Yunga
Mochica
Mochica (likely isolate)
Mochica (Yunga, Chimú) is an extinct language formerly spoken on Peru's north coast (Lambayeque, La Libertad, Piura) until around the late 19th century. It was the language of the Mochica civilization (~100-700 CE) and the later Chimú Empire (~900-1470 CE) before Inca conquest, and continued as a regional vernacular through the Spanish colonial period. Despite the iconic art and architecture of these civilizations, Mochica is documented mainly through colonial-era materials: Father Fernando de la Carrera's grammar Arte de la lengua yunga (1644) and 19th-century word lists by Middendorf. Genetic affiliation is unresolved and Mochica is generally considered a language isolate (sometimes grouped speculatively as Chimuan).
Where it is spoken
87 core words in Mochica
Sources
- Carrera (1644) Arte de la lengua yunga
- Cerrón-Palomino (1995) La lengua de Naimlap (Reconstrucción y obsolescencia del mochica)
- Glottolog: moch1259
Words compared
Compared with languages in the same classification: Mochica (likely isolate)
| Meaning | Mochica | Proto-Uralic | Proto-Uto-Aztecan | Faliscan | Meroitic | Phrygian | Pyu |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water | lā /laː/ | *wete /wete/ | *paʔ /paʔ/ | — /—/ | 𐦠𐦶 /ato/ | bedu /ˈbedu/ | tduṃ /t.du(j)/ |
| Fire | ol /ol/ | *tule /tule/ | *na- /na/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| Sun | xllang /ɬaŋ/ | *kaja /kaja/ | *ta /ta/ | — /—/ | 𐦨𐦯 /ˈmasa/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| Moon | si /si/ | *kuŋe /kuŋe/ | *mɨca /mɨca/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | masê /maˈseː/ | — /—/ |
| Star | fanpec /fanpek/ | *täštä /tæʃtæ/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| Night | — /—/ | *üje /yje/ | *tuku /tuku/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| Stone | pong /poŋ/ | *kiwe /kiwe/ | *tɨn /tɨn/ | — | — | — | — |
| Mother | eng /eŋ/ | *emä /emæ/ | — /—/ | mate /ˈmate/ | — /—/ | mater /ˈmater/ | — /—/ |
| Father | ef /ef/ | *ićä /itɕæ/ | — /—/ | pater /ˈpater/ | — /—/ | atas /aˈtas/ | — /—/ |
| I | moiñ /mojɲ/ | *mun /mun/ | *nɨ /nɨ/ | eko /ˈeko/ | — /—/ | az /az/ | gaṁḥ /gä(j)H/ |
| You | tzhang /tʃaŋ/ | *tun /tun/ | *ʔɨ /ʔɨ/ | tu /tuː/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| We | mœich /məwitʃ/ | *me /me/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| Name | por /por/ | *nimi /nimi/ | *tewa /tewa/ | nomen /ˈnomen/ | — /—/ | onoman /ˈonoman/ | rmiṅ· /r.miŋ/ |
| Eye | locɥ /lotʃ/ | *śilmä /śilmä/ | *pusi /pusi/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| Ear | medquic /medkik/ | *pixlä /pixlæ/ | *naka /naka/ | — | — | — | — |
| Mouth | ssap /sap/ | *śuwe /ɕuwe/ | *tɨʔni /tɨʔni/ | — | — | — | — |
| Tooth | cɥang /tʃaŋ/ | *piŋi /piŋi/ | *tama /tama/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| Tongue | ed /ed/ | *kele /kele/ | *nene /nene/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| Hand | mæcɥ /mætʃ/ | *käti /käti/ | *maʔ /maʔ/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | zeira /ˈzeːra/ | — /—/ |
| Foot | loc /lok/ | *jalka /jalka/ | *tala /tala/ | — | 𐦯𐦴 /ˈsata/ | petes /ˈpetes/ | — |
| Heart | polæng /polæŋ/ | *śüdäme /ɕydæme/ | *sula /sula/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| Bone | loti /loti/ | *luwe /luwe/ | *ohomï-ta /ohomɨta/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | ru /ru(C)/ |
| Blood | cul /kul/ | *were /were/ | *ɨtwa /ɨtwa/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| Love | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| Tree | nepæt /nepæt/ | *puwi /puwi/ | *kut /kut/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| Dog | fanu /fanu/ | *penä /penæ/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | 𐦥𐦬𐦡 /wal/ | kan /kan/ | — /—/ |
| Cat | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| Fish | xllac /ɬak/ | *kala /kala/ | *paki /paki/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| Bird | ñaiñ /ɲaiɲ/ | *linta /linta/ | — | — | — | — | — |
| House | an /an/ | *kota /kota/ | *ki /ki/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| Salt | æp /æp/ | *salɜ /salɜ/ | *ona /ona/ | — | — | — | — |
| Eat | funo /funo/ | *sewe- /sewe/ | *kwaʔa /kwaʔa/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| Drink | man /man/ | *jëxe- /jɤxe/ | *hiʔpa /hiʔpa/ | pipafo /ˈpipafoː/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| One | onæc /onæk/ | *ükte /ükte/ | *sɨmɨ /sɨmɨ/ | oinos /ˈoi̯nos/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | taṁ /tä(k)/ |
| Two | aput /aput/ | *kakta /kakta/ | *wo /wo/ | duo /ˈduo/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | kni /kni/ |
| Three | çopæt /sopæt/ | *kolme /kolme/ | *pahi /pahi/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | nhoḥ /n.ho(m)H/ |
| Five | exllmætzh /eɬmætʃ/ | *witte /witte/ | — | — | — | — | pəŋa /pəŋa/ |
| Hello | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| Thank you | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| Good | peñaeñ /peɲaeɲ/ | *para /para/ | — /—/ | duenom /ˈduenom/ | 𐦨𐦬𐦣 /ˈmalu/ | — /—/ | ha /ha(k)/ |
| Red | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
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