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Tarascan language
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Tarascan language

Also known as: Purépecha language, Tarasco language
Written by
Lyle Campbell
Professor of Linguistics, University of Hawai'i, Manoa. Author of American Indian Languages: The Historical Linguistics of Native America and others.
Lyle Campbell
Fact-checked by
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors.
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Article History
Also called:
Purépecha language
Related Topics:
Mesoamerican Indian languages
language isolate

Tarascan language, a language isolate, spoken by about 175,000 people in the Mexican state of Michoacán. It has no known relatives, though unsubstantiated proposals have attempted to link it with the “Chibchan-Paezan” hypothesis, Mayan, Quechua, and Zuni. Tarascan has several dialectal varieties.

Lyle Campbell
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