•
Miskito – nearly 200,000 speakers, mainly in the
North Caribbean Coast Autonomous Region of
Nicaragua, but including some in
Honduras. • Sumalpan languages: •
Sumo languages – some 8,000 speakers along the Huaspuc River and its tributaries, most in
Nicaragua but some in
Honduras. Many of them have shifted to Miskito. • Mayangna - dominant variety of the Sumo family • Ulwa • Matagalpan •
Cacaopera – formerly spoken in the
Morazán department of
El Salvador; and •
Matagalpa – formerly spoken in the central highlands of
Nicaragua and the
El Paraíso department of
Honduras Miskito became the dominant language of
Mosquitia from the late 17th century on, as a result of the people's alliance with the British Empire. In north-eastern Nicaragua, it continues to be adopted by former speakers of Sumo. Its sociolinguistic status is lower than that of the English-based
creole of the southeast, and in that region, Miskito seems to be losing ground. Sumo is endangered in most areas where it is found, although some evidence suggests that it was dominant in the region before the ascendancy of Miskito. The Matagalpan languages are long since extinct, and not very well documented. All Misumalpan languages share the same phonology, apart from
phonotactics. The consonants are p, b, t, d, k, s, h, w, y, and
voiced and
voiceless versions of m, n, ng, l, r; the vowels are short and long versions of a, i, u.
Loukotka (1968) Below is a full list of Misumalpan language varieties listed by
Loukotka (1968), including names of unattested varieties. ;Mosquito group •
Miskito - language spoken along the north-eastern coast of
Mosquitia, Central America. Dialects are: •
Kâbô - spoken on the central coast of
Mosquitia. •
Baldam - spoken on the Sandy Bay and near
Bimuna. •
Tawira /
Tauira /
Tangwera - spoken on the
Prinzapolca River. •
Wanki - spoken on the
Coco River and on the
Cabo Gracias a Dios. •
Mam /
Cueta - spoken on the left bank of the
Wangki River. •
Chuchure - extinct dialect once spoken around
Nombre de Dios, Panama. (Unattested.) •
Ulua /
Wulwa /
Gaula /
Oldwaw /
Taulepa - spoken on the
Ulúa River and
Carca River, Nicaragua. •
Sumu /
Simou /
Smus /
Albauin - spoken on the
Prinzapolca River, Nicaragua. Dialects are: •
Bawihka - spoken on the
Banbana River. •
Tawihka /
Táuaxka /
Twaca /
Taga - spoken between the
Coco River and
Prinzapolca River. •
Panamaca - spoken between the
Pispis River,
Waspuc River, and
Bocay River. •
Cucra /
Cockorack - spoken on the
Escondido River and
Siqui River. •
Yosco - spoken on the
Tuma River and
Bocay River. (Unattested.) ;Matagalpa group •
Matagalpa /
Chontal /
Popoluca - extinct language once spoken from the
Tumo River to the
Olama River, Nicaragua. •
Jinotega /
Chingo - extinct language once spoken in the villages of
Jinotega and
Danlí, Nicaragua. (only several words.) •
Cacaopera - spoken in the villages of
Cacaopera and
Lislique, El Salvador. ==Proto-language== Below are Proto-Misumalpan reconstructions by
Adolfo Constenla Umaña (1987): ==Notes==