The following is a list of proposed language families, which connect established families into larger genetic groups (macro-families). Support for these proposals vary from case to case. For example, the Dené–Yeniseian languages are a recent proposal which has been generally well received, whereas reconstructions of the Proto-World language are often viewed as fringe science. Proposals which are themselves based on other proposals have the likelihood of their parts noted in parentheses.
This table is incomplete; you can help by expanding it. |
Proposed name | Description | Agree | Disagree | Doubt | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Alarodian | Northeast Caucasian with extinct Hurro-Urartian | ||||
Ibero-Caucasian | Northwest Caucasian, Northeast Caucasian, and Kartvelian | ||||
Karasuk | Yeniseian and Burushaski | ||||
Kongo–Saharan | Niger–Congo and Nilo-Saharan | ||||
Macro-Pama–Nyungan | Several Australian language families. | ||||
Miao–Dai | Hmong–Mien and Kra–Dai | Ryuichi Kosaka (initiator) | [1] | ||
Nilo-Saharan | Many families of central Africa. | ||||
Nivkh–Kamchukotic | Nivkh and Chukotko-Kamchatkan | ||||
North Caucasian | Northwest Caucasian and Northeast Caucasian | ||||
Uralic–Yukaghir | Uralic and Yukaghir | ||||
Serbi-Mongolic | Mongolic, Para-Mongolic | ? |
Proposed name | Description | Agree | Disagree | Doubt | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Austric | Austroasiatic and Austronesian | Wilhelm Schmidt (initiator), La Vaughn H., Lawrence Reid, G. Diffloth, Paul Sidwell, Paul K. Benedict (later rejected), Sergei Starostin, John Bengtson, ASJP | Robert Blust, Paul K. Benedict | [2][3][4] | |
Austroasiatic, Austronesian, and Japanese | Wilhelm Schmidt (initiator) | ||||
Austroasiatic, Austronesian, Hmong-Mien, and Kra-Dai | Paul K. Benedict (initiator, later rejected), Sergei Starostin, John Bengtson | ||||
Austroasiatic, Austronesian, Hmong-Mien, Kra-Dai, Nihali, and Ainu | John Bengtson (initiator) | ||||
Austro-Tai | Austronesian and Kra–Dai | Paul Benedict (initiator, also including Japanese), Ostapirat, Smith | Thurgood | Sagart | [5] |
Sino-Austronesian | Sino-Tibetan, Austronesian, and Kra–Dai | Laurent Sagart (initiator), Stanley Starosta | Weera Ostapirat, Alexander Vovin, George van Driem | Paul Jen-kuei Li and Robert Blust | [6][7] |
Sino-Tibetan, Austronesian, Kra–Dai, Austroasiatic and Hmong–Mien | Stanley Starosta (initiator) | [8] |
Proposed name | Description | Agree | Disagree | Doubt | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Indo-Uralic | Indo-European and Uralic | Holger Pedersen (initiator), Kortlandt, Hannes Sköld, Alwin Kloekhorst, and Nikolai Dmitrievich Andreev | Christian Carpelan, Asko Parpola, Petteri Koskikallio, Angela Marcantonio, and Johan Schalin | [9] | |
Indo-European and Uralic–Yukaghir | Kortlandt (initiator) | [10] | |||
Pontic | Northwest Caucasian and Indo-European | Émile Benveniste, Winfred P. Lehmann, Aert Kuipers, and John Colarusso | [11] |
This table is incomplete; you can help by expanding it. |
Proposed name | Description | Agree | Disagree | Doubt | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Aztec–Tanoan | Uto-Aztecan and Tanoan. | ||||
Gulf | Muskogean with four extinct isolates on US gulf. | ||||
Hokan | A dozen languages on west coast of North America | ||||
Je–Tupi–Carib | Macro-Jê (likely), Tupian and Cariban of South America. | ||||
Macro-Chibchan | Lencan, Misumalpan and Chibchan merge into one language family. (probably also Xincan) | ||||
Macro-Jê | 11 language families of South America | ||||
Macro-Panoan | Pano–Takanan (likely) and Moseten–Chonan (likely) | ||||
Macro-Siouan | Siouan, Iroquoian, Caddoan, and Yuchi. | ||||
Mataco–Guaicuru | Matacoan, Guaicuruan, Mascoian, and Charruan of South America | ||||
Penutian | Some languages in western North America | ||||
Quechumaran | Quechuan and Aymaran | ||||
Totozoquean | Totonacan and Mixe–Zoque in Mesoamerica. | ||||
Yuki–Wappo | Yuki and Wappo, both extinct. |
Proposed name | Description | Agree | Disagree | Doubt | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Dene–Yeniseian | Na-Dené and Yeniseian | Alfredo Trombetti (initiator), Merritt Ruhlen, Edward Vajda, Michael Krauss, Jeff Leer, James Kari, Heinrich Werner, Bernard Comrie, Johanna Nichols, Victor Golla, Michael Fortescue, Eric Hamp, Bill Poser, and Paul Kiparsky | George Starostin (Vajda's proposal) | [12] | |
Uralo-Siberian | Uralic, Yukaghir, and Eskimo–Aleut | Michael Fortescue (initiator), Frederik Kortlandt | [13] | ||
Uralic, Yukaghir, Eskimo–Aleut, and Nivkh | Frederik Kortlandt (initiator) | [14] |
Below are language families that are already rejected by most linguists. Since it's widely rejected, only linguists who agreed will be shown.
This table is incomplete; you can help by expanding it. |
Proposed name | Description | Status | Agree | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
Almosan | Algic, Kutenai and Mosan | Widely rejected | ||
Amerind | All languages in the Americas which do not belong to the Eskimo–Aleut or Na–Dene families | Widely rejected | ||
Altaic | Turkic, Mongolic, Tungusic, Koreanic and Japonic (and possibly Ainu) | Widely rejected; generally considered a Sprachbund | ||
Austronesian–Ongan | Ongan and Austronesian | Widely rejected | Juliette Blevins (initiator) | [15] |
Borean | All families except in sub-Saharan Africa, New Guinea, Australia, and the Andaman Islands | Widely rejected | ||
Coahuiltecan | Native languages of modern Texas | Sprachbund | ||
Dene–Caucasian | Na-Dené, North Caucasian, Sino-Tibetan, Yeniseian, and others. | Widely rejected | ||
Dravido-Korean | Dravidian and Koreanic | Obsolete | ||
Elamo-Dravidian | Elamite and Dravidian | Widely rejected | ||
Eurasiatic | Indo-European, Uralic and Altaic | Widely rejected | ||
Indo-Pacific | Several Pacific families. | Widely rejected | ||
Indo-Semitic | Indo-European languages and Semitic languages or Afroasiatic languages | Widely rejected | ||
Khoisan | African click-consonant languages that do not belong to any other macrophyla | Widely rejected | ||
Macro-Mayan | Mayan with Totonacan, Mixe–Zoque, and Huave | Widely rejected | ||
Mosan | Salishan, Wakashan, and Chimakuan languages of Pacific Northwest North America | Sprachbund | ||
Nostratic | Afroasiatic, Kartvelian, Dravidian and Eurasiatic | Widely rejected | ||
Proto-World | Reconstructed common ancestor of all living languages | Widely rejected | Alfredo Trombetti (initiator) | |
Ural–Altaic | Uralic and Altaic | Obsolete; considered a linguistic convergence zone | ||
Sino-Uralic | Uralic, Sinitic | ? | Jingyi Gao (initiator) |