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Language Family

Mataguayan

South American Language Families

Mataguayan, also called Matacoan, is a language family of the Gran Chaco region spanning northern Argentina, western Paraguay and southeastern Bolivia. It comprises four language clusters, Wichi, Chorote, Nivacle and Maka, with Wichi and Chorote forming a well-supported clade within the family while the relationship of Maka and Nivacle to the rest remains disputed. Some linguists have proposed a wider Mataco-Guaicuru grouping linking Mataguayan to the neighboring Guaicuruan family, though this broader relationship is not settled.

Facts
Region
Northern Argentina, western Paraguay, and southeastern Bolivia (Gran Chaco) 1
Proto-Language Status
Reconstructed: Proto-Mataguayo reconstructed by Viegas Barros (2002) and Nikulin and Carol (2024) 1
Sources
1. Wikipedia: Mataguayan Languages
Wikimedia Foundation
  • Introduction, first sentence
    Mataguayan (also Matacoan, Matákoan, Mataguayo, Mataco-Mataguayo, Matacoano, Matacoana) is a language family of northern Argentina, western Paraguay, and southeastern Bolivia.
  • Proto-language section, first sentence
    Major reconstructions of Proto-Mataguayo include those by Viegas Barros (2002) (see the corresponding Spanish article for a list of reconstructions) and Nikulin & Carol (2024).
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