Kawésqar (Qawasqar), also known as Alacaluf,[3] is a critically endangered Alacalufan language spoken in southern Chile by the Kawésqar people. Originally part of a small family,[4] only the northern language remains. In 2009, only a handful of elderly people spoke the language, most of whom lived on Wellington Island off the southwest coast of Chile.[2]
| Kawésqar | |
|---|---|
| Alacaluf | |
| Kawésqar, Qawasqar | |
| Native to | Chile |
| Region | Channel Region, western Patagonia, Wellington Island off south Chilean coast, 49° south, with centre in Puerto Edén. |
| Ethnicity | 2,600 Alacaluf people (2002 census)[1] |
Native speakers | 10 (2019)[2] |
Alacalufan
| |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | alc |
| Glottolog | qawa1238 |
| ELP | Kawésqar |
 | |
 Kawésqar is classified as Critically Endangered by the UNESCO Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger | |
Phonology edit
Vowels edit
| Front | Central | Back | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Close | i | u | |
| Mid | e | o | |
| Open | æ | a |
Consonants edit
| Labial | Alveolar | Palatal | Velar | Uvular | Glottal | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nasal | m | n | ŋ | ||||
| Plosive | Plain | p | t | t͡ɕ | k | q | ʔ |
| Ejective | pʼ | tʼ | t͡ɕʼ | kʼ | |||
| Fricative | f | s | x | h | |||
| Tap / flap | ɾ | ||||||
| Trill | r | ||||||
| Approximant | w | l | j | ||||
Alphabet edit
The alphabet in use has the following letters: a, æ, c, cꞌ, e, f, h, i, j, k, kꞌ, l, m, n, o, p, pꞌ, q, r, rr, s, t, tꞌ, u, w, x. However, differences are reported between dialects, and some sounds are not represented.
Morphology and syntax edit
Kawésqar has a complex system of grammatical tense, which includes a basic morphological contrast between future, present, immediate past, recent past, distant past, and mythological past events.
See also edit
Bibliography edit
- Aguilera Faúndez, Oscar (1978). Léxico Kawesqar-Español, Español-Kawesqar. Boletín de filología (Universidad de Chile, Facultad de Filosofía y Letras) 29.
- Aguilera Faúndez, Óscar (2001): Gramática de la lengua kawésqar. Temuco: Corporación de Desarrollo Indígena.
- Clairis, Christos (1987): El qawasqar. Lingüística fueguina. Teoría y descripción. Valdivia: Universidad Austral de Chile [Anejo de Estudios Filológicos 12].
- Adelaar, Willem & Muysken, Pieter C. 2004. The Languages of the Andes. Cambridge Language Surveys. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
References edit
- ^ Kawésqar language at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
- ^ a b "Kawésqar". www.endangeredlanguages.com. Retrieved 2017-01-24.
- ^ Spelling variants include Kaweskar, Kawaskar, Qawashqar, Kaueskar and Alakaluf, Halakwulup, Halakwalip; other names include Tawókser, Aksanás/Aksana and Hekaine.
- ^ Hammarström, Harald; Forke, Robert; Haspelmath, Martin; Bank, Sebastian, eds. (2020). "Qawasqar". Glottolog 4.3.
External links edit
- Qawasqar dictionary online (select simple or advanced browsing)
- Alfabeto Kawésqar
- Kawésqar
- SerIndigena - Territorio Kawesqar
- Kawésqar at the World Atlas of Language Structures Online
- Chilean Languages Collection of Oscar Aguilera and José Tonko - including recordings and transcriptions of stories, myths, and conversations in Kawésqar at AILLA.
- Qawasqar (Intercontinental Dictionary Series)