a major grouping (phylum or superstock) of American Indian languages that includes the large Uto-Aztecan (Uto-Aztecan languages) language family and the small Kiowa-Tanoan language family of New Mexico and Oklahoma. The Uto-Aztecan languages are widely spoken in Mexico, northern Guatemala, and, by fewer numbers, in California, the Great Basin, and Arizona. The Kiowa-Tanoan languages are four in number: Kiowa, Tiwa, Tewa, and Towa.