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Mosan languages

North American Language Families

Mosan is a hypothetical language family bringing together the Salishan, Wakashan and Chimakuan languages of the Pacific Northwest region of North America. It is generally attributed to Edward Sapir, who described it in the 1929 Encyclopaedia Britannica, though it had been proposed at least as early as 1920 by Leo Frachtenberg. Little evidence has been found to support the grouping and no progress has been made in reconstructing it, so it is now generally thought to reflect a language area rather than a genetic relationship, though the term persists outside academic literature because of Sapir's stature.

Facts
Region
British Columbia and Washington (Pacific Northwest, North America) 1
Proto-Language Status
Hypothetical, not reconstructed 1
In the Other Atlases
Sources
1. Mosan languages, Wikipedia
  • Infobox, geographic distribution field
    British Columbia, Washington
  • Introduction
    Little evidence has been adduced in favor of such a grouping, no progress has been made in reconstructing it, and it is now thought to reflect a language area rather than a genetic relationship.
View the Source
Wikidata: Mosan languages
Wikidata Q59899, class allow-list match (w-wdresolver-0926)
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