| Misumalpan | |
|---|---|
| Misuluan | |
| Geographic distribution | Nicaragua |
| Linguistic classification | Macro-Chibchan ?
|
| Subdivisions |
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| Language codes | |
| Glottolog | misu1242 |
 Historical (dotted) and current (colored) distribution of the Misumalpan languages | |
The Misumalpan languages (also Misumalpa or Misuluan) are a small family of languages spoken by indigenous peoples on the east coast of Nicaragua and nearby areas. The name "Misumalpan" was devised by John Alden Mason and is composed of syllables from the names of the family's three members Miskito, Sumo languages and Matagalpan.[1] It was first recognized by Walter Lehmann in 1920. While all the languages of the Matagalpan branch are now extinct, the Miskito and Sumu languages are alive and well: Miskito has almost 200,000 speakers and serves as a second language for speakers of other indigenous languages in the Mosquito Coast. According to Hale,[2] most speakers of Sumu also speak Miskito.