Culle language
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| Culle | |
|---|---|
| Culli, Kulyi | |
| Native to | Peru |
| Region | La Libertad, Cajamarca (Cajabamba), Ancash (Pallasca) |
| Extinct | mid-20th century possible speakers in remote villages |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | None (mis) |
| Glottolog | cull1235 |
 | |
 Culle is classified as Extinct by the UNESCO Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger. | |
Culle, also spelled Culli, CullĂ, or Kulyi,[1] is a poorly attested extinct language of the Andean highlands of northern Peru. It is the original language of the highlands of La Libertad Region, the south of the Cajamarca Region (Cajabamba), and the north of the Ancash region (Pallasca and Bolognesi[2]). It is known through two word lists collected while the language was still spoken and through vocabulary loaned into the Spanish spoken in the region.[3]
Flores Reyna (1996) reports that Culli was spoken by at least one family in the town of Tauca, Pallasca Province, Ancash region, until the middle of the 20th century. While it appears that Culli has been displaced in its whole range by Spanish, the possibility of speakers remaining in some remote village cannot be ruled out altogether.[4]
Culli was the language spoken in the territory of at least three pre-Inca cultures or dominions: the kingdom of Konchuko (Conchucos), in the north of the Ancash region; the kingdom of Wamachuko (Huamachuco), in the highlands of La Libertad region; and Culli was spoken at least in the southern part of the kingdom of Kuismanko (Cuismanco), in the south of the Cajamarca region.
Classification
[edit]Because it is poorly attested, it has not been possible to definitively classify Culle. It is typically considered a language isolate.[5][6]
Jolkesky (2016) also notes that there are lexical similarities with Leco.[7]
Vocabulary
[edit]What little is known of the Culle language consists solely of vocabulary.
Loukotka (1968)
[edit]A sample list of words is given by Loutkotka (1968); some of these are presented here:[8]
| Culli | Gloss |
|---|---|
| chu | head |
| mai | foot |
| goñ | water |
| mĂș | fire |
| sĂș | sun |
| mĂșñ | moon |
| usĂș | man |
| pich | bird |
| chaÄŸua | fish |
Loukotka (1949)
[edit]A more extensive word list from Loukotka (1949) is given below:[9]
- Notes
- (Sp.) = Spanish loanword (excluded)
- Sources used by Loukotka (1949)
- Manuscript by MartĂnez Compañón from the 1700s
- Words collected by Paul Rivet in 1934 from Teodoro Meléndez Gonzales of Pallasca, Department of Ancash, Peru
French gloss
(original)English gloss
(translated)Kulli (MartĂnez Compañón) Kulli (Gonzales) comparisons animal animal (Sp.) arbre tree urĂș boire drink kumĂș Kolan: kum chandelle candle nina Kechua: nina bois wood guro bois Ă brĂ»ler firewood piĆĄoÄe chapeau hat muntua chien dog korep ciel sky (Sp.) cĆur heart ÄukuĂĄll corps body (Sp.) cou neck uro couverture blanket maiko douleur pain pillaÄ eau water koñ goñ Ă©toiles stars Äuip Sechura: chĂșpchĂșp femme woman ahhi feu fire mĂș fille daughter ahhi ogĂłll cf. ahhi 'woman' fils son usu ogĂłll cf. usĂș 'man' fleur flower ÄuÄĂș Hibito: chukchum fleuve river uram frĂšre brother kimit fruit fruit huakohu gai happy kuhi herbe grass paihak ChimĂș [Mochica]: pey homme man usĂș Katakao: aszat lune moon mĂșñ main hand pui manger eat miĂș mangeur de pain bread eater huiku-vana mer sea kida mĂšre mother mamĂĄ Kechua: mama mort dead konĂ ohĂ©! hey! Äo oiseau bird piÄuñ piÄon Kechua: pisku ondes waves kóñpulkasĂș cf. koñ 'water' os bone moskĂĄr pain bread vana pĂšre father kinĂș pied foot mai pleurer cry akasĂș Hibito: atzakem pluie rain kau poisson fish Äallua Kechua: challua poule chicken guallpe Kechua: atahuallpa rameau branch urĂș sagars rĂ©gner reign kankiĂĄ sandales sandals maivil cf. mai 'foot' sĆur sister kañi soleil sun sĂș terre earth pĂșs tĂȘte head Äu tronc trunk mukh-kusgĂĄ vent wind llukĂĄ ventre belly odre viande meat ayÄa
References
[edit]
- ^ Moseley, Christopher; Asher, Ronald E. (1994). Atlas of the world's languages. London: Routledge. ISBN 978-0-415-01925-5.
- ^ Loukotka, ÄestmĂr (1968). Classification of South American Indian languages. Los Angeles: UCLA Latin American Center.
- ^ Adelaar, William F.H.; Pieter C. Muysken (2004). The Languages of the Andes. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. pp. 401â405. ISBN 0-521-36275-X.
- ^ Adelaar, Willem F. H. (1988-01-01), Jansen; van der Loo; Manning (eds.), "Search for the Culli Language", Continuity and Identity in Native America, BRILL, pp. 111â131, doi:10.1163/9789004660656_009, ISBN 978-90-04-66065-6, retrieved 2025-10-26
- ^ Campbell, Lyle (2024). The indigenous languages of the Americas: history and classification. Oxford scholarship online. New York, NY: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-767346-1.
- ^ "Glottolog 5.2 - Culli". glottolog.org. Retrieved 2025-10-26.
- ^ Jolkesky, Marcelo Pinho de Valhery (2016). Estudo arqueo-ecolinguĂstico das terras tropicais sul-americanas (Ph.D. dissertation) (2 ed.). BrasĂlia: University of BrasĂlia.
- ^ Loukotka 1968, p. 63â65.
- ^ Loukotka, ÄestmĂr. 1949. Sur Quelques Langues Inconnues de l'Amerique du Sud. Lingua Posnaniensis I: 53-82.