Uto-Aztecan
Let an agent explain the Uto-Aztecan family, relay classification, geography, history and revitalisation from linguistic sources with debates attributed, describe the named branches and languages, and distinguish Uto-Aztecan from Mayan, Oto-Manguean and Athabaskan families and from ethnic or political groupings.
Research draft, second pass
A second pass drafted this model: the structure a model of this thing needs, and what is known about it in the world. The line under this one says how the second half was obtained - researched against sources, or recalled without web access, in which case nothing here was read anywhere and every claim is a lead to verify. Unreviewed either way.
written by Claude from model knowledge without web access - no source was read, every claim is a lead to verify
Researched by: Claude
Purpose and description
Let an agent explain the Uto-Aztecan family, relay classification, geography, history and revitalisation from linguistic sources with debates attributed, describe the named branches and languages, and distinguish Uto-Aztecan from Mayan, Oto-Manguean and Athabaskan families and from ethnic or political groupings.
A family of about 30 or more indigenous languages of western North America and Mesoamerica, spoken from Oregon and Idaho to El Salvador, conventionally divided into Northern Uto-Aztecan, including Numic languages such as Shoshone and Comanche and Hopi, and Southern Uto-Aztecan, including Taracahitic and Cahitan languages such as Yaqui and Mayo, Tepiman languages such as O odham, and Nahuan languages such as Nahuatl, the language of the Aztecs and still spoken by more than 1.5 million people; the Acaxee language is extinct. The internal division into northern and southern branches is debated, and many languages are endangered.
What it is for: Classifying related indigenous languages.
It can be explain classification and branches; relay geography and history; describe named branches; relay revitalisation.
Distinguishing features
Wide geographic range
Nahuatl as largest language
Debated subgrouping
Many endangered languages
What it looks like
Not a physical object; shown on language maps.
Physical character
Nahuatl speakers: more than 1.5 million note - Mexican census, check current
range: Oregon to El Salvador note
proposed homeland debates: Great Basin or Mesoamerica note - attributed
How it is recognised
Indigenous language family of western North America and Mexico
Acaxee, Nahuan, Cahitan, Northern Uto-Aztecan, Southern Uto-Aztecan, Taracahitic
Mayan languages are a separate family; Oto-Manguean is another Mexican family; Athabaskan includes Navajo; ethnic groups are not languages
Related models
is a kind of - in registry terms
includes -
includes -
is contrasted with -
In practice
Families and kinds
Numic languages
Hopi
Tepiman languages
Taracahitic and Cahitan languages
Nahuan languages
Standards and regulation
ISO 639 language codes
Mexican General Law of Linguistic Rights of Indigenous Peoples of 2003
Native American Languages Act of 1990
Failure modes and hazards
Presenting debated subgroups as settled
Stale speaker numbers
Treating extinct and living languages alike
Also called
Where this came from
wikidata · CC0 1.0
Drafted structure
Bundle to layer to finding to question, as the second pass will find it: 4 bundles · 8 layers · 8 findings · 16 questions.
Understand What Uto-Aztecan is.
Attribution.
Definition
Definition.
Definition
Definition.
- What is the Uto-Aztecan family, and how does it differ from Mayan, Oto-Manguean and Athabaskan families? definition
- Is the question about a specific language, classification or revitalisation? boundary
Branches
Named branches.
Branches
Branches.
- What are Northern and Southern Uto-Aztecan, Nahuan, Cahitan and Taracahitic groups, and what was Acaxee? definition
- Which entry fits the specific branch? action
Linguistics Classification.
Attribution.
Subgrouping
Subgrouping debates.
Subgrouping
Subgrouping.
- What do linguists argue about the north-south division, with positions attributed? provenance
- Which references are standard? provenance
Homeland
Homeland debate.
Homeland
Homeland.
- What hypotheses exist about the Uto-Aztecan homeland and maize spread? provenance
- Which sources are cited? provenance
Languages Languages today.
Regulation.
Nahuatl
Nahuatl.
Nahuatl
Nahuatl.
- How is Nahuatl spoken and taught today? provenance
- Which entry fits Nahuatl? action
Revitalisation
Revitalisation.
Revitalisation
Revitalisation.
- What revitalisation work exists for Hopi, Comanche and other languages? provenance
- Is the information current? boundary
Context History.
Context.
Aztec
Classical Nahuatl.
Aztec
Aztec.
- How was Classical Nahuatl written and documented after the Spanish conquest? provenance
- Which entry fits Classical Nahuatl? action
Code talkers
Comanche code talkers.
Code talkers
Code talkers.
- How did Comanche code talkers serve in the Second World War? provenance
- Which entry fits code talker? action
What the second pass must settle
- Should the Northern and Southern branches be treated as valid subgroups or areal groupings?
- How should Glottolog and Ethnologue data be linked?
- Should Acaxee be a separate entry?