Cacán language

Cacán (also Cacan, Kakán, Kakana, Calchaquí, Chaka, Diaguita, and Kaka) is a presumably extinct language spoken by the Diaguita and Calchaquí tribes in northern Argentina and Chile. The language was documented in a grammar by the Jesuit Alonso de Bárcena, but the manuscript is lost. Genetic affiliation of the language remains unclear, and it has not been conclusively linked to any existing language family, though past proposals have included a link with Kunza and the essentially unknown Humahuaca.

The name Diaguita is from Cacán tiac-y-ta 'village inhabitant'.

Dialects

Loukotka (1968)

Varieties classified by Loukotka (1968) as part of the Diaguit language group:

• Diaguit - extinct language once spoken by many tribes in the Argentine province of Catamarca. All the survivors are now Quechuanized. Dialects, all extinct: Quilme - once spoken by the Quilmes people, originally from neighboring Tucumán Province, later relocated to the city of Quilmes, Buenos Aires Province Yocabil - once spoken in Catamarca in the Yocabil Valley. Andalgalá - once spoken around the city of Andalgalá, Catamarca. Abaucan or Tinogasta - once spoken in the Abaucán Valley, Catamarca. Pasipa - once spoken in the Vicioso Valley, Catamarca. Ancasti - once spoken in the Sierra de Ancasti, Catamarca. Hualfin - once spoken in the Hualfin Valley, Catamarca. Famatina - once spoken in the province of La Rioja in the Famatina Valley. Caringasta - once spoken Calingasta in the Anguco Valley, San Juan province. Sanogasta - once spoken in the province of La Rioja in the Sanogasta Valley. Calian or Mocalingasta - once spoken in La Rioja province in the valley of Guadacol. Sanagasta - once spoken in the Sierra de Velasco, La Rioja province. Musitian - once spoken in La Rioja province in the Sierra de los Llanos. Nolongasta - once spoken in the Chilecito Valley, La Rioja province.
• Calchaqui or Cacan or Tocaque - extinct language once spoken in Salta province, in the Quimivil and Santa María Valleys. Dialects are: Guachipa - once spoken in Salta Valley. Tolombon or Pacioca - once spoken in the province of Tucumán in the Tolombon Valley. Amaicha - once spoken in the Sierra de Aconquija, Tucumán province. Tucumán or Tukma - once spoken around the city of Tucumán. Soleo - once spoken in Tucumán province north of the Tucumán tribe.
• Cupayana or Capayana - extinct language once spoken in San Juan and La Rioja provinces.
• Amaná - once spoken around the city of Amaná, La Rioja province. (Unattested)
• Chicoana or Pulare - once spoken in Salta Province in the Lerma Valley. (Unattested)
• Indama or Ambargasta - once spoken north of Salinas Grandes, Santiago del Estero province. (Unattested)
• Copiapó - once spoken around the city of Copiapó in the province of Atacama, Chile. (Unattested)

According to Adelaar (2004), some varieties, such as Capayana, required interpreters for the Spaniards to comprehend, indicating its status as a distinct language.

Mason (1950)

Mason (1950) lists the Diaguita subgroups of Abaucan, Amaycha, Anchapa, Andalgalá, Anguinahao, Calchaquí, Casminchango, Coipe, Colalao, Famatina, Hualfina, Paquilin, Quilme, Tafí, Tocpo, Tucumán, Upingascha, and Yocabil. Acalian, Catamarca, and Tamano are possibly also Diaguita subgroups.

Vocabulary

Cacán vocabulary possibly exists today in toponyms and local surnames, but the etymologies are often dubious. A comprehensive list may be found in Nardi (1977) and Piispanen (2021).

Other known words include:

• Ao, hao, ahao — house
• Gasta — town
• Kakanchik (transcribed into Spanish: cacanchic) — name of a deity apparently of fertility
• Titakin (transcribed to the Castilian titaquin) — lord and king
• Zupka — altar, place of sacrifice.

Calchaqui words listed in Loukotka (1968):

• enxam — head
• ma — water
• tutu — fire
• fil — sun
• ki — tree
• hua — maize.

The following list of Cacán words is from Piispanen (2021).

Notes