The Piaroa–Saliban, also known as Saliban (), are a small language family of the middle Orinoco Basin, which forms an independent island within an area of Venezuela and Colombia (northern llanos) dominated by peoples of Carib and Arawakan affiliation.
Languages Piaroa and Wirö (or "Maco") form a Piaroan branch of the family.
The extinct Ature language, once spoken on the Orinoco River near the waterfalls of Atures, Venezuela, is unattested but was said to be 'little different' from Saliba, and so may have formed a Saliban branch of the family.
Language contact Jolkesky (2016) notes that there are lexical similarities with the Andoke–Urekena, Arawak, Máku, Tukano, and Yaruro language families due to contact.
Lozano (2014:212) has also noted similarities between the Saliba-Hodi and Arawakan languages.
External relations Zamponi (2017) notes resemblances between the extinct Betoi language and Piaroa–Saliban. He considers a genealogical relationship plausible, though data on Betoi is scarce.Zamponi, Raoul (2017). Betoi-Jirara, Sáliban, and Hodɨ: Relationships among Three Linguistic Lineages of the Mid-Orinoco Region. Anthropological Linguistics, Volume 59, Number 3, Fall 2017, pp. 263-321.
There are lexical similarities with the Hotï language (Jodï), and this has been interpreted as evidence for a Jodï–Saliban language family.Labrada, Jorge Emilio Rosés. 2015. "Is Jodï a Sáliban Language?." Paper presented at the Workshop on Historical relationships among languages of the Americas, Leiden, 2–5 September 2015. 18pp. However, the similarities have also been explained as contact.
Jolkesky (2009) includes Piaroa-Saliba, Betoi and Hodi in a Duho family along with Ticuna–Yuri.
Vocabulary Rosés Labrada (2019) lists the following Swadesh-list items that are reconstructable to Proto-Sáliban.
{| class="wikitable sortable" ! no. !! gloss !! Sáliba !! Piaroa !! Wirö |- | 13 || bite (v) || ɲĩpe || j̃ɨ || ʤ̃ɨbɨ |- | 15 || blood || kʷau || ʧukʷɤha || ʧukʷi iʦobu |- | 22 || cold || dia || dijɑwɑʔɑ || tiʤua |- | 31 || drink (v) || õgʷe || ɑwu || owɨ |- | 36 || soil || sẽxẽ || ɾẽhẽ || nihi |- | 37 || eat (v) || ikʷe || ku || kuanɨ |- | 38 || egg || hiea || ijæ || iʤapo |- | 39 || eye || pahute || ʧiʔæhæɾe || ʧɨbahale |- | 41 || far || oto || ɤtɤ || ɨdɨ |- | 42 || fat/oil || õdete || ɑ̃dẽ || õte |- | 49 || fish || pahĩdi || pɤĩ || bãĩ |- | 53 || flower || sebapu || æʔu || ĩʦãbũ |- | 66 || hand || umo || ʧũmu || ʧɨmamu |- | 70 || heart || omaidi || ʧɑ̃mi isɤkˀi || ʧomahade |- | 71 || heavy || umaga || ɑmækɑʔɑ || ɨmɨka |- | 96 || meat || dea || ʧidepæ || itebia |- | 99 || mouth || aha || ʧæ || ʧaa |- | 106 || nose || ĩxu || ʧ̃ɨhĩjũ || ʧĩʤũ |- | 116 || red/yellow || dua || tũɑ̃ʔɑ̃ || duwɨ |- | 119 || river || oxe || ɑhe || ohʷe |- | 120 || path || maana || mænæ || mana/mãlã |- | 138 || sky || mũma sẽxẽ || moɾɤ̃hæ̃ || m̃ɨlẽhẽ |- | 139 || sleep (v) || ae || æʔɨ || abɨ |- | 144 || snake || ɟakʷi || ækɑ || akoˀda |- | 152 || star || sipodi || siɾikˀɤ || ʦiɾiʔi |- | 158 || swell (v) || hipame || hiæmɑʔɑ || hebamɨ |- | 172 || tongue || anane || ʧine || ʧinene |- | 176 || two (anim) || tuxũdu || tɑ̃hũ || dũhũtaha |- | 179 || hot || duda || duɑʔɑ || tuba |- | 184 || what? || ãdaha || dæhe || tahi |- | 187 || white || dea || teɑʔɑ || dewɨ |- | 188 || who? || ãdiha || di || ti |- | 195 || woman || ɲaxu || isahu || iʦuhu
See also Duho languages
References
Bibliography Benaissa, T. (1991). Vocabulario Sáliba-Español Español Sáliba. Lomalinda: Alberto Lleras Camargo. Feddema, H. (1991). Diccionario Piaroa - Español. (Manuscript). Krute, L. D. (1989). Piaroa nominal morphosemantics. New York: Columbia University. (Doctoral dissertation). Kaufman, Terrence. (1990). Language history in South America: What we know and how to know more. In D. L. Payne (Ed.), Amazonian linguistics: Studies in lowland South American languages (pp. 13–67). Austin: University of Texas Press. . Kaufman, Terrence. (1994). The native languages of South America. In C. Mosley & R. E. Asher (Eds.), Atlas of the world's languages (pp. 46–76). London: Routledge.
External links Sáliba wordlist in Spanish & English PROEL: Familia Piaroa–Saliva