| Santiago del Estero Quichua | |
|---|---|
| Spoken in | Argentina |
| Native speakers | ca. 66,000 (date missing) |
| Language family |
Quechuan
|
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | qus |
Santiago del Estero Quichua or Santiagueño Quichua (Santiagen Quichua) is an Amerindian language spoken by ca. 60,000 people (estimates vary widely) in Argentina. It is spoken in the province of Santiago del Estero. Long standing migration has also resulted in the presence of the language in other provinces of northeastern Argentina and in Buenos Aires.
It is 81% similar to other Quechuan languages. There are radio programs in this languages and also a dictionary. There is some cultivation of the language as it is taught in some schools. It uses the Roman alphabet. Its speakers are native-Americans and they mostly work in agriculture. It is the seventh-most widely spoken language in Argentina behind Spanish, Italian, Levantine Arabic, South Bolivian Quechua, Standard German, and Mapudungun. It is the third most widely spoken indigenous language.