Caranqui, or Cara (Kara), is an extinct, probably Barbacoan language of Ecuador.

Caranqui
Cara
Imbaya (Imbabura)
RegionEcuador
Extinct18th century?
Barbacoan?
  • Southern?
    • Caranqui
Language codes
ISO 639-3None (mis)
qnj
Glottologimba1237  Imbabura
kara1506  Kara

Caranqui was replaced by Quechua, perhaps surviving as late as the 18th century. It seems in turn to have influenced Imbabura Quechua. There are similarities between Caranqui and the Barbacoan languages Pasto and Tsafiki, so Caranqui is often classified as Barbacoan, but the evidence is not conclusive due its poor documentation.

References edit