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Gulf Language Family (Tunican)



The Tunican Gulf languages were once spoken by tribes along the coast of Louisiana and Texas. Their descendants do not still speak these languages today, but from linguistic recordings, they appear to have been distantly related to one another. They include:

  • Atakapa
  • Chitimacha
  • Natchez
  • Tunica
  • Possibly Gulf:
  • Avoyel
  • Bidai
  • Opelousa
  • Taensa
    • Many linguists also 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 Languages:
        Overview of the Gulf and Tunican Indian languages, their history and distribution.

    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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