re-evaluation of the distant genealogical relationship between the Boran and Witotoan linguistic families.
• Kaufman, Terrence. (1990). Language history in South America: What we know and how to know more. In D. L. Payne (Ed.),Amazonian linguistics: Studies in lowland South American languages (pp. 13–67). Austin: University of Texas Press.ISBN 0-292-70414-3.
• Kaufman, Terrence. (1994). The native languages of South America. In C. Mosley & R. E. Asher (Eds.),Atlas of the world's languages (pp. 46–76). London: Routledge.

Wiktionary has a list of reconstructed forms atAppendix:Proto-Witotoan reconstructions

• Proel:
  • Sub-familia Witoto

• Witotoan languages
• Bora–Witoto languages
• Indigenous languages of the South American Northern Foothills
• Indigenous languages of Western Amazonia
• Language families

• Articles with short description
• Short description is different from Wikidata