Gulf
(hypothetical)
Geographic
distribution
Gulf Coast, USA
Linguistic classificationProposed language family
Subdivisions
GlottologNone

The Gulf languages are a proposed family of native North American languages composed of the Muskogean languages, along with four language isolates: Natchez, Tunica, Atakapa, and (possibly) Chitimacha.

History of proposal

Gulf was proposed as a language family by Mary Haas (Haas 1951,[1] 1952[2]), but the family has not been rigorously established by the comparative method. Historical linguists such as Lyle Campbell (Campbell and Mithun 1979,[3] Campbell 1997[4]) list the relationship as unproven, though a number of Muskogean scholars believe that Muskogean is at least related to Natchez (Campbell 1997:305).

However, the Gulf hypothesis is considered by a number of specialists on Muskogean languages, including Mary Haas and Pamela Munro. Munro (1995) has regarded the hypothesis of a Gulf family of languages as promising; Haas thought the closest language to Muskogean would be Natchez, followed by Tunica, Atakapa, and, rather dubiously, Chitimacha.[5] A difficulty in evaluating the hypothesis is the lack of available data. Most of the data on Chitimacha and Natchez is still unpublished and held in archives.

Additionally, Haas (1958) proposed that the Gulf languages are related to the Algonquian languages.[6]

Lexical comparisons

Lexical comparisons by Kimball (1994) showing areal similarities among the "Gulf" languages:[7]:35–38

glossProto-MuskogeanTunica
sibling of opposite sex *xaya-áhaya 'sister-in-law'
to want *kʷanna-wána
big gray heron *watolawátoru-hki 'whooping crane'
fruit; to bear fruit *aθiʔélu
willow osí (Koasati)ʔx̌ša
glossTunicaNatchez
to stick in čáhkacak-
to drip čólucol-
corn háhkahaku
to gulp kɔ́rakolkol-
to put in the mouth káhpuhi-kap-
chicken kápašikapaꞏht(i)
wild goose lálahkiláꞏlak
to fart píhčupic-
to shine rémaleM-
to snore róhkuloꞏk-
sassafras rɔ́wasiwaꞏ
to blow the nose šímušiꞏM-
to blow (of wind) wíhu*wiꞏW-
wild potato ʔɔ́ška-ʔac
to cough ʔúhuʔohoꞏ-
like, resembling -nahku-neke
intestines -yóniʔuꞏnuh
glossTunicaChitimacha
man / men šíʔasi / ʔayš
ear -ála-wɛ́čawaʔaš
kingfisher čárinačana
cypress háhkuʔak-šuš
to die lúpinuꞏp-
war nákanakš
glossTunicaAtakapa
black mélimeːl
to call wáliwan
glossNatchezProto-Muskogean
to buy ciꞏp-hakiʔiš*čoʔpa
pine tree col*čolyi
squash coꞏY*tahayo
fox / bark or yelp like a fox kaWkup*kaxʷ-ka
six lahanaW*xana-li
perch / fish šaꞏš(i)*θaθi-xo
wife ʔaꞏL*xalki
tooth ʔeNt*innoti
ten ʔoꞏko*poko-li
nothing but -aꞏnah(Koasati) -nánna
ergative / nominative -c-*t
absolutive / accusative -n-*n
glossNatchezChitimacha
water / liquid kuNkuꞏ
hundred puꞏppuꞏp
cow waštaꞏNwaštik
spider web weykoLway’
to hear ʔeꞏp-le-halʔišwopi-
vulture ʔoꞏšiʔoꞏš
twenty / two ʔoꞏk-ahpʔupa
glossNatchezAtakapa
name ʔinueːŋ
persimmon ʔoꞏoːl
glossChitimachaAtakapa
ten heyč’ihišiŋ
liver kesikeːc(k)
woman kičakiš
gourd kupukipaco
earth neyneː
Spanish moss siꞏcšiːt
mulberry sisč’upses
beaver ʔaꞏcioc
glossAtakapaProto-Muskogean
shell iwalxʷolo
glossTunicaProto-MuskogeanNatchez
red-headed woodpecker čuhčuhina*čaxčahkacawcah
pileated woodpecker páhpahkana*kʷahkʷa-kapakpakuꞏ-šiꞏL
robin (Quapaw šį́kkokkóke) wiškʔohku*č/kʷiskokomiškokʷ
breast ʔúču*piči 'suckle; breasts'šuꞏ
glossTunicaChitimachaNatchezAtakapaProto-Muskogean
hackberry kó-kamukoŋ
negative -ʔaha-haꞏt-hah
wind húrihowihi
uncle waʔa / waꞏʔawehwahš
hand ʔiꞏšwašiwoːš / wiːš
to give ʔaꞏ-ha-ku-ši-ʔiš*im-aka
skunk šíkikištʔeʔešicšikitiš

