Choco languages


The Choco languages are a small family of Indigenous languages spread across Colombia and Panama.

Family division

Choco consists of two known branches and at least four unclassified languages.
At least Arma, Cueva and Caramanta are extinct.
The Emberá group consists of two languages mainly in Colombia with over 60,000 speakers that lie within a fairly mutually intelligible dialect continuum. Ethnologue divides this into six languages. Kaufman considers the term Cholo to be vague and condescending. Noanamá has some 6,000 speakers on the Panama-Colombia border.

Jolkesky (2016)

Internal classification by Jolkesky :Choko

Language contact

Jolkesky notes that there are lexical similarities with the Guahibo, Kamsa, Paez, Tukano, Witoto-Okaina, Yaruro, Chibchan, and Bora-Muinane language families due to contact.
Genetic links between Choco and Chibchan had been proposed by Lehmann. However, similarities are few, some of which may be related to the adoption of maize cultivation from neighbors.

Genetic relations

Choco has been included in a number of hypothetical phylum relationships:

Vocabulary

lists the following basic vocabulary items for the Chocó languages.
glossSambúChocó Pr.CitaraBaudoWaunanaTadóSaixaChamíÁndaguedaCatioTukuráN'Gvera
onehabaabáabaabahabaabaabbáabbaabá
twoomeumedáonomiuméhoméuméómayteaunmé
threeompeaumpiadáonatupkimarishompéumpeaompayáumbeaunpia
headporoporoachiporopúroborótachi-púroboróbóroburuporú
eyetautautabútaudágatautaudáutowdabutabútapü
toothkidakidakidakidáxidákidáchidachida
manamoxinamukiraumakiraemokoidamukiramukínamugiramohunámukira
waterpañiapaniápaniapaniadópaniapaníabaníapuneápaneapánia
firetibuatibuáxemkavaitupuktuputubechuátübü
sunpisiapisiáumantagoveseaedauveseaáxonihinoumataemwaitonhumandayoahumautu
moonedexoédexohidexoxedekoxedegoedekoːátoníedexoheydahoxedekoxedékohedeko
maizepepepagapedeupepebépe
jaguarimamaibamáibamáimamakumápimamáimamaimamáimamá
arrowenatrumahalomáhalomásiachókieraumatrumasíaukidaenentiera

Proto-language

For reconstructions of Proto-Chocó and Proto-Emberá by Constenla and Margery, see the corresponding Spanish article.