Hokan languages

Infobox Language family
name=Hokan
altname=controversial
region=North America
child1="Karúk"
child2=Shastan
child3="Ch’imáriko"
child4="Yana"
child5=Palaihnihan
child6="Washo"
child7="Esselen"
child8="Salinan"
child9=Pomoan
child10=Yuman-CochimíThe Hokan language family is a hypothetical grouping of a dozen small language families spoken in California and Mexico. In nearly a century since the "Hokan" hypothesis first proposed these families were related to each other, little additional evidence has been found. Although some Hokan families may indeed be related, especially in northern California, few linguists today expect Hokan as a whole to prove to be valid, and the term is often used as a convenient label to simplify one of the most linguistically diverse areas of the world.

The name "Hokan" is loosely based on the word for "two" in the various Hokan languages: "*xwak" in Proto-Yuman, "c-oocj" (pronounced|koːkx) in Seri, "hak" in Achumawi, etc.

Hokan languages are spoken by the Pomo on the California coast, as well as by other Native American nations around Mount Shasta, Lake Tahoe, and the Yuman peoples along the lower Colorado River. Some linguists also include Chumash or other families, but the evidence is insubstantial, and most now restrict Hokan to some or all of the languages listed below.

The Yurumanguí language of Colombia was claimed to be Hokan by Rivet (1942). This claim has not been accepted by historical linguists.

Family outline

Hokan languages (28):

* Esselen-Yuman languages (10)
** Esselen language
** Yuman-Cochimí languages
* Northern Hokan languages (13)
** Chimariko language
** Karok-Shasta languages (4)
*** Karuk language
*** Shasta-Palaihnihan languages (3)
**** Palaihnihan languages (2)
**** Shasta language
** Pomoan languages (7)
** Yana language
* Salinan language
* Washo language

A relationship between Salinan and Seri was proposed by Edward Sapir at a time when the information about Seri was very scanty and when hypotheses about genetic relationships were being proposed on the basis of such. Bright (1956) provided a small amount of data which might have been developed as supporting evidence, but never was. The relationship is now considered doubtful and is certainly not at the level of a close-knit linguistic family. Langdon (1974) only reported the proposal in her historical review, and suggested instead (in a short paragraph) that perhaps a relationship between Seri and some other languages (Chumash, and Chontal of Oaxaca) might be possible. Both Seri and Salinan are currently considered language isolates since evidence relating them to the putative Hokan family has not been systematically or convincingly presented.

The inclusion of the Tequistlatecan languages has also not received much support. The Chumash languages were also once included, but that position has been almost universally abandoned.

ee also

* Penutian languages

Bibliography

*cite journal |last=Bright |first=William |authorlink=William Bright |year=1956 |title=Glottochronologic counts of Hokaltecan materials |journal=Language |volume=32 |pages=42–48 |doi=10.2307/410651
*cite book |last=Campbell |first=Lyle |authorlink=Lyle Campbell |year=1997 |title=American Indian languages: the historical linguistics of Native America |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=Oxford
*cite book | last=Langdon |first=Margaret |year=1974 |title=Comparative Hokan-Coahuiltecan studies |publisher=Mouton |location=The Hague
*cite journal |last=Rivet |first=Paul |authorlink=Paul Rivet |year=1942 |title=Un dialecte Hoka Colombien: le Yurumangí |journal=Journal de la Société des Américanistes de Paris|volume=34 |pages=1–59

External links

*es icon (PDF) [http://www.und.nodak.edu/instruct/smarlett/Documents/Marlett-Hokan.pdf Las relaciones entre las lenguas “hokanas” en México: ¿cuál es la evidencia?]
*en icon [http://www.native-languages.org/famhok_words.htm Vocabulary Words in the Hokan Language Family]