Ko’alh and Kumiay: a lexical comparison of two Yuman languages
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.24201/clecm.v12.340Keywords:
Yuman family, lexicostatistics, comparative study, core vocabulary, language and dialectAbstract
This paper offers a first attempt at a comparative study of two languages of the Yuman family spoken in the north of the state of Baja California, Mexico: Ko’alh and Kumiay. Both languages lack a comprehensive linguistic description and are currently at high risk of extinction. The lexical-tatistical method allows establishing that Ko’alh and Kumiay share a high percentage of their core vocabulary (87.5%), which indicates a notable phylogenetic closeness, although does not provide a clear answer to the question of their status as two languages or two dialects of the same language. In a complementary way, this paper presents additional considerations, based on selected grammatical features and sociolinguistic aspects, which point in favor of considering Ko’alh and Kumiay as two independent languages.
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