Mochica is an extinct language formerly spoken along the northwest coast of Peru and in an inland village. First documented in 1607, the language was widely spoken in the area during the 17th century and the early 18th century. By the late 19th century, the language was dying out and spoken only by a few people in the village of Etén, in Chiclayo. It died out as a spoken language around 1920, but certain words and phrases continued to be used until the 1960s.[
] A revival movement has appeared in recent times.
Classification
Mochica is usually considered to be a
language isolate,
but has also been hypothesized as belonging to a wider Chimuan language family. Stark (1972) proposes a connection with Uru–Chipaya as part of a Maya–Yunga–Chipayan macrofamily hypothesis.
Denominations
The
yunga form is mentioned in the work of Fernando de la Carrera, "
yunca" is another form mentioned by varieties of Quechua, "
muchic" is only mentioned by the Augustinian father Antonio de la Calancha in 1638, in 1892
Ernst Middendorf it
German language as "
muchik", the form "
chimu" is a hypothesis on the part of
Ernst Middendorf in accordance with the knowledge of that time in the 19th century, when he considered Mochica as a language of the Chimos, but which is currently discarded because the language of the Chimú is actually the Quingnam language. An informal group called by linguistics
neo-mochica uses the artificial form "
muchik", when the most historically used form is "
mochica" or "
yunga".
Language contact
Jolkesky (2016) notes that there are lexical similarities with the
Trumai language,
Arawak languages, Kandoshi,
Muniche language, Barbakoa, Cholon-Hibito,
Kechua languages, Mapudungun, Kanichana, and
Kunza language language families due to contact. Jolkesky (2016) also suggests that similarities with Amazonian languages may be due to the early migration of Mochica speakers down the Marañón and Solimões.
Speakers
It is proven and accepted by linguists that it was spoken by those of the
Sican culture, it is not proven that it was spoken by those of the
Moche culture, and it is ruled out that it was spoken by the
Chimu Culture, since it is proven that they spoke Quingnam.
Learning program
The Cultural Office of the district of Mórrope has launched a program to teach the Mochica language in an effort to preserve the region’s ancient cultural legacy. The initiative has been well received by local residents and adopted by numerous schools. Additional cultural activities—such as the crafting of ceramics and decorated gourds (mates)—have also been introduced as part of the revitalization effort.
Previously considered a dead language, Mochica is now taught in 38 schools and has around 80 speakers.
Varieties
The only varieties are according to each researcher who compiled their vocabulary, so we have the variety of
Ernst Middendorf, Compañon, Bruning, etc.
Geographic distribution
According to the list of the vicar of Reque and author of the aforementioned Art, Fernando de la Carrera, the peoples who in 1644 spoke the Mochica language were as follows:
-
In the corregimiento of Trujillo: James, Magdalene of Cao, Chocope, Chicama valley, Paijan.
-
In the corregimiento of Saña: St. Peter of Lloc, Chepen, Jequetepeque, Guadalupe, New Town, Eten, Chiclayo, St. Michael, St. Lucia, Parish of Saña, Lambayeque with four rooms, Reque, Monsefú, Ferreñafe, Tucum, Illimo, Pacora, Morrope and Jayanca.
-
In the corregimiento of Piura: Motupe, Salas (annex of Penachi), Copis (annex of Olmos), Frías and Huancabamba.
-
In the corregimiento of Cajamarca: Santa Cruz, San Miguel de la Sierra, Ñopos, San Pablo, the doctrine of the rafts of the Marañón, a bias of Cajamarca, Cachén, Guambos and many other places in the Cajamarca mountain range, such as the Condebamba valley.
Phonology
Consonants
-
/ð/ may also be heard as d̪ in free variation.
Vowels
Typology
Mochica is typologically different from the other main languages on the west coast of
South America, namely the Quechuan languages,
Aymara language, and the
Mapuche language. Further, it contains rare features such as:
-
a case system in which cases are built on each other in a linear sequence; for example, the ablative case suffix is added to the locative case, which in turn is added to an oblique case form;
-
all have two stems, possessed and non-possessed;
-
an agentive case suffix used mainly for the agent in passive clauses; and
-
a verbal system in which all finite forms are formed with the copula.
