Supanecan languages
Language family and subgroup of Oto-Manguean
title: "Supanecan languages" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["oto-manguean-languages"] description: "Language family and subgroup of Oto-Manguean" topic_path: "linguistics" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supanecan_languages" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary Language family and subgroup of Oto-Manguean ::
::data[format=table title="Infobox language family"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | Supanec |
| altname | Tlapanecan |
| region | Mexico, Nicaragua |
| fam1 | Oto-Manguean |
| fam3 | Tlapanec–Mangue |
| familycolor | oto-manguean |
| fam2 | Western Oto-Mangue |
| child1 | Tlapanec |
| child2 | Subtiaba † |
| child3 | ? Maribo † |
| glotto | subt1249 |
| glottorefname | Subtiaba–Tlapanec |
| :: |
| name = Supanec | altname = Tlapanecan | region = Mexico, Nicaragua | fam1 = Oto-Manguean | fam3 = Tlapanec–Mangue | familycolor = oto-manguean | fam2 = Western Oto-Mangue | child1 = Tlapanec | child2 = Subtiaba † | child3 = ? Maribo † | glotto = subt1249 | glottorefname = Subtiaba–Tlapanec
::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7a/Otomanguean_Languages.png" caption="Map of Oto-Manguean languages including Tlapeneco (#13, light green)" alt="A detailed map showing the dispersion of various languages."] ::
The Supanecan or Tlapanecan languages are Tlapanec (Me'phaa) of Guerrero and the extinct Subtiaba of Nicaragua. The family was recognized in 1925 by Edward Sapir, who linked them to his Hokan proposal. However, they are the most recently recognized members of the Oto-Manguean language family, the relationship having been demonstrated in 1977 by Jorge Suárez. The Oto-Manguean affiliation of Tlapaneco-Subtiaba is supported by Kaufman (2016).
According to Costenla (1994), these two languages diverged sometime after 1200 AD.
Sapir proposed that a third language, the extinct Maribo of the village of Maribichicoa, on the Guatajiguala River in Lencan country in El Salvador, may have been the closest relative of Subtiaba, or that it in fact was Subtiaba. However, Campbell (1975) questions this. Lothrop writes that it was instead located in the Nueva Segovia Department of Nicaragua, the speakers having moved there shortly before the Spanish conquest after a drought.
References
References
- Suárez, Jorge A.. (1977). "El tlapaneco como lengua Otomangue". Universidad Nacional Autonoma de México.
- Kaufman, Terrence. 2016. ''[https://www.albany.edu/ims/pdlma/2016%20Additions/Kaufman-1990-2016ms-Otomangean%20&%20Hokan.pdf Tlapaneko-Sutiaba, Oto-Mangean, and Hokan: Where Greenberg Went Wrong]''. [https://www.albany.edu/ims/PDLMA_publications_new.html Project for the Documentation of the Languages of Mesoamerica] (PDLMA).
- Oltrogge, David. (1977). "Two studies in Middle American comparative linguistics". Summer Institute of Linguistics.
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