Comecrudo language facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Comecrudo |
|
|---|---|
| Region | Rio Grande, Mexico |
| Ethnicity | Comecrudo people |
| Extinct | late 19th century |
| Language family |
Hokan ?
|
| Linguist List | xcm |
Comecrudo was a language spoken by a group of people in Mexico. It is now an extinct language, meaning no one speaks it anymore. The name Comecrudo comes from the Spanish words for "eat-raw." Another name, Carrizo, means "reed" in Spanish.
This language was spoken along the lower Rio Grande river. This area is near the city of Reynosa, in the state of Tamaulipas, Mexico. Comecrudo is part of a group of languages called Pakawan.
Contents
Learning About Comecrudo
We know about the Comecrudo language because some people wrote down its words.
Early Records
In 1829, a French botanist named Jean Louis Berlandier made the first important record. He wrote down 148 words of the language. Berlandier called the language "Mulato."
Later, in 1861, a German traveler named Adolph Uhde published some words. He called the language Carrizo in his travel book.
Later Studies
The best information about Comecrudo came in 1886. A person named Albert Samuel Gatschet recorded words, sentences, and a short story. He got this information from people who were descendants of the last Comecrudo speakers. These people lived near Camargo, in Tamaulipas, at a place called Las Prietas. Even though they were not fluent, their memories helped preserve parts of the language. The most helpful people were Emiterio, Joaquin, and Andrade.
Related Groups
In 1748, some names of Comecrudo groups were written down. These names show different parts of the Comecrudo people:
- Sepinpacam
- Perpepug
- Atanaguaypacam (also known as Atanaouajapaca or Atanaguipacane)
Language Connections
For a long time, some people thought Comecrudo was related to the Coahuiltecan language family. However, most experts today believe it's hard to prove this link. This is because we don't have enough information about either language.
Scientists have used computers to study the words of Comecrudo. One study in 2013 found some words that were similar to Uto-Aztecan languages. This might be because the Comecrudo people borrowed words from Uto-Aztecan speakers.
See also
