{{Short description|Language family of central Argentina}} {{Expand language|topic=|langcode=es|otherarticle=Lenguas huarpes|date=February 2025}} {{Infobox language family | name = Huarpean | altname = Warpean | region = Cuyo Province, Argentina | ethnicity = Huarpe people | familycolor = American | fam1 = Macro-Warpean ?<br>Macro-Jibaro ? | child1 = ''Millcayac'' | child2 = ''Allentiac'' | child3 = ''Puntano/Michilenge'' (unattested) | child4 = ?''Comechingón''<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Canals Frau |first=Salvador |date=1944-04-18 |title=El grupo Huarpe-Comechingón |url=https://bdigital.uncu.edu.ar/13604 |journal=Anales del Instituto de Etnografía Americana |issue=Año 1944, Tomo 5}}</ref> | glotto = huar1251 | glottorefname = Huarpean | map = Huarpean language map.svg | mapcaption = Map of the Huarpean languages | extinct = after 1630s | family = One of the world's primary language families }}
'''Huarpe''' (''Warpe'') is a small, extinct language family of central Argentina (historic Cuyo Province) that consisted of at least two closely related languages. They are traditionally considered dialects, and include '''Allentiac''' (Alyentiyak, Huarpe) and '''Millcayac''' (Milykayak). A third, '''Puntano''' of San Luis, was not documented before the languages became extinct.
Kaufman (1994) 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 (1968) as part of the Huarpe language cluster (all unattested unless noted otherwise, i.e. for Chiquiyama and Comechingon):<ref name="Loukotka">{{cite book |last=Loukotka |first=Čestmír |authorlink=Čestmír Loukotka |title=Classification of South American Indian languages |url=https://archive.org/details/classificationof0007louk |url-access=registration |publisher=UCLA Latin American Center |year=1968 |location=Los Angeles}}</ref>
*'''Oico''' / '''Holcotian''' - once spoken in Mendoza Province in the Diamante Valley. (Unattested.) *'''Orcoyan''' / '''Oscollan''' - once spoken in the southern regions of Mendoza Province. (Unattested.) *'''Chiquiyama''' - once spoken between the city of Mendoza and the Barranca River.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Latcham |first=Ricardo E. |date=September 1927 |title=Los indios Chiquillanes |url=https://revistas.udec.cl/index.php/atenea/article/view/14993/13176 |journal=Atenea (Concepción) |language=es |volume=4 |issue=9 |pages=311–327 |doi=10.29393/At9-3ICRL10003 |issn=0718-0462}}</ref> *'''Tuluyame''' / '''Puelche algarrobero''' - once spoken in the {{ill|Calamuchita Valley|es|Valle de Calamuchita}}, Córdoba Province. (Unattested.) *'''Michilenge''' / '''Puntano''' - once spoken in the Conlara Valley, San Luis Province. (Unattested.) *'''Olongasto''' - once spoken in La Rioja Province by the neighbors of the Allentiac tribe. (Unattested.) *'''Comechingon''' - extinct language once spoken in the Sierra de Córdoba in Córdoba Province, Argentina<ref>{{Cite book |last=Cafferata |first=Antonio F. |url=https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/102982816 |title=Los comechingones; apuntes para su estudio. |date=1926 |publisher="La Velocidad," |location=Rosario}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Canals Frau |first=Salvador |date=1944-04-18 |title=El grupo Huarpe-Comechingón |url=https://bdigital.uncu.edu.ar/13604 |journal=Anales del Instituto de Etnografía Americana |issue=Año 1944, Tomo 5}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Serrano |first=Antonio |date=1944 |title=EL IDIOMA DE LOS COMEGHINGONES y SANA VIRONES |url=https://www.letras.edu.ar/wwwisis/index/arti/Boletin1944-47_375-387.pdf |journal=Boletín de la Academia Argentina de Letras |issn=0001-3757}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last=Serrano |first=Antonio |date=1945 |title=Los Comechingones |url=https://suquia.ffyh.unc.edu.ar/items/4bf7b95a-93ef-4768-9037-7ef9df2da016 |language=es |issn=0326-4572}}</ref>
