Chibchan languages

External relations

Language contact

Classification

• A
• * Waimí
• ** Guaymí – 170,000 speakers, vulnerable in Panama, endangered in Costa Rica
• ** Buglere – 18,000 speakers, endangered
• * Borũca – 140 speakers, moribund
• * Talamanca
• ** Huetar †
• ** Bribri, 7,000 speakers – vulnerable in Costa Rica, endangered in Panama
• ** Cabécar – 8,800 speakers, vulnerable
• ** Teribe – 3,300 speakers, endangered
• B
• * Pech – 990 speakers, endangered
• * Dorasque †
• * Votic
• ** Rama – 740 speakers, moribund
• ** Voto †
• ** Maléku – 750 speakers, endangered
• ** Corobicí – northwestern Costa Rica †
• * Cuna–Colombian
• ** Kuna – 60,600 speakers, vulnerable in Panama, endangered in Colombia
• ** Chibcha–Motilon
• *** Barí – 5,000 speakers, vulnerable
• *** Chibcha–Tunebo
• **** Chibcha †
• **** Duit †
• **** U'wa – 2,550 speakers, endangered
• **** Guane † – Colombia
• ** Arwako–Chimila
• *** Chimila – 350 speakers, endangered
• *** Arwako
• **** Wiwa – 1,850 speakers, endangered
• **** Kankuamo †
• **** Arhuaco – 8,000 speakers, vulnerable
• **** Kogi – 9,910 speakers, vulnerable

Jolkesky (2016)

• Pech
• Votic
• *Maleku
• *Rama
• *Wetar
• Isthmus
• *Boruka-Talamanca
• **Boruka
• **Talamanca
• ***Teribe
• ***Bribri-Kabekar
• ****Bribri
• ****Kabekar
• *Doraske-Changena
• **Changena †
• **Doraske
• *Guaymi
• **Buglere
• **Ngäbe
• *Kuna
• **Kuna Paya-Pukuro
• **Kuna San Blas
• Magdalena
• *Barí
• *Chimila
• *Nutabe †
• *Tunebo
• *Muiska
• **Guane †
• **Muiska †
• *Sierra de Santa Marta
• **Kaggaba
• **Tairona †
• **Wiwa-Ika
• ***Ika
• ***Kankuamo †
• ***Wiwa

  Varieties

• Rama - language spoken around Bluefields Lagoon and on the Rama River, Nicaragua.
• Melchora - extinct language once spoken on the San Juan Melchoras River, Nicaragua.

• Guatuso - spoken on the Frío River, Costa Rica, now perhaps extinct.
• Guetar / Brusela - extinct language once spoken on the Grande River, Costa Rica.
• Suerre / Camachire / Chiuppa - extinct language once spoken on the Tortuguero River, Costa Rica.
• Pocosi - extinct language once spoken on the Matina River and around the modern city of Puerto Limón, Costa Rica.
• Voto - extinct language once spoken at the mouth of the San Juan River, Costa Rica.
• Quepo - extinct language once spoken in Costa Rica on the Pacuare River.
• Corobisi / Corbesi / Cueresa / Rama de rio Zapote - spoken by a few individuals in Costa Rica on the Zapote River.

• Terraba / Depso / Quequexque / Brurán - extinct language once spoken in Costa Rica on the Tenorio River.
• Tirub / Rayado / Tiribi - extinct language spoken once in Costa Rica on the Virilla River.
• Bribri / Lari - spoken on the Coca River and Tarire River, Costa Rica.
• Estrella - Spanish name of an extinct language, the original name of which is unknown, once spoken on the Estrella River, Costa Rica.
• Cabecar - language spoken on the Moy River, Costa Rica.
• Chiripó - language spoken in Costa Rica on the Matina River and Chirripó River.
• Viceyta / Abiseta / Cachi / Orosi / Tucurrique - extinct language once spoken on the Tarire River, Costa Rica.
• Brunca / Boruca / Turucaca - extinct language of Costa Rica, spoken on the Grande River and in the Boruca region.
• Coto / Cocto - extinct language once spoken between the sources of the Coto River and Grande River, Costa Rica.

• Chumulu - extinct language once spoken in El Potrero, Veraguas, Panama.
• Gualaca - extinct language once spoken on the Chiriqui River, Panama.
• Changuena - once spoken in Panama, on the Changuena River.

• Muoi - extinct language once spoken in the Miranda Valley of Panama.
• Move / Valiente - now spoken on the Guaymi River and in the Veragua Peninsula.
• Norteño - dialect without an aboriginal name, spoken on the northern coast of Panama, now perhaps extinct.
• Penonomeño - once spoken in the village of Penonemé.
• Murire / Bucueta / Boncota / Bogota - spoken in the Serranía de Tabasara by a few families.
• Sabanero / Savaneric / Valiente - extinct dialect without aboriginal name, once spoken on the plains south of the Serranía de Tabasara.
• Pariza - extinct dialect spoken in the Conquest days on the Veragua Peninsula.

