Malibu languages

Malibu
Geographic distribution:	Department of Magdalena, Colombia
Linguistic classification:	unclassified
Subdivisions:	Malibú Mocana
Pre-contact distribution of the Malibu languages

The Malibu languages are a poorly attested group of extinct languages once spoken along the Magdalena River in Colombia. Material exists only for two of the numerous languages mentioned in the literature: Malibú and Mocana.

Classification

The Malibu languages have previously been grouped into a single family with the Chimila language.^[1] However, Chimila is now now known to be a Chibchan language,^[2] and Adelaar & Muysken regard the grouping of Chimila with the Malibu languages as "without any factual basis".^[3]

Family Division

Rivet initially listed three Malibu tribes, each with its own language^[4]:

• Malibú, spoken near the Magdalena River from Tamalameque to Tenerife
• Mocana, spoken in the region east of Cartagena
• Pacabuey, also known as Sompallón or Laguna Malibu, spoken near the Zapatoza lagoon

To this list, Loukotka adds six more languages (excluding Chimila)^[1]:

• Papale, spoken on the Fundación River
• Coanoa or Guanoa, spoken on the Cesar River
• Zamirua, spoken on the Ariguaní River
• Cospique, spoken somewhere in the Department of Magdalena
• Mompox, spoken near the city of Santa Cruz de Mompox
• Calamari, spoken along the coast south of Cartagena to Coveñas

Vocabulary

Rivet gives a brief list of words from Malibú and Mocana, but does not distinguish the two languages.^[4] A selection of these is provided below:

• tahana – manzanilla tree
• malibu – chief
• man – small boat
• ytaylaco/yteylaco/yntelas/ytaylas – devil, deity
• entaha/enbutac – cassava

References

1. ^ ^{a b} Loukotka, Čestmír (1968). Classification of South American Indian Languages. Los Angeles: UCLA Latin American Center. pp. 244–5. 
2. ^ Gordon, Raymond G., ed (2005). Ethnologue: Languages of the World (15th ed.). SIL International. http://www.ethnologue.com 
3. ^ Adelaar, Willem F. H.; Pieter C. Muysken (2004). The Languages of the Andes. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. pp. 52. ISBN 052136275X. 
4. ^ ^{a b} Rivet, Paul (1947). "Les indiens Malibú". Journal de la Société des Américanistes de Paris 36: 139–144. doi:10.3406/jsa.1947.2360.