Macro-Puinavean
Encyclopedia
Macro-Puinavean is a hypothetical proposal linking some very poorly attested languages to the Nadahup family. The Puinave language
is sometimes linked specifically with the Nadahup languages ( Maku
), as Puinave–Maku, and the Borowa language (also named Maku) is sometimes connected to the Arutani–Sape languages (yet again also known as Maku) in a Kalianan branch, a connection which Kaufman (1990) finds "promising", but there is too little data on these languages to know for sure. Hodï
has been proposed specifically as a sister of Puinave–Nadahup.
Epps (2008) criticizes the Puinave–Nadahup proposal for relying on inaccurate data, having no clear concept of basic vocabulary, and using an unsystematic mix of Nadahup languages in the comparison. The languages were originally linked simply because they are all called Maku "babble" by Arawakans; that is, because they are spoken by hunter-gatherer
s, and since then some linguists have attempted to verify the connection by finding cognates. However, no convincing cognates have yet been found. For example, Rivet and Tastevin claim that the Hup pronoun am "I" corresponds to Puinave am "I", but the Hup pronoun ’am actually means "you"; the Hup pronoun for "I" is ’ãh. Other "strikingly similar" pairs, such as Puinave ueyu "day" and Hup uerhó (actually wæd.hɔ́) "sun", are not particularly convincing, and no regular sound correspondences have been detected.
Puinave language
Puinave, Waipunavi or Wanse , is a poorly attested and generally unclassified language of South America.-Consonants:-Vowels:...
is sometimes linked specifically with the Nadahup languages ( Maku
Maku language
The Borówa language, commonly known as Macu, Makú, Macó, or, to distinguish it from other languages given this name, Máku, is an unclassified language spoken on the Brazil–Venezuela border in Roraima along the Uraricoera River. The Borowa territory was formerly between the Padamo and Cunucunuma...
), as Puinave–Maku, and the Borowa language (also named Maku) is sometimes connected to the Arutani–Sape languages (yet again also known as Maku) in a Kalianan branch, a connection which Kaufman (1990) finds "promising", but there is too little data on these languages to know for sure. Hodï
Hodï language
The Hodï language, also known as Yuwana , Waruwaru, or Chikano , is a small unclassified language of Venezuela...
has been proposed specifically as a sister of Puinave–Nadahup.
Epps (2008) criticizes the Puinave–Nadahup proposal for relying on inaccurate data, having no clear concept of basic vocabulary, and using an unsystematic mix of Nadahup languages in the comparison. The languages were originally linked simply because they are all called Maku "babble" by Arawakans; that is, because they are spoken by hunter-gatherer
Hunter-gatherer
A hunter-gatherer or forage society is one in which most or all food is obtained from wild plants and animals, in contrast to agricultural societies which rely mainly on domesticated species. Hunting and gathering was the ancestral subsistence mode of Homo, and all modern humans were...
s, and since then some linguists have attempted to verify the connection by finding cognates. However, no convincing cognates have yet been found. For example, Rivet and Tastevin claim that the Hup pronoun am "I" corresponds to Puinave am "I", but the Hup pronoun ’am actually means "you"; the Hup pronoun for "I" is ’ãh. Other "strikingly similar" pairs, such as Puinave ueyu "day" and Hup uerhó (actually wæd.hɔ́) "sun", are not particularly convincing, and no regular sound correspondences have been detected.