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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: Malibu and Mocana.
Classification
The Malibu languages have previously been grouped into a single family with the Chimila language. However, Chimila is now generally classified with the Chibchan languages. Adelaar and Muysken note that the grouping of Chimila and the Malibu languages is "without any factual basis".
Family Division
Rivet initially listed three Malibu tribes, each with its own language:
Malibu, spoken near the Magdalena River from Tamalameque to Tenerife
Mocana, spoken in the region east of Cartagena
Pacabuey, also known as Sompallon or Laguna Malibu, spoken near the Zapatoza lagoon
To this list, Loukotka adds six more languages (excluding Chimila):
Papale, spoken on the Fundacion River
Coanoa or Guanoa, spoken on the Cesar River
Zamirua, spoken on the Ariguani 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 Covenas
Vocabulary
Rivet gives a brief list of words from Malibu and Mocana, but does not distinguish the two languages. A selection of these is provided below:
tahana - manzanilla tree
malibu - chief
man - small boat
ytaylaco/yteylaco/yntelas/ytaylas - devil, deity
entaha/enbutac - cassava
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This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article Malibu languages
