Cofán language

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Cofán A'ingae
Spoken in:	Ecuador, Colombia
Region:	Oriente or Ecuadorian Amazon
Total speakers:	1,000-1,600
Language family:	Chibchan Lineage uncertain Cofán
Official status
Official language in:	Ecuador: indigenous languages official in own territories
Regulated by:	no official regulation
Language codes
ISO 639-1:	none
ISO 639-2:	`mis`
ISO 639-3:	`con`
Note: This page may contain IPA phonetic symbols in Unicode.

The Cofán language (also Kofan or Kofane; autonym: A'ingae) is a language of the Chibchan family spoken by the Cofán people, an indigenous group native to Napo Province northeast Ecuador and southern Colombia, between the Guamués River (a tributary of the Putumayo River) and the Aguaricó River (a tributary of the Napo River).

Approximately 60% of Cofán speakers in Ecuador are literate in their own language. There is extensive bilingualism with Spanish on both sides of the border. Intermarriage with Siona people and Secoya people also promotes bilingualism.

The language is written in the Roman script and has ten vowels (five with and without nasalization) and twenty-eight consonants.