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Gulf Language Family (Tunican)

The Tunican Gulf languages were once spoken along the coast of Louisiana and Texas. None of these languages are still spoken today, but from linguistic recordings, they appear to have been related to one another. They include:


  • Atakapa
  • Chitimacha
  • Natchez
  • Tunica
  • Possibly Gulf:
  • Avoyel
  • Taensa
    • Many linguists consider these languages to be distantly related to the Muskogean languages.

    Native Languages

    Our Gulf Language Features

    Gulf Vocabulary (Tunican):
         Comparison of words in various Gulf languages.

    Links to Other Gulf Language Resources

    Tunican Language Family:
         Ethnologue of Tunican languages.

    Gulf Language Materials Available Offline

    A Structural and Lexical Comparison of the Tunica, Chitimacha & Atakapa Languages:
         Comparative vocabulary and proposal for a Tunican language family.




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