{{Short description|Branch of Chibchan languages}} {{Infobox language family | name = Isthmic | region = Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia and Venezuela | familycolor = Chibchan | fam1 = Chibchan | glotto = isth1243 | glottorefname = Votic Chibchan | child1 = Talamanca | child2 = Guaymí–Guna | child3 = Doraric }}
The '''Isthmic languages''' are a branch of the Chibchan languages that includes the most speakers of the language family; they are spoken in Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia and Venezuela.
==Definition== Costa Rican linguist specializing in Chibchan languages Adolfo Constenla Umaña identifies several phonological and grammatical characteristics that distinguish the Isthmic languages from other Chibchan languages.{{sfn|Constenla Umaña|2012|p=410-412}}
==Classification== The Isthmic languages are subdivided into three groups: the Western Isthmic/Talamanca languages, the Doraric languages, and the Eastern Isthmic/Guaymí–Guna languages.
===Western Isthmic languages=== The Western Isthmic languages are spoken in Costa Rica and northern Panama. They are Boruca, an extinct language that was spoken in the canton of Buenos Aires in Costa Rica;,{{sfn|Constenla Umaña|2012|p=392}} Bribri, spoken in the cantons of Buenos Aires and Talamanca in Costa Rica;,{{sfn|Constenla Umaña|2012|p=392}} Cabécar, spoken in the canton of Talamanca in Costa Rica;,{{sfn|Constenla Umaña|2012|p=392}} and Teribe, spoken in the south of Puntarenas Province in Costa Rica and in the north of Bocas del Toro Province in Panama.{{sfn|Constenla Umaña|2012|p=392}}
The similarities between Bribri and Cabécar justify grouping them together within a common subgroup, the Viceitic languages.{{sfn|Constenla Umaña|2012|p=417}}
===Doraric languages=== The Doraric languages were spoken in northern Panama, near the Costa Rican border. The two known representatives of this group are the extinct languages Changuena;{{sfn|Constenla Umaña|2012|p=392-393}} and Dorasque{{sfn|Constenla Umaña|2012|p=393}}
===Eastern Isthmic languages=== The Eastern Isthmic languages are spoken in Panama and Colombia. They are Buglere, spoken in Panama;,{{sfn|Constenla Umaña|2012|p=393}} Ngäbere, spoken in the Ngäbe-Buglé Comarca in Panama and in southern Costa Rica, near the Panamanian border;,{{sfn|Constenla Umaña|2012|p=393}} and Guna, spoken in Panama and Colombia.{{sfn|Constenla Umaña|2012|p=393}}
The similarities between Buglere and Ngäbere justify grouping them together within a common subgroup, the Guaymi languages.{{sfn|Constenla Umaña|2012|p=417}}
==Lexical Comparison== The numerals in different isthmic varieties are: :{|class=wikitable style=text-align:center; |- ! rowspan=2|Glossary ! colspan=4|Western ! colspan=3|Eastern ! rowspan=2|Proto-Isthmic |- ! Boruca !! Bribri ! Cabécar !! Teribe ! Buglere !! Ngäbere !! Guna |- | 1 || éʔtsè || éköl || é- || kʰwara || gdɑite || di || gwen || *e-kwə |- | 2 || búʔk || bö́l || bó- || pʰo̘k̚ || gdɑboke || bu || bo || *boke |- | 3 || máŋ || mañál || bāʤã́- || mya || gdɑmɑ̃ĩ || mɔ || baa || *bayã |- | 4 || báxkàŋ || tkë́l || pkí-(N.)<br>tkí-(S.) || pkɪŋ || gdɑbɑgɑ || bgɔ || bake || *bake |- | 5 || ʃɪʃkáŋ || ské̠l || skẽ́- || ʃkɪŋ || gdɑtigɑ || rigɛ || atar || *tig(?)<br>(*skẽ-) |- | 6 || téʃàŋ || teröl || sàhurà+1 || tʰɛr || gdɑdereke || ti || nergwa || *ter- |- | 7 || kúx || kúl || sàhurà+2 || kʰɔ̘k̚ || gdɑguke || kɯɡɯ || gugle || *gug(l)e |- | 8 || éxtàŋ<br>kúxtàŋ || pàköl || sàhurà+3 || kʰwoŋ || gdɑpɑ || kwɔ || baabak || *kwog-(?) |- | 9 || éxkùx || su̠lì̠tu || sàhurà+4 || ʃkaw || gdɑĩnkɑ || ɤɡɔ̃ || bakebak || ? |- | 10 || téxkùx || dabam || sàhurà bótkʊ̀ || sakwara || gdɑtɑboko || ni hɔdɔ || ambe || *taba(?) |}
