Gulf languages
The Gulf languages are a proposed family of native North American languages composed of the Muskogean languages, along with four language isolates: Natchez, Tunica, Atakapa, and (possibly) Chitimacha.
| Gulf | |
|---|---|
| (hypothetical) | |
| Geographic distribution | Gulf Coast, USA |
| Linguistic classification | Proposed language family |
| Subdivisions | |
| Glottolog | None |
History of proposal
Gulf was proposed as a language family by Mary Haas (Haas 1951,[1] 1952[2]), but the family has not been rigorously established by the comparative method. Historical linguists such as Lyle Campbell (Campbell and Mithun 1979,[3] Campbell 1997[4]) list the relationship as unproven, though a number of Muskogean scholars believe that Muskogean is at least related to Natchez (Campbell 1997:305).
However, the Gulf hypothesis is considered by a number of specialists on Muskogean languages, including Mary Haas and Pamela Munro. Munro (1995) has regarded the hypothesis of a Gulf family of languages as promising; Haas thought the closest language to Muskogean would be Natchez, followed by Tunica, Atakapa, and, rather dubiously, Chitimacha.[5] A difficulty in evaluating the hypothesis is the lack of available data. Most of the data on Chitimacha and Natchez is still unpublished and held in archives.
Additionally, Haas (1958) proposed that the Gulf languages are related to the Algonquian languages.[6]
Lexical comparisons
Lexical comparisons by Kimball (1994) showing areal similarities among the "Gulf" languages:[7]: 35–38
gloss Proto-Muskogean Tunica sibling of opposite sex *xaya -áhaya 'sister-in-law' to want *kʷanna -wána big gray heron *watola wátoru-hki 'whooping crane' fruit; to bear fruit *aθi ʔélu willow osí (Koasati) ʔx̌ša
gloss Tunica Natchez to stick in čáhka cak- to drip čólu col- corn háhka haku to gulp kɔ́ra kolkol- to put in the mouth káhpu hi-kap- chicken kápaši kapaꞏht(i) wild goose lálahki láꞏlak to fart píhču pic- to shine réma leM- to snore róhku loꞏk- sassafras rɔ́wasi waꞏ to blow the nose šímu šiꞏM- to blow (of wind) wíhu *wiꞏW- wild potato ʔɔ́ška- ʔac to cough ʔúhu ʔohoꞏ- like, resembling -nahku -neke intestines -yóni ʔuꞏnuh
gloss Tunica Chitimacha man / men ší ʔasi / ʔayš ear -ála-wɛ́ča waʔaš kingfisher čárina čana cypress háhku ʔak-šuš to die lúpi nuꞏp- war náka nakš
gloss Tunica Atakapa black méli meːl to call wáli wan
gloss Natchez Proto-Muskogean to buy ciꞏp-hakiʔiš *čoʔpa pine tree col *čolyi squash coꞏY *tahayo fox / bark or yelp like a fox kaWkup *kaxʷ-ka six lahanaW *xana-li perch / fish šaꞏš(i) *θaθi-xo wife ʔaꞏL *xalki tooth ʔeNt *innoti ten ʔoꞏko *poko-li nothing but -aꞏnah (Koasati) -nánna ergative / nominative -c -*t absolutive / accusative -n -*n
gloss Natchez Chitimacha water / liquid kuN kuꞏ hundred puꞏp puꞏp cow waštaꞏN waštik spider web weykoL way’ to hear ʔeꞏp-le-halʔiš wopi- vulture ʔoꞏši ʔoꞏš twenty / two ʔoꞏk-ahp ʔupa
gloss Natchez Atakapa name ʔinu eːŋ persimmon ʔoꞏ oːl
gloss Chitimacha Atakapa ten heyč’i hišiŋ liver kesi keːc(k) woman kiča kiš gourd kupu kipaco earth ney neː Spanish moss siꞏc šiːt mulberry sisč’up ses beaver ʔaꞏci oc
gloss Atakapa Proto-Muskogean shell iwal xʷolo
gloss Tunica Proto-Muskogean Natchez red-headed woodpecker čuhčuhina *čaxčahka cawcah pileated woodpecker páhpahkana *kʷahkʷa-ka pakpakuꞏ-šiꞏL robin (Quapaw šį́kkokkóke) wiškʔohku *č/kʷiskoko miškokʷ breast ʔúču *piči 'suckle; breasts' šuꞏ
gloss Tunica Chitimacha Natchez Atakapa Proto-Muskogean hackberry kó- kamu koŋ negative -ʔaha -haꞏt -hah wind húri howi hi uncle waʔa / waꞏ ʔaweh wahš hand ʔiꞏš waši woːš / wiːš to give ʔaꞏ- ha-ku-ši-ʔiš *im-aka skunk šíki kištʔeʔe šic šikitiš
Comparisons with Algonquian
Some lexical similarities between the Algonquian and Gulf languages given by Haas (1958):[6]
gloss Proto-
