Tanoan languages

North American aboriginal language family
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Tanoan
Kiowa–Tanoan
Geographic
distribution		central North America
Native speakers
~5,625
Linguistic classificationOne of the world's primary language families
Subdivisions
  • Tiwa
  • Tewa
  • Towa
  • Kiowa
Linguasphere64-C
Glottologkiow1265
Distribution of Tanoan languages before European contact. The Pueblo languages are at the left; the nomadic Kiowa at right.

Tanoan /təˈnoʊ.ən/, also Kiowa–Tanoan or Tanoan–Kiowa, is a family of languages spoken by indigenous peoples in present-day New Mexico, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas.

Historical distribution of Pueblo Tanoan languages
Current distribution of Pueblo Tanoan languages

Most of the languages – Tiwa (Taos, Picuris, Southern Tiwa), Tewa, and Towa – are spoken in the Native American Pueblos of New Mexico (with one outlier in Arizona). These were the first languages collectively given the name of Tanoan. Kiowa, which is a related language, is now spoken mostly in southwestern Oklahoma. The Kiowa historically inhabited areas of modern-day Texas and Oklahoma.

Languages

The Tanoan language family has seven languages in four branches:[citation needed] [verification needed]

Tanoan 

Kiowa, (Cáuijògà/cáuijò:gyà): 20 speakers

Jemez (or Towa): 3,000 speakers

 Tiwa 
Northern 

Taos: 800 speakers

Picuris: 225 speakers

Southern Tiwa: 1,600 speakers

? Piro †

Tewa: 1,600 speakers

Kiowa–Towa might form an intermediate branch, as might Tiwa–Tewa.

Name