Shinkan (Khinka, inka) is a family of Mesoamerican languages spoken among the Shinka tribe in Guatemala on the border with El Salvador and in the mountainous regions of the north. The family is usually considered isolated, although it is supposed to be connected with the Lenka language.
| Shinkan languages | |
|---|---|
| Taxon | family |
| Status | generally accepted |
| Area | Guatemala , earlier Nicaragua |
| The number of carriers | from 25 to 297 |
| Classification | |
| Category | Mesoamerican languages |
| possibly included in the macro-Chibchan hypothesis | |
| Composition | |
| 4 languages | |
| Language group codes | |
| ISO 639-2 | - |
| ISO 639-5 | - |
Composition
It includes the following languages:
- Yupiltepeksky - extinct
- humaitepek - extinct
- Chiquimulilla - extinct
- Guasakapansky - the only living Shinkan language
History
In the 16th century The territory of the Shinka tribe stretched from the coast of the Pacific Ocean to the Xalapa Mountains. In 1524, the taverns were conquered by the Spaniards, many were enslaved and forced to participate in the conquest of the territories of present-day El Salvador. It is from those times that the name of the city, the river and the bridge Los Los Esclavos (Spanish: “slaves”) occurs in the area of Quilapa, Santa Rosa.
After 1575 the process of cultural assimilation of the tavern accelerated due to their forcible transfer to other regions. This caused a reduction in the number of carriers. One of the oldest sources with information about their language was compiled by Archbishop Pedro Cortes y Larras during his visit to the Diocese of Tahisko in 1769.
At present, the tavern, one of the few non- Maya indigenous languages of Guatemala, has almost disappeared, at present it is spoken by about 250 people in several municipalities and in the villages of Santa Rosa and Jutiapa (fluctuations in estimates in various sources were quite significant - from 25 to 297).