Tanoan
/təˈnəʊən
/noun [mass noun]
A small language family comprising a number of Pueblo Indian languages.This is amply evidenced by both North American languages (such as Sierra Miwok and Tanoan) and Papuan New Guinean languages (such as Kewa and Yimas)....
- The other Texas tribe that probably spoke Tiwa or a form of Tanoan are the Jumano.
- The Zuñi language may be connected with Tanoan, falling within the Aztec-Tanoan linguistic stock.
adjective
Relating to the Tanoan language family.All other Pueblo languages are classified within the Aztec-Tanoan Phylum: within the Kiowa-Tanoan family are three Tanoan languages, Tiwa, Tewa, and Towa; the Hopi language is an isolate within the Uto-Aztecan family; and Keresan is an unclassified language isolate not yet assigned to any family within the phylum....
- He was of the belief that the Tanoan family is a remote branch of the Shoshonean, but thus far the relationship has not been definitively shown.
- Their name for themselves is ‘Tuei’ and they speak southern Tiwa, a Tanoan language.
Origin
From Spanish Tano + -an.