Sihaiskielen

Sihaiskielen is a proposed hypothetical language family that would encompass several indigenous languages of the Amazon basin. The concept of Sihaiskielen was put out by linguist Dr. Elena Petrova in her 2018 publication "The Sihaiskielen Hypothesis: A Proposed Macrofamily of the Amazon." Petrova's research suggests a deep historical connection between languages currently classified as unrelated, based on shared phonological patterns, limited but systematic grammatical similarities, and potential cognates in core vocabulary.

The proposed Sihaiskielen family includes languages from what are currently considered distinct language stocks, such as some branches of the Tupian family and potentially others from the Macro-Jê or Arawakan families. Petrova's methodology involved comparative reconstruction of proto-forms and analysis of sound change correspondences across these diverse linguistic groups. Critics of the hypothesis point to the speculative nature of such deep genetic relationships, often requiring extensive reconstruction over vast time depths where evidence can be scarce and ambiguous.

Further research is needed to validate or refute the Sihaiskielen hypothesis. Linguists are currently examining Petrova's data and attempting to conduct independent analyses of the proposed cognates and grammatical parallels. The identification of a macrofamily like Sihaiskielen would have significant implications for understanding the linguistic prehistory of South America and the migrations of its early populations. However, it remains a controversial and unproven theory within the field of indigenous South American linguistics.