Comparisons with Algonquian

Some lexical similarities between the Algonquian and Gulf languages given by Haas (1958):[6]

glossProto-
Central Algonquian
Proto-MuskogeanNatchezTunicaChitimachaAtakapa
beat *pak-paꞏk-pɛ́kapak
cold *tahk-takap-lákač’aki
cut *kiꞏšk-*kač-kec-káhčukec
die *nepe-*ili-lúpinuꞏp-(pih)
fish *nameꞏ-*ɴaɴi/uʔeɴníni(ni-)nti
hand *-neθk-i*-mkʷi-hkeninok
name *-iꞏn-ʔinunuy-t-
neck *-hkweꞏ-kʷahtk’eʔkoy
night *tepeθk-teweláwut’apk’iiti
one *kwet-; *nekwet-wiꞏt-ʔunk’u(ta)nuk
scrape *kaꞏšk-*kaꞏs-koꞏc-kɔ́sak’atka-kau-š
see *neꞏw-ʔeʟ-hɛ́raheč-t-ini
sharp(en) *kiꞏn-t-*xʷulut-pilit-kírikihcikini
shoot *pemw-, *-el--epenel-paꞏhma-pem
split *paꞏθk-*paƚ-paꞏʟ-pása[č]ap-t-paƚ
swallow *kwan-*kʷalak--akun-kɔ́rakaꞏč-t-kul
tail *-aθany-*haciʔisi-ásamahči
three *neʔθ-neꞏ-ʔéni-lat
through *šaꞏpw-*ƚuput-šíhpuƚop
tree *meʔtekw-*itti/ucuꞏríhkušuš
turn *kwetekw-kitip-kúrakut’ih-t-

Pronoun comparisons

Below are pronouns comparisons by Geoffrey Kimball (1994) showing areal similarities among the "Gulf" languages.[7]:39

Independent pronouns
glossProto-MuskogeanTunicaNatchezChitimachaAtakapa
I *anoʔímatakeꞏhaʔišwiš
you *ičnomá (M); hɛ́ma (F)ʔakahnihimʔnaš
s/he ʔúwi (M); tíhci (F)ʔišinahushaːš
we *posnoʔinimatakahniꞏʔusyukitiš
you (pl) *hačnowínima (M); hínima (F)ʔaNkahniꞏwasnakit
they sɛ́ma (M); sínima (F)ʔišinaꞏniꞏhunkshakitiš
Possessive pronouns
glossProto-MuskogeanTunicaNatchezChitimachaAtakapa
my *ca- / *am-ʔi--nišʔišwi
your *či- / *čim-wi- (M); hi-, he- (F)-pišhimʔna
her / his *i- / *im-ʔu- (M); ti- (F)-ʔišhusha
our *po- / pom-ʔi-nʔusyukit
your (pl) *hači- / *hačim-wi-n- (M); hi-n- (F)wasnakit
their si- (M); si-n- (F)hunkshakit
Agentive pronouns
glossProto-MuskogeanTunicaNatchezChitimachaAtakapa
I *-li-nita- / ya- / ʔa- (ka-)-ki-o
you *ič- / *či-wí- (M); hɛ́- (F)pan- / pi- / paꞏ--iʔinaš
s/he *Ø-ʔú- (M); ʔá- (F)na- / ʔi- / ʔaꞏ--iʔihaš
we *il- / -*liʔína--naka-cel
you (pl) *hač- / *-hačiwína- (M); hɛ́na- (F)-naʔa-tem
they ʔúna- (M); sina- (F)-naʔa-oɬ
Patient pronouns
glossProto-MuskogeanTunicaNatchezChitimachaAtakapa
I *ca-ʔihk--t--ki-hi
you *či-wihk- (M); hihk- (F)-p--Ø-n
s/he *Ø-ʔuhk- (M); tihk- (F)-Ø--Ø-ha
we *po-ʔink--kuy-
you (pl) *hači-wink- (M); hink- (F)-Ø-nak-
they sihk- (M); sink- (F)-Ø-šak-
reflexive *ili--hši-hat-
reciprocal *ixti-ʔak--tahn-hok-
Stative verb subject pronouns
glossProto-MuskogeanTunicaNatchezChitimachaAtakapa
I *ca-ʔi--t--ki-hi
you *či-wi- (M); hi- (F)-p--Ø-n
s/he *Ø-ʔu- (M); ti- (F)-Ø--Ø-Ø-
we *po-ʔi-n-kuy-ic-
you (pl) *hači-wi-n- (M); hi-n- (F)-Ø-
they si- (M); si-n- (F)-Ø-Ø-

References

  1. Haas, Mary. (1951). The Proto-Gulf word for water (with notes on Siouan-Yuchi). International Journal of American Linguistics 17: 71-9.
  2. Haas, Mary. (1952). The Proto-Gulf word for 'land' (with notes on Proto-Siouan). International Journal of American Linguistics 18: 238-240.
  3. Campbell, Lyle and Marianne Mithun. 1979. The Languages of Native America: A Historical and Comparative Assessment. Austin, TX: University of Texas Press.
  4. Campbell, Lyle. 1997. American Indian Languages: The Historical Linguistics of Native America. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
  5. Munro, Pamela. 1995. Gulf and Yuki-Gulf. Anthropological Linguistics 36: 125-222.
  6. 1 2 Haas, Mary R. (1958). A New Linguistic Relationship in North America: Algonkian and the Gulf Languages. Southwestern Journal of Anthropology, 14(3), 231-264.
  7. 1 2 Kimball, Geoffrey. 1994. Comparative difficulties of the "Gulf" languages. In Langdon, Margaret (ed.), Proceedings of the Meeting of the Society for the Study of the Indigenous languages of the Americas July 2–4, 1993 and the Hokan-Penutian Workshop July 3, 1993 (both held at the 1993 Linguistic Institute at Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio). Survey of California and Other Indian Languages, Report 8. Berkeley: University of California.
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