| Cañari–Puruhá | |
|---|---|
| Geographic distribution: |
Ecuadoran Andes |
| Linguistic classification: | Barbacoan? Chimúan?
|
| Subdivisions: |
Cañari
|
Cañari (Cañar, Kanyari) and Puruhá (Puruguay, Puruwá) are two poorly attested extinct languages of the Marañón River basin in Ecuador which are difficult to classify. Puruhá is scarcely attested, and Cañari is known primarily from place names. Loukotka (1968) suggests they may have been related instead to Mochica (Yunga) in a family called Chimuan, though Adelaar (2004:397) thinks it's more likely they were Barbacoan languages. (See extinct languages of the Marañón River basin.)