==References== {{reflist}}
==Bibliography== * {{cite book|first=Adolfo|last=Constenla Umaña|chapter=Chibchan language|editor-last1=Campbell|editor-first1=Lyle|editor-last2=Grondona|editor-first2=Veronica|title=The Indigenous Languages of South America: A Comprehensive Guide|publisher=De Gruyter Brill|location=Berlin, Boston|date=2012|isbn=978-3-11-025513-3|pages=391–439}}. * {{cite book|last=Natacha|first=Chevrier|title=Analyse de la phonologie du bribri (chibcha) dans une perspective typologique: nasalité et géminée modulée|publisher=University of Lyon|location=Lyon|date=2017|url=https://tel.archives-ouvertes.fr/tel-01665176/document|access-date=2026-05-26}}. * Constenla Umaña, Adolfo. 1981. ''Comparative Chibchan Phonology''. (Ph.D. dissertation, Department of Linguistics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia). {{cite web|title=Enllaç |url=http://repository.upenn.edu/dissertations/AAI8207943}}<!-- auto-translated from Catalan by Module:CS1 translator --> * {{cite book|last=Constenla Umaña|first=Adolfo|title=Las lenguas del Área Intermedia: Introducción a su estudio areal|date=1991|publisher=San José, C.R.: Editorial de la University of Costa Rica}} * {{cite journal|last=Constenla Umaña|first=Adolfo|title=Sobre el estudio diacrónico de las lenguas chibchenses y su contribución al conocimiento del pasado de sus hablantes|date=1995|journal=Boletín del Museo del Oro|issue=38-39|pages=13–56|url= http://www.lablaa.org/blaavirtual/publicacionesbanrep/bolmuseo/1995/endi3839/endi02a.htm|access-date=2026-05-26|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090909054112/http://www.lablaa.org/blaavirtual/publicacionesbanrep/bolmuseo/1995/endi3839/endi02a.htm|archive-date=2009-09-09|url-status=dead}} * {{cite journal|last=Constenla Umaña|first=Adolfo|title=Acerca de la relación genealógica entre las lenguas lencas y las lenguas misumalpas|date=2002|journal=Revista de Filología y Lingüística de la Universidad de Costa Rica|issue=28|pages=189–206|url=http://www.latindex.ucr.ac.cr/filologia-28-1/filyling-28-1-12.pdf}} * {{cite journal|last=Constenla Umaña|first=Adolfo|title=¿Existe relación genealógica entre las lenguas misumalpas y las chibchenses?|date=2005|journal=Estudios de Lingüística Chibcha|issue=24|pages=7–85|url=http://es.scribd.com/doc/72448354}} * {{cite journal|last=Constenla Umaña|first=Adolfo|title=Estado actual de la subclasificación de las lenguas chibchenses y de la reconstrucción fonológica y gramatical del protochibchense|date=2008|journal=Estudios de Lingüística Chibcha|issue=27|pages=117–135|url=http://es.scribd.com/doc/72447996}}
{{Chibchan languages}}
Category:Chibchan languages Category:Indigenous languages of Central America Category:Languages of Costa Rica Category:Languages of Nicaragua Category:Languages of Panama Category:Languages of Colombia Category:Languages of Venezuela