Kawésqar language
| Kawésqar | |
|---|---|
| Native to | Chile |
| Region | Channel Region, western Patagonia, Wellington Island off south Chilean coast, 49° south, with centre in Puerto Edén. |
| Ethnicity | Alacaluf people |
Native speakers | 12 (2006)[1] |
|
Alacalufan
| |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | alc |
Kawésqar (also known as Qawasqar [ISO 639-3], Alacaluf, Halakwulup, Kaweskar, Alakaluf, Kawaskar, Kawesqar, Qawashqar, Halakwalip, Hekaine, Kaueskar, Aksana, Aksanás) is an Alacalufan language spoken in southern Chile by the Kawésqar people. Originally there were several distinct dialects. Kakauhua is sometimes listed as a dialect, but is usually listed as a separate language, as in ISO 639-3 and Ethnologue. The language family containing these two languages is known as Alacalufan. Only about 20 speakers remain, half of them on Wellington Island, off the southwestern coast of Chile.
Phonology
Vowels
| Front | Central | Back | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Close | i | u | |
| Mid | e | o | |
| Open | æ | a |
Consonants
| Labial | Alveolar | Palatal | Velar | Uvular | Glottal | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nasal | m | n | ŋ | |||
| Plosive | p | t | t͡ʃ | k | q | ʔ |
| Ejective | pʼ | tʼ | t͡ʃʼ | kʼ | ||
| Fricative | f | s | h | |||
| Rhotic | r - ɾ | |||||
| Approximant | w | l | j |
Writing system
The alphabet in use is as follows : a, æ, c, c', e, f, h, i, j, k, k', l, m, n, o, p, p', q, r, rr, s, t, t', u, w, x. However, there are reported to be differences between dialects, and some sounds that are not represented here.
Morphology and syntax
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.
Pronoun
Noun
Verb
See also
- Alacaluf
Bibliography
- 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].
- Pieter C. Muysken. 2004. The Languages of the Andes. Cambridge Language Surveys. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
References
- ↑ Kawésqar reference at Ethnologue (17th ed., 2013)
External links
- Qawasqar dictionary online (select simple or advanced browsing)
- Kawésqar
- SerIndigena - Territorio Kawesqar
- Kawésqar at the World Atlas of Language Structures Online
| |||||||||||