===Mason (1950)=== Varieties of the ''Huarpe-Comechingon'' linguistic group cited from Canals Frau (1944) by Mason (1950):<ref name="Mason-1950">{{cite book |last=Mason |first=John Alden |url=https://etnolinguistica.wdfiles.com/local--files/hsai:vol6p157-317/vol6p157-317_mason.pdf |title=Handbook of South American Indians |date=1950 |publisher=Smithsonian Institution, Bureau of American Ethnology Bulletin 143 |editor-last1=Steward |editor-first1=Julian |volume=6 |location=Washington, D.C., Government Printing Office |pages=157–317 |chapter=The languages of South America |authorlink=John Alden Mason}}</ref>
{{tree list}} * '''Huarpe-Comechingon''' ** Allentiac (Huarpe of San Juan) ** Millcayac (Huarpe of Mendocino) ** Puntano Huarpe ** Puelche of Cuyo ** Ancient Pehuenche ** Southern Comechingón (Camiare) ** Northern Comechingón (Henia) ** Olongasta (Southern Rioja) ? {{tree list/end}}
Pericot y Garcia (1936) lists Zoquillam, Tunuyam, Chiquillan, Morcoyam, Diamantino (Oyco), Mentuayn, Chom, Titiyam, Otoyam, Ultuyam, and Cucyam.<ref name="Mason-1950"/>
{{tree list}} * '''Comechingón varieties'''<ref name="Mason-1950"/> ** Comechingón *** Main *** Tuya *** Mundema *** Cáma *** Umba ** Michilingwe ** Indama {{tree list/end}}
== Phonology == The two languages had apparently similar sound systems, and were not dissimilar from Spanish, at least from the records we have. Barros (2009) reconstructs the consonants as follows:{{Sfn|Barros|2009|p=11}}
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;" |- ! ! Labial ! Alveolar ! Palatal ! Velar ! Glottal |- ! Nasal | {{IPA link|m}} | {{IPA link|n}} | {{IPA link|ɲ}} | {{IPA link|ŋ}} | |- ! Plosive | {{IPA link|p}} | {{IPA link|t}} | | {{IPA link|k}} | |- ! Affricate | | {{IPA link|ts}} | {{IPA link|tʃ}} | | |- ! Fricative | | {{IPA link|s}} | {{IPA link|ʃ}} | | {{IPA link|h}} |- ! Semivowel | {{IPA link|w}} | | {{IPA link|j}} | ({{IPA link|ɰ}}) | |- ! Lateral | | {{IPA link|l}} | {{IPA link|ʎ}} | | |- ! Trill | | {{IPA link|r}} | | | |}
Allentiac had at least six vowels, written ''a, e, i, o, u, ù''. The ''ù'' is thought to represent the central vowel {{IPAblink|ɨ}}.
==References== {{Reflist}}
* {{Cite book|last=Barros |first=J. Pedro Viegas |title=(2009) Una propuesta de fonetización y fonemización tentativas de las hablas Huarpes |url=https://www.academia.edu/26776301 |ref={{sfnref|Barros|2009}}}} * Catalina Teresa Michieli, 1990. [http://teresamichieli.com/wp-content/plugins/downloads-manager/upload/millcayac_y_allentiac.pdf ''Millcayac y Allentiac: Los dialectos del idioma Huarpe''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120323000318/http://teresamichieli.com/wp-content/plugins/downloads-manager/upload/millcayac_y_allentiac.pdf |date=2012-03-23 }} * [http://pueblosoriginarios.com/lenguas/huarpe.php Lengua Huarpe] at pueblosoriginarios.com
{{language families}} {{South American languages}}{{Languages of Argentina}}{{Authority control}}
Category:Huarpean languages Category:Language families Category:Indigenous languages of the South American Southern Foothills Category:Languages of Argentina