# Tacanan languages

Tacanan is a family of languages spoken in Bolivia, with Ese’ejja also spoken in Peru. It may be related to the Panoan languages. Many of the languages are endangered.

## Family division

* Tacanan
** Ese Ejja (a.k.a. Ese’eha, Tiatinagua, Chama, Huarayo, Guacanawa, Chuncho, Eseʼexa, Tatinawa, Ese exa)
** Araona–Tacana
*** Araona (a.k.a. Carina, Cavina)
*** Cavineña–Tacana
**** Cavineña (a.k.a. Kavinenya)
**** Tacana
***** Tacana (a.k.a. Tupamasa, Takana)
***** Reyesano (a.k.a. San Borjano, Maropa)
***** Toromono (†?)
Toromono may be extinct. Another possibly extinct Tacanan language is Mabenaro; Arasa has been classified as Tacanan, but appears to have more in common with Panoan.

### Varieties

Below is a full list of Tacanan language varieties listed by Loukotka (1968), including names of unattested varieties.
* Tacana - language with many relationships with the Arawak and Pano languages, spoken on the Beni River, Tuichi River, and Tequeje River, territory of Colonia, Bolivia; now spoken by only a few families. Dialects are:
** Tumupasa / Maracáni - spoken on the Uchipiamona River in the same region.
** Isiama / Ydiama - spoken on the Unduma River and around Ydiama.
* Araona - spoken on the Madre de Dios River and Manuripi River in Colonia, Bolivia
* Capechene / Capaheni - unknown language spoken on the Xapuri River and Rosiano River, Acre territory, Brazil. (Unattested.)
* Sapiboca - extinct language once spoken at the old mission of Reyes, Beni province, Bolivia.
* Chirigua / Shiribá - extinct language once spoken at the old mission of Santa Buenaventura, Beni. (Unattested.)
* Guarizo - extinct language once spoken at the old missions of Reyes and San Antonio de Isiama.
* Maropa - spoken in the vicinity of Lake Rogoaguado, Beni, now probably extinct.
* Guacanahua / Chama / Ese'ejja - spoken by a small tribe on the Madidi River and Undumo River, La Paz province, Bolivia.
* Mabenaro - spoken on the Manuripi River.
* Caviña / Cavineña - once spoken on the Cavinas River, Madidi River, and Beni River, now probably extinct.
* Toromona - once spoken between the Madidi River, Beni River, and Madre de Dios River, now perhaps extinct.
* Arasa - language spoken by the greater part of the Arazaire tribe (of Pano stock) on the Marcopata River and Arasa River.
* Tiatinagua / Mohino / Chuncho / Huarayo / Baguaja / Tambopata-Guarayo / Echoja - spoken by a tribe on the Peru-Bolivia border, on the Tambopata River.

## Language contact

Jolkesky (2016) notes that there are lexical similarities with the Kayuvava, Tupi, and Arawak language families due to contact.

## Vocabulary

Loukotka (1968) lists the following basic vocabulary items for the Tacanan languages.
| gloss | Tacana | Tumupasa | Isiama | Araona | Sapiboca | Maropa | Guacanahua | Mabenaro | Caviña | Toromona | Arasa | Tiatinagua |
| one | peada | peada | peáda | peada | pebbi | pembive | | | pea | | nonchina | owi |
| two | beta | beta | beta | beta | beta | beta | béka | | beta | béka | béta | bikapiai |
| head | e-chua | e-shua | é-cho | e-chua | e-chuxa | e-chuxa | | i-yoa | i-yuka | | é-osha | é-osha |
| eye | e-tásha | é-tasha | ey-raha | e-sásha | | é-shakuéna | | i-thaha | i-xaka | e-shásh | é-shásha | i-sash |
| hand | e-me | ä-ma | e-me | e-me | e-mé | e-me | iá | i-miatsa | e-metuku | i-á | e-mä | e-mé |
| water | eavi | ahui | eahui | eavi | eubi | xubi | | eowi | ena | | ena | éna |
| fire | kuati | kuáti | kuáti | kuati | kuati | kuati | kuáti | kwathi | etiki | kuáti | chi | kuáti |
| sun | ideti | itaːti | itatti | izeti | iseti | icheti | | | igeti | | huári | eshét |
| maize | dixe | oːtisha | ärishe | shíshe | | chixe | shishé | | ixike | shishé | shishe | shishi |
| tapir | ähuadi | aːhuadi | ahuáta | | | ahuánsha | | | auada | sháawi | | shauví |
| house | ete | äte | ete | etai | etae | étai | | ithai | etare | ekíi | soːpo | eti |
Sample vocabulary of four Tacanan languages, along with Proto-Panoan for comparison, from Nikulin (2019):
    glossEse EjjaAraonaCavineñaTacanaProto-Panoan liver e-kakʷatákʷae-takʷae-takʷa*takʷa tongue ej-anae-ánaj-anaj-ana*hana blood amiamiami*himi you (sg.) mi-amimi-mi*mi hand e-mee-mee-me-tukue-me*mɨ- earth meʃimezizometʃi ‘soil’med’i*mai meat e-jamie-amie-ramij-ami ‘muscle’*rami stone mahanamakana*maka bone e-sáe-tsoae-tsaue-tsau*ʂao (finger)nail e-me-kiʃeØ-mé-tezie-me-tid’i*mɨ̃-tsis fat e-seie-tseie-tserie-tsei*ʂɨ[n]i tooth e-sée-tsee-tsee-tse*ʂɨta

## Verbal morphology
### Associated motion

Tacanan languages, in particular Cavineña and Ese Ejja, have among the richest associated motion systems in the world's languages.