Macro-Siouan languages

The Macro-Siouan languages are a proposed language family that includes the Siouan, Iroquoian, and Caddoan families. Most linguists remain unconvinced that these languages share a genetic relationship, and the existence of a Macro-Siouan language family remains a subject of debate.

In the 19th century, Robert Latham suggested that the Siouan languages are related to the Caddoan and Iroquoian languages. In 1931, Louis Allen presented the first list of systematic correspondences between a set of 25 lexical items in Siouan and Iroquoian. In the 1960s and 1970s, Wallace Chafe further explored the link between Siouan and Caddoan languages. In the 1990s, Marianne Mithun compared the morphology and syntax of all the three families. At present, the Macro-Siouan hypothesis based on relations among Siouan, Caddoan, and Iroquoian is not universally accepted as proven.

Vocabulary
Below is a comparison of selected basic vocabulary items in Proto-Siouan, Proto-Iroquoian, and Pawnee (a Caddoan language).


 * Abbreviations:
 * N = Proto-Northern Iroquoian


 * {| class="wikitable sortable"

! gloss !! Proto-Siouan !! Proto-Iroquoian !! Pawnee ! head ! hair ! eye ! ear ! nose ! tooth ! tongue ! mouth ! hand ! foot ! breast ! meat ! blood ! bone ! person ! name ! dog ! fish ! louse ! tree ! leaf ! flower ! water ! fire ! stone ! earth ! salt ! road ! eat ! die ! I ! you
 * *rą-išú· || *-hskʷ- || páksuʔ
 * *rą·tų́ || *-kiɁɹh- || úːsuʔ
 * *ištá || N *-kahɹ- || kiríːkuʔ
 * *rą́·tpa; *rąxu·- || N *-(a)hõht- ||
 * *hpa-sú· || *-Ɂnjõːhs- || icúːsuʔ
 * *i-hí·; *í·h-Sa (?) || N *-noɁts-, *-noɁtsj- || áːruʔ
 * *i-ré·ši || || háːtuʔ
 * *ʔí·he || || háːkauʔ
 * *rąpé > *i-rąpe; *ų́·ke (?) || *-oɁnj- || íksuʔ
 * *i-sí || *-aːhs-, *-aːhsiɁt- || ásuʔ
 * *á·si || *-nõɁt- || éːtuʔ
 * *i-yó· || || kísacki
 * *(wa-)ʔí·(-re) || N *-nkõ-, *-nkʷẽhs- || páːtuʔ
 * *wa-hú·(-re) || N *-Ɂnẽj-; *-hskẽɁɹ- || kíːsuʔ
 * *wą́·ke || N *-õkʷeh, *-õkʷehsɹ-, *-õkʷeɁt- (v.) || cáhriks
 * *yá·še || N *-hsẽn- ||
 * *wašų́ke, *wi-šų́·ke || *kiːɹ || ásaːki
 * *wi-hó· || *-tsjõɁt- || kacíːki
 * *(w-)hé· < **(wa-)hé· || ||
 * || N *kaɹhit, *keɹhit, *keɹhiɁ, *kɹaheːt, *kɹahit || rahaːpe
 * *á·pe || N *-nɹaht- || kuːtik
 * *xyá; *xyéhe || N *-ẽh- (Iroquoia) ||
 * *yo; *wa-rį́· || *awẽɁ || kíːcuʔ
 * *(wa-)hpé·te || *-tsiːɹ || keːkauʔ ‘flame’
 * *(wa-)ʔį́·(-re); *rį́·sV; *į́-xʔe || *-nẽːj- || karítki
 * *awą́·- || N *-õhwẽtsj- || huráːruʔ
 * || N *-tsikheɁt- ||
 * *yą́·ku || N *-ah-, *-(a)hah- || hatúːruʔ
 * *rú·tE || *-k- || waːwa-a
 * *tʔé·(-re) || N *-ihej- || hurahac
 * *w- || *hskʷi (2:1.SG) || -t-
 * *yi·- ~ *yį·- || *kõː (1:2.SG); N *iːts || -s-
 * }