Ta-Arawakan languages

Arawakan languages of the Caribbean Sea

The Ta-Arawakan languages, also known as Ta-Maipurean and Caribbean, are the Indigenous Arawakan languages of the Caribbean Sea coasts of Central and South America. They are distinguished by the first person pronominal prefix ta-, as opposed to common Arawakan na-.

Languages

Kaufman (1994) provides the following subclassification:

• Caribbean Arawakan
  • Taíno
  • Guajiro (Wahiro)
    • Wayuu (Guajiro, Wahiro)
    • Paraujano (Parauhano, Añun) †
    • Arawák (Lokono)
  • Iñeri (Inyeri)
    • Kalhíphona (Island Carib, modern Garífuna or Black Carib)

Aikhenvald adds Shebayo, which Kaufman had left unclassified, and removes Iñeri from Ta-Arawakan proper:

• Caribbean Arawakan
  • Iñeri
    • Kalhíphona
  • Ta-Arawakan
    • Taíno
    • Wayuu
    • Parauhano
    • Arawák
    • Shebayo
    • Caquetio

Proto-language

Reconstructions of Proto-Lokono-Guajiro proposed by Captain (1991):^[1]

References

1. Captain, D. (1991 [2005]). Proto-Lokono-Guajiro. Revista Latinoamericana de Estudios Etnolingüísticos, 10:137-172.