Central AlgonquianProto-Muskogean Natchez Tunica Chitimacha Atakapa beat *pak- — paꞏk- pɛ́ka — pak cold *tahk- — takap- láka č’aki — cut *kiꞏšk- *kač- kec- káhču — kec die *nepe- *ili- — lúpi nuꞏp- (pih) fish *nameꞏ- *ɴaɴi/u ʔeɴ níni (ni-) nti hand *-neθk-i *-mkʷi — -hkeni nok name *-iꞏn- — ʔinu — nuy-t- eŋ neck *-hkweꞏ- — kʷaht — k’eʔ koy night *tepeθk- — tewe láwu t’apk’i iti one *kwet-; *nekwet- — wiꞏt- ʔunk’u (ta)nuk scrape *kaꞏšk- *kaꞏs- koꞏc- kɔ́sa k’atka- kau-š see *neꞏw- — ʔeʟ- hɛ́ra heč-t- ini sharp(en) *kiꞏn-t- *xʷulut- pilit- kíri kihci kini shoot *pemw-, *-el- — -epenel- — paꞏhma- pem split *paꞏθk- *paƚ- paꞏʟ- pása [č]ap-t- paƚ swallow *kwan- *kʷalak- -akun- kɔ́ra kaꞏč-t- kul tail *-aθany- *haci ʔisi -ása mahči — three *neʔθ- — neꞏ- ʔéni- — lat through *šaꞏpw- *ƚuput- — šíhpu — ƚop tree *meʔtekw- *itti/u cuꞏ ríhku šuš — turn *kwetekw- — kitip- kúra kut’ih-t- —
Pronoun comparisons
Below are pronouns comparisons by Geoffrey Kimball (1994) showing areal similarities among the "Gulf" languages.[7]: 39
Independent pronouns gloss Proto-Muskogean Tunica Natchez Chitimacha Atakapa I *ano ʔíma takeꞏha ʔiš wiš you *ično má (M); hɛ́ma (F) ʔakahni himʔ naš s/he — ʔúwi (M); tíhci (F) ʔišina hus haːš we *posno ʔinima takahniꞏ ʔus yukitiš you (pl) *hačno wínima (M); hínima (F) ʔaNkahniꞏ was nakit they — sɛ́ma (M); sínima (F) ʔišinaꞏniꞏ hunks hakitiš
Possessive pronouns gloss Proto-Muskogean Tunica Natchez Chitimacha Atakapa my *ca- / *am- ʔi- -niš ʔiš wi your *či- / *čim- wi- (M); hi-, he- (F) -piš himʔ na her / his *i- / *im- ʔu- (M); ti- (F) -ʔiš hus ha our *po- / pom- ʔi-n — ʔus yukit your (pl) *hači- / *hačim- wi-n- (M); hi-n- (F) — was nakit their — si- (M); si-n- (F) — hunks hakit
Agentive pronouns gloss Proto-Muskogean Tunica Natchez Chitimacha Atakapa I *-li -ni ta- / ya- / ʔa- (ka-) -ki -o you *ič- / *či- wí- (M); hɛ́- (F) pan- / pi- / paꞏ- -iʔi naš s/he *Ø- ʔú- (M); ʔá- (F) na- / ʔi- / ʔaꞏ- -iʔi haš we *il- / -*li ʔína- -naka -cel you (pl) *hač- / *-hači wína- (M); hɛ́na- (F) — -naʔa -tem they *Ø ʔúna- (M); sina- (F) — -naʔa -oɬ
Patient pronouns gloss Proto-Muskogean Tunica Natchez Chitimacha Atakapa I *ca- ʔihk- -t- -ki- hi you *či- wihk- (M); hihk- (F) -p- -Ø- n s/he *Ø- ʔuhk- (M); tihk- (F) -Ø- -Ø- ha we *po- ʔink- — -kuy- iš you (pl) *hači- wink- (M); hink- (F) — -Ø- nak- they — sihk- (M); sink- (F) — -Ø- šak- reflexive *ili- — -hši- hat- reciprocal *ixti- ʔak- -tahn- — hok-
Stative verb subject pronouns gloss Proto-Muskogean Tunica Natchez Chitimacha Atakapa I *ca- ʔi- -t- -ki- hi you *či- wi- (M); hi- (F) -p- -Ø- n s/he *Ø- ʔu- (M); ti- (F) -Ø- -Ø- Ø- we *po- ʔi-n — -kuy- ic- you (pl) *hači- wi-n- (M); hi-n- (F) — -Ø- — they — si- (M); si-n- (F) — -Ø- Ø-
References
- Haas, Mary. (1951). The Proto-Gulf word for water (with notes on Siouan-Yuchi). International Journal of American Linguistics 17: 71-9.
- Haas, Mary. (1952). The Proto-Gulf word for 'land' (with notes on Proto-Siouan). International Journal of American Linguistics 18: 238-240.
- Campbell, Lyle and Marianne Mithun. 1979. The Languages of Native America: A Historical and Comparative Assessment. Austin, TX: University of Texas Press.
- Campbell, Lyle. 1997. American Indian Languages: The Historical Linguistics of Native America. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
- Munro, Pamela. 1995. Gulf and Yuki-Gulf. Anthropological Linguistics 36: 125-222.
- Haas, Mary R. (1958). A New Linguistic Relationship in North America: Algonkian and the Gulf Languages. Southwestern Journal of Anthropology, 14(3), 231-264.
- Kimball, Geoffrey. 1994. Comparative difficulties of the "Gulf" languages. In Langdon, Margaret (ed.), Proceedings of the Meeting of the Society for the Study of the Indigenous languages of the Americas July 2–4, 1993 and the Hokan-Penutian Workshop July 3, 1993 (both held at the 1993 Linguistic Institute at Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio). Survey of California and Other Indian Languages, Report 8. Berkeley: University of California.