Huarpean languages


Huarpe was a small language family of central Argentina that consisted of two closely related languages. They are traditionally considered dialects, and include Allentiac and Millcayac. A third, Puntano of San Luis, was not documented before the languages became extinct.
Kaufman tentatively linked Huarpe to the Mura-Matanawi languages in a family he called Macro-Warpean. However, he noted that "no systematic study" had been made, so that it is best to consider them independent families. Swadesh and Suárez both connected Huarpe to Macro-Jibaro, a possibility that has yet to be investigated.

Varieties

Loukotka (1968)

Varieties classified by Loukotka as part of the Huarpe language cluster :
Varieties of the Huarpe-Comechingon linguistic group cited from Canals Frau by Mason :
;Huarpe-Comechingon
Pericot y Garcia lists Zoquillam, Tunuyam, Chiquillan, Morcoyam, Diamantino, Mentuayn, Chom, Titiyam, Otoyam, Ultuyam, and Cucyam.
Comechingón varieties:
The two languages had apparently similar sound systems, and were not dissimilar from Spanish, at least from the records we have. Barros reconstructs the consonants as follows:
LabialAlveolarPalatalVelarGlottal
Nasal
Plosive
Affricate
Fricative
Semivowel
Lateral
Trill

Allentiac had at least six vowels, written a, e, i, o, u, ù. The ù is thought to represent the central vowel.

Vocabulary

lists the following basic vocabulary items for the Huarpean languages.