Chibchan languages

External relations

Language contact

Classification

Loukotka (1968)

• Rama – language spoken around Bluefields Lagoon and on the Rama River, Nicaragua.
• Melchora – extinct language once spoken on the San Juan Melchoras River, Nicaragua.

• Guatuso – spoken on the Frío River, Costa Rica, now perhaps extinct.
• Guetar / Brusela – extinct language once spoken on the Grande River, Costa Rica.
• Suerre / Camachire / Chiuppa – extinct language once spoken on the Tortuguero River, Costa Rica.
• Pocosi – extinct language once spoken on the Matina River and around the modern city of Puerto Limón, Costa Rica.
• Voto – extinct language once spoken at the mouth of the San Juan River, Costa Rica.
• Quepo – extinct language once spoken in Costa Rica on the Pacuare River.
• Corobisi / Corbesi / Cueresa / Rama de Rio Zapote – spoken by a few individuals in Costa Rica on the Zapote River.

• Terraba / Depso / Quequexque / Brurán – extinct language once spoken in Costa Rica on the Tenorio River.
• Tirub / Rayado / Tiribi – extinct language spoken once in Costa Rica on the Virilla River.
• Bribri / Lari – spoken on the Coca River and Tarire River, Costa Rica.
• Estrella – Spanish name of an extinct language, the original name of which is unknown, once spoken on the Estrella River, Costa Rica.
• Cabecar – language spoken on the Moy River, Costa Rica.
• Chiripó – language spoken in Costa Rica on the Matina River and Chirripó River.
• Viceyta / Abiseta / Cachi / Orosi / Tucurrique – extinct language once spoken on the Tarire River, Costa Rica.
• Brunca / Boruca / Turucaca – extinct language of Costa Rica, spoken on the Grande River and in the Boruca region.
• Coto / Cocto – extinct language once spoken between the sources of the Coto River and Grande River, Costa Rica.

• Chumulu – extinct language once spoken in El Potrero, Veraguas, Panama.
• Gualaca – extinct language once spoken on the Chiriqui River, Panama.
• Changuena – once spoken in Panama, on the Changuena River.

• Muoi – extinct language once spoken in the Miranda Valley of Panama.
• Move / Valiente – now spoken on the Guaymi River and in the Veragua Peninsula.
• Norteño – dialect without an aboriginal name, spoken on the northern coast of Panama, now perhaps extinct.
• Penonomeño – once spoken in the village of Penonomé.
• Murire / Bucueta / Boncota / Bogota – spoken in the Serranía de Tabasara by a few families.
• Sabanero / Savaneric / Valiente – extinct dialect without aboriginal name, once spoken on the plains south of the Serranía de Tabasara.
• Pariza – extinct dialect spoken in the Conquest days on the Veragua Peninsula.

• Coiba – extinct language once spoken on the Chagres River, Panama.
• Cuna / Bayano / Tule / Mandingo / San Blas / Karibe-Kuna / Yule – language spoken in eastern Panama, especially on the Bayano River, in San Blas and the small islands on the northern coast.
• Cueva / Darien – extinct language Once spoken at the mouth of the Atrato River, Colombia.
• Chochama – extinct language once spoken on the Suegro River, Panama.

• Guazuzú – once spoken in the Sierra de San Jerónimo, department of Antioquia, Colombia.
• Oromina / Zeremoe – extinct language once spoken south of the Gulf of Urabá, Antioquia, Colombia.
• Catio – once spoken in the region of Dabaiba, Colombia.
• Hevejico – once spoken in the Tonusco and Ebéjico Valleys.
• Abibe – once spoken in the Sierra de Abibe.
• Buritaca – once spoken at the sources of the Sucio River.
• Caramanta – once spoken around the city of Caramanta.
• Cartama – once spoken around the modern city of Cartama.
• Pequi – once spoken in the Pequi region.
• Arma – once spoken on the Pueblanco River.
• Pozo – once spoken on the Pozo River and Pacova River.
• Nutabé – once spoken in the San Andrés Valley.
• Tahami – once spoken on the Magdalena River and Tora River.
• Yamesi – once spoken at the mouth of the Nechi River and on the Porce River.
• Avurrá – once spoken in the Aburrá Valley.
• Guamoco – once spoken around the modern city of Zaragoza, Antioquia.
• Anserma / Humbra / Umbra – once spoken on the Cauca River around the city of Anserma, Caldas.
• Amachi – once spoken in the San Bartolomé Valley.

• Chibcha / Muisca / Mosca – extinct language once spoken on the upper plateau of Bogotá and Tunja, department of Cundinamarca, Colombia.
• *Duit dialect – once spoken on the Tunja River and Tundama River.
• Tunebo / Tame – language now spoken by many tribes living in the area east of the Chibcha tribe. Dialects:
• *Tegría – spoken on the Tegría River, department of Boyaca.
• *Pedraza – spoken on the Pedraza River.
• *Boncota – spoken on the Boncota River.
• *Manare – spoken on the Manare River.
• *Sinsiga / Chita – spoken in the village of Chita, Boyacá and on the Chisca River.
• *Uncasica – spoken in the Sierra Librada.
• *Morcote – spoken on the Tocaría River and in the village of Morcote.
• Chitarero – extinct language once spoken around the modern city of Pamplona, department of Santander.
• Lache – extinct language once spoken on the Chicamocha River and in the Sierra de Chita, department of Boyacá.

