THE 8 MOST IMPORTANT LANGUAGE FAMILIES IN COLOMBIA - CULTURE VOCABULARY - 2024

Aboriginal groups whose language comes from a common base are known by the name of linguistic families. Not necessarily the subgroups have to speak the same language or the same dialect, but they share certain distinctive features that allow them to be classified in the same nucleus.

Among the linguistic families of Colombia, the Chibcha family, the Arawaks, the Caribs, the Quechua and the Tupi stand out. These five families are the most important. In the territory of the country, there are other minor families, which are regional in nature. Among these, the chocó family, the guahibo, the barbecue, the macu, the tucano and the bora stand out.

Finally, there are a series of languages ​​that cannot be associated with a single linguistic family and, therefore, are called independent languages. These are the andoque, the awa-cuaiquer, the cofán, the páez, the ticuna, the yaturo, the kamentsá, the yagua and the cuambiano.

Older language families in Colombia

The most important linguistic families in Colombia are Chibcha, Arawak, Caribbean, Quechua and Tupi.

Chibcha language family

The Chibcha linguistic family is found in the Isthmus of Colombia. This language group is also found in other regions of Latin America, including Venezuela, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Panama.

Chibcha aboriginal groups in Colombia

The Colombian aboriginal groups belonging to the Chibcha linguistic family are:

1. The Arhuacos and the Taironas, who lived in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta.
2. The Muiscas, who occupied the Central Andean Region of Colombia.
3. The tunnebos, who lived in the Casanare area.
4. The pastures and the quillancingas, which developed in the south of the country.
5. The Guambianos, who occupied the Valley of the Cauca River.

In addition to language, the groups of the Chibcha family had other aspects in common, such as the organization of society and laws.

Chibcha society

Chibcha society was organized into confederations, which were groups of tribes. In turn, the tribes were divided into clans.

In Chibcha families, the succession of power was made through the maternal line, however, it was a man who fulfilled the functions of sovereign. In this sense, there was a kind of matriarchy among the Chibchas.

Laws

The laws of Chibcha society protected private property and defended the rights of heirs. The goods of the deceased passed to their children and their wives (if they had them). The only objects that were not inherited were the most intimate items of the deceased (weapons, jewelry, among others).

Arawako language family

Arawako extension

The Arawak language family is also known as Maipurean. It is a language that arose in ancient times among the aborigines located in South America and that spread to Central America.

Tribes belonging to the Arawako family can be found in the Caribbean islands, in Central America and in South America (except in Ecuador, Uruguay and Chile).

Arawako aboriginal groups in Colombia

Among the Colombian aboriginal groups that are part of this linguistic family, the following stand out:

1. The Guajiros, also known as Wayu, who developed in the Guajira Peninsula.
2. The Piapocos, who were located in Bajo Guaviare.
3. The Ticunas, who lived in the Amazon.

Caribbean language family

Caribbean (red color)

The Caribbean family is one of the pre-Columbian aboriginal groups that have survived to this day. These are found in the northern part of South America, from the banks of the Amazon River to the Colombian Andes.

There are about three dozen dialects belonging to the Carib language family. However, today there are very few speakers of these languages.

Carib dialects are recognized by the order of the elements in the sentence, which unlike most languages ​​is object + verb + subject.

Caribbean aboriginal groups in Colombia

Among the aboriginal groups belonging to the Caribbean family, are:

1. The turbacos and sinúes, which are located on the Atlantic Coast of the country.
2. The quimbayas, which developed in the Central Mountain Range.
3. The pijaos, found in Tolimas.
4. The calimas, which are located in the Cauca River Valley.
5. The Chocoes, located on the Pacific Coast of Colombia.
6. Los motilones, located in the Norte de Santander department.

History of the formation of the Caribbean language group in Colombia

Before the arrival of the Spanish, the Caribs occupied the shores of the Caribbean Sea, displacing the Arawaks who were in the area. The Arawako language was assimilated by the Caribs resulting in a hybrid dialect.

To this hybridization, certain words belonging to the African languages ​​were added. In this way, a "black" variant of the Caribbean was formed, called "Garífuna", which is what is spoken today.

Quechua language family

I (Waywash) or B, II-A (Chinchay), II-B (Norteño), II-C (Sureño)

The Quechua linguistic family is another of the groups that have survived to this day. Mainly, they are distributed in the mountainous areas of South America, especially in the Andes Mountains.

Currently, there are three variants of Quechua: yunkay, runashimi, and southern. Of these three, only runashimi is spoken in Colombia. This dialect is also known as Northern Quechua or Inga Kichwa.

Tupi language family

Tupi (purple), Tupi-Guarini (pink).

The Tupi language family comprises some 70 aboriginal dialects that are spoken throughout South America. Among these languages, Mawé, Tuparí, Yuruna and Modé stand out, however, the best known of all is Guaraní, which is famous because it has a large community of speakers.

Minor language families

Language family collided

The Chocó linguistic family is one of the seven minor families found in Colombian territory. The speakers of these languages ​​are distributed in the following departments: Chocó, Nariño, Cauca, Risaralda, Valle del Cauca, Nariño and Córdoba.

Guahibo language family

This family is found in the Colombian departments of Arauca, Vichada, Canare and Meta, they are also found in certain areas of Venezuela.

BBQ language family

Speakers of the Barbacoas languages ​​are found in the departments of Cauca and Nariño.

Articles of interest

The most widely spoken Colombian dialects.

References

1. Arawakan languages. Retrieved on January 1, 2018, from wikipedia.org
2. Cariban languages. Retrieved on January 1, 2018, from wikipedia.org
3. Chibchan languages. Retrieved on January 1, 2018, from wikipedia.org
4. Colombian Language and Languages ​​Genealogy. Retrieved on January 1, 2018, from familysearch.org
5. Quechuan languages. Retrieved on January 1, 2018, from wikipedia.org
6. The Languages ​​spoken in Colombia. Retrieved on January 1, 2018, from studycountry.com
7. Tupian languages. Retrieved on January 1, 2018, from wikipedia.org