Morphology
Some suffixes in Mochica as reconstituted by Hovdhaugen (2004):
-
sequential suffix: -top
-
purpose suffix: -næm
-
gerund suffixes: -læc and -ssæc
-
gerund suffix: -(æ)zcæf
-
gerund suffix: -(æ)d
Lexicon
Some examples of lexical items in Mochica from Hovdhaugen (2004):
[Hovdhaugen, Even (2004). Mochica. Munich: LINCOM Europa.]
Nouns
Possessed and non-possessed nouns in Mochica:
|
| çiequic |
| efquic |
| eizquic |
| fænquic |
| lucɥquic |
| moixquic |
| mæcɥquic |
| uizquic |
| xllonquic |
| falpic |
| tonic |
| ærquic |
| medquic |
| polquic |
| capæcnencæpæc |
| cuçia |
| fanu |
| fellu |
| yana |
| ixll |
| llaftu |
| col |
| xllac |
| xllaxll |
| mang |
| cɥap |
| chicopæc |
| cunuc |
| filuc |
| manic |
| ñeñuc |
Locative forms of Mochica nouns:
|
| funæc 'in the nostrils' |
| lucæc 'on the feet' |
| ssulæc 'in the forehead' |
| lucɥæc 'in the eyes' |
| mæcɥæc 'in the hand' |
| farræc 'on holidays' |
| olecɥæc 'outside' |
| ssapæc 'in the mouth' |
| lecɥæc 'on the head' |
| enec 'in the house' |
| medec 'in the ears' |
| ñeizac 'in the nights' |
| xllangic 'in the sun' |
Quantifiers
Quantifiers in Mochica:
|
| pair (counting birds, jugs, etc.) |
| pair (counting plates, drinking vessels, cucumbers, fruits) |
| ten (counting fruits, ears of corn, etc.) |
| ten (counting days) |
| ten (counting fruits, cobs, etc.) |
| ten (counting people, cattle, reed, etc., i.e. everything that is not money, fruits, and days) |
| hundred (counting fruits, etc.) |
Numerals
Mochica numerals:
|
| onæc, na- |
| aput, pac- |
| çopæl, çoc- |
| nopæt, noc- |
| exllmætzh |
| tzhaxlltzha |
| ñite |
| langæss |
| tap |
| çiæcɥ, -pong, ssop, -fælæp, cɥoquixll |
| pacpong, pacssop, etc. |
| çocpong, çocssop, etc. |
| nocpong, nocssop, etc. |
| exllmætzhpong, exllmætzhssop, etc. |
| tzhaxlltzhapong, tzhaxlltzhassop, etc. |
| ñitepong, ñitessop, etc. |
| langæsspong, langæssop, etc. |
| tappong, tapssong, etc. |
| palæc |
| cunô |
Sample text
The only surviving song in the language is a single
tonada, Tonada del Chimo, preserved in the Codex Martínez Compañón among many watercolours illustrating the life of Chimú people during the 18th century:
Quingnam, possibly the same as Lengua (Yunga) Pescadora, is sometimes taken to be a dialect, but a list of numerals was discovered in 2010 and is suspected to be Quingnam or Pescadora, not Mochica.
Comparison
It was common in the 19th century to relate Mochica mainly to Mandarin, Japanese
and Quechua.
Currently it is discarded and is considered an
Language isolate.
[
] A simple way to check this is to use its our fathers for comparative linguistic purposes:
|
| Our Father who art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. |
| Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, On earth as it is in heaven. |
| Give us this day our daily bread; |
| And forgive us our debts, As we also have forgiven our debtors; |
| And lead us not into temptation, But deliver us from evil. |
Further reading
-
Brüning, Hans Heinrich (2004). Mochica Wörterbuch / Diccionario mochica: Mochica-castellano, castellano-mochica. Lima: Universidad San Martín de Porres.
-
Hovdhaugen, Even (2004). Mochica. Munich: LINCOM Europa.
-
Schumacher de Peña, G. (1992). El vocabulario mochica de Walter Lehmann (1929) comparado con otras fuentes léxicas. Lima: UNSM, Instituto de Investigación de Lingüística Aplicada.
External links