• Dobocubí / Motilon – spoken on the Tarra River and around the old mission of Atacarayo, department of Norte de Santander, Colombia.
• Bartra / Cunaguasáya – spoken by a tribe on the Oro River, Rincón River, and Lora River in the Norte de Santander region.
• Mape – spoken by a little known tribe on the Catatumbo River and Agua Blanca River in the Norte de Santander region and in the state of Zulia, Venezuela.

• Tairona / Teyuna – extinct language once spoken on the Frio River and on the Caribbean coast, department of Magdalena, Colombia, now a secret language of the priests in the Cagaba tribe.
• Zyuimakane – extinct language once spoken on the Volador River in the same region.
• Bungá – extinct language once spoken on the Santa Clara River.
• Ulabangui – once spoken on the Negro River, in the Santa Clara River region.
• Cashingui – once spoken on the Palomino River.
• Masinga – once spoken on the Bonda River, in the Palomino River region.
• Bonda / Matuna – once spoken on the Bonda River and Santa María River.
• Cágaba / Köggaba / Kaugia / Koghi – language spoken in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta in the villages of San Andrés, San Miguel, San José, Santa Rosa, and Pueblo Viejo.
• Guamaca / Nábela / Sanha / Arsario – spoken in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta region in the villages of El Rosario, Potrerito, and Marocaso.
• Bintucua / Ijca / Ika / Iku / Machaca / Vintukva – spoken in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta region in the village of San Sebastián.
• Atanque / Campanaque / Busintana / Buntigwa / Kallwama – spoken in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, in the village of Atanquez.
• Upar / Eurpari / Giriguana – extinct language once spoken on the César River.
• Cariachil – once spoken between the Molino River and Fonseca River.
• Ocanopán / Itoto – once spoken around Cerro Pintado.

• Paya / Poyuai / Seco – language spoken on the Guayape River and between the Patuca River and Sico River, Honduras.

Constenla

• * A
• ** Waimí
• *** Guaymí – 170,000 speakers, vulnerable in Panama, endangered in Costa Rica
• *** Buglere – 18,000 speakers, endangered
• ** Borũca
• ** Talamanca
• *** Bribri, 7,000 speakers – vulnerable in Costa Rica, endangered in Panama
• *** Cabécar – 8,800 speakers, vulnerable
• *** Teribe – 3,300 speakers, endangered
• * B
• ** Pech – 990 speakers, endangered
• ** Dorasque
• ** Votic
• *** Huetar
• *** Rama – 740 speakers, moribund
• *** Maléku – 750 speakers, endangered
• *** Corobicí – northwestern Costa Rica
• *** Voto
• ** Guna–Colombian
• *** Guna – 60,600 speakers, vulnerable in Panama, endangered in Colombia
• *** Chibcha–Motilon
• **** Barí – 5,000 speakers, vulnerable
• **** Chibcha–Tunebo
• ***** Muisca
• ***** Duit
• ***** U'wa – 2,550 speakers, endangered
• ***** Guane – Colombia
• *** Arwako–Chimila
• **** Chimila – 350 speakers, endangered
• **** Arwako
• ***** Wiwa – 1,850 speakers, endangered
• ***** Kankuamo
• ***** Arhuaco – 8,000 speakers, vulnerable
• ***** Kogi – 9,910 speakers, vulnerable

Jolkesky (2016)

• * Pech
• * Votic
• ** Maleku
• ** Rama
• ** Wetar
• * Isthmus
• ** Boruka-Talamanca
• *** Boruka
• *** Talamanca
• **** Teribe
• **** Bribri-Kabekar
• ***** Bribri
• ***** Kabekar
• ** Doraske-Changena
• *** Changena
• *** Doraske
• ** Guaymi
• *** Buglere
• *** Ngäbe
• ** Kuna
• *** Kuna Paya-Pukuro
• *** Kuna San Blas
• * Magdalena
• ** Barí
• ** Chimila
• ** Nutabe
• ** U'wa
• ** Muisca
• *** Guane
• *** Muisca
• ** Sierra de Santa Marta
• *** Kaggaba
• *** Tairona
• *** Wiwa-Ika
• **** Ika
• **** Kankuamo
• **** ''Wiwa''

Proto-language

Constenla (1981)

• *dihke 'to sow'
• *te¹ 'cultivated clearing'
• *ike 'manioc'
• *tuʔ 'tuber, yam'
• *apì 'pumpkin, squash'
• *e, *ebe 'maize'
• *du, *dua¹ 'tobacco'
• *tã¹ 'rattles from gourd'
• *toka 'gourd cup'

Pache (2018)