• Coiba - extinct language once spoken on the Chagres River, Panama.
• Cuna / Bayano / Tule / Mandingo / San Blas / Karibe-Kuna / Yule - language spoken in eastern Panama, especially on the Bayano River, in San Blas and the small islands on the northern coast.
• Cueva / Darien - extinct language Once spoken at the mouth of the Atrato River, Colombia.
• Chochama - extinct language once spoken on the Suegro River, Panama.

• Guazuzú - once spoken in the Sierra de San Jerónimo, department of Antioquia, Colombia.
• Oromina / Zeremoe - extinct language once spoken south of the Gulf of Urabá, Antioquia, Colombia.
• Catio - once spoken in the region of Dabaiba, Colombia.
• Hevejico - once spoken in the Tonusco and Ebéjico Valleys.
• Abibe - once spoken in the Sierra de Abibe.
• Buritaca - once spoken at the sources of the Sucio River.
• Caramanta - once spoken around the city of Caramanta.
• Cartama - once spoken around the modern city of Cartama.
• Pequi - once spoken in the Pequi region.
• Arma - once spoken on the Pueblanco River.
• Poze - once spoken on the Pozo River and Pacova River.
• Nutabé - once spoken in the San Andrés Valley.
• Tahami - once spoken on the Magdalena River and Tora River.
• Yamesi - once spoken at the mouth of the Nechi River and on the Porce River.
• Avurrá - once spoken in the Aburrá Valley.
• Guamoco - once spoken around the modern city of Zaragoza, Antioquia.
• Anserma / Humbra / Umbra - once spoken on the Cauca River around the city of Anserma, Caldas.
• Amachi - once spoken in the San Bartolomé Valley.

• Chibcha / Muisca / Mosca - extinct language once spoken on the upper plateau of Bogotá and Tunja, department of Cundinamarca, Colombia.
• *Duit dialect - once spoken on the Tunja River and Tundama River.
• Tunebo / Tame - language now spoken by many tribes living in the area east of the Chibcha tribe. Dialects:
• *Tegría - spoken on the Tegría River, department of Boyaca.
• *Pedraza - spoken on the Pedraza River.
• *Boncota - spoken on the Boncota River.
• *Manare - spoken on the Manare River.
• *Sinsiga / Chita - spoken in the village of Chita, Boyacá and on the Chisca River.
• *Uncasica - spoken in the Sierra Librada.
• *Morcote - spoken on the Tocaría River and in the village of Morcote.
• Chitarero - extinct language once spoken around the modern city of Pamplona, department of Santander.
• Lache - extinct language once spoken on the Chicamocha River and in the Sierra de Chita, department of Boyacá.

• Dobocubí / Motilon - spoken on the Tarra River and around the old mission of Atacarayo, department of Norte de Santander, Colombia.
• Bartra / Cunaguasáya - spoken by a tribe on the Oro River, Rincón River, and Lora River in the Norte de Santander region.
• Mape - spoken by a little known tribe on the Catatumbo River and Agua Blanca River in the Norte de Santander region and in the state of Zulia, Venezuela.

• Tairona / Teyuna - extinct language once spoken on the Frio River and on the Caribbean coast, department of Magdalena, Colombia, now a secret language of the priests in the Cagaba tribe.
• Zyuimakane - extinct language once spoken on the Volador River in the same region.
• Bungá - extinct language once spoken on the Santa Clara River.
• Ulabangui - once spoken on the Negro River, in the Santa Clara River region.
• Cashingui - once spoken on the Palomino River.
• Masinga - once spoken on the Bonda River, in the Palomino River region.
• Bonda / Matuna - once spoken on the Bonda River and Santa María River.
• Cágaba / Köggaba / Kaugia / Koghi - language spoken in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta in the villages of San Andrés, San Miguel, San José, Santa Rosa, and Pueblo Viejo.
• Guamaca / Nábela / Sanha / Arsario - spoken in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta region in the villages of El Rosario, Potrerito, and Marocaso.
• Bintucua / Ijca / Ika / Iku / Machaca / Vintukva - spoken in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta region in the village of San Sebastián.
• Atanque / Campanaque / Busintana / Buntigwa / Kallwama - spoken in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, in the village of Atanquez.
• Upar / Eurpari / Giriguana - extinct language once spoken on the César River.
• Cariachil - once spoken between the Molino River and Fonseca River.
• Ocanopán / Itoto - once spoken around Cerro Pintado.

• Paya / Poyuai / Seco - language spoken on the Guayape River and between the Patuca River and Sico River, Honduras.

  Proto-language

Constenla (1981)

• *dihke ‘to sow’
• *te¹ ‘cultivated clearing’
• *ike ‘manioc’
• *tuʔ ‘tuber, yam’
• *apì ‘pumpkin, squash’
• *e, *ebe ‘maize’
• *du, *dua¹ ‘tobacco’
• *tã¹ ‘rattles from gourd’
• *toka ‘gourd cup’

  Pache (2018)