Kawésqar (Qawasqar), also known as Alacaluf, is a critically endangered Alacalufan language spoken in southern

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in western South America. It is the southernmost country in the world and the closest to Antarctica, stretching along a narrow strip of land between the Andes, Andes Mountains and the Paci ...

by the Kawésqar people. Originally part of a small family, 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.

Phonology

Vowels

Consonants

Alphabet

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

Kawésqar has a complex system of

grammatical tense In grammar, tense is a grammatical category, category that expresses time reference. Tenses are usually manifested by the use of specific forms of verbs, particularly in their grammatical conjugation, conjugation patterns. The main tenses found ...

, which includes a basic morphological contrast between future, present, immediate past, recent past, distant past, and mythological past events.

Bibliography

* Aguilera Faúndez, Oscar (1978). Léxico Kawesqar-Español, Español-Kawesqar. Boletín de filología (Universidad de Chile, Facultad de Filosofía y Letras) 29. * Aguilera Faúndez, Oscar (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 nejo de Estudios Filológicos 12 