Unattested Languages
Several languages are only known by mention in historical documents or from only a few names or words. It cannot be determined that these languages actually existed or that the few recorded words are actually of known or unknown languages. Some may simply be from a historian's errors. Others are of known people with no linguistic record (sometimes due to lost records). A short list is below.
- Ais
- Akokisa
- Aranama
- Ausaima
- Avoyel
- Bayogoula
- Bidai
- Cacán (Diaguita–Calchaquí)
- Calusa - Mayaimi - Tequesta
- Chome
- Cusabo
- Eyeish
- Grigra
- Guale
- Houma
- Koroa
- Manek'enk (Haush)
- Mayaca (possibly related to Ais)
- Mobila
- Okelousa
- Opelousa
- Pascagoula
- Pensacola - Chatot (Muscogean languages, possibly related to Choctaw)
- Quinipissa
- Taensa
- Tiou
- Yamacraw
- Yamasee
- Yazoo
Loukotka (1968) reports the names of hundreds of South American languages which do not have any linguistic documentation.
Read more about this topic: Indigenous Languages Of The Americas
Famous quotes containing the word languages:
“People in places many of us never heard of, whose names we can’t pronounce or even spell, are speaking up for themselves. They speak in languages we once classified as “exotic” but whose mastery is now essential for our diplomats and businessmen. But what they say is very much the same the world over. They want a decent standard of living. They want human dignity and a voice in their own futures. They want their children to grow up strong and healthy and free.”
—Hubert H. Humphrey (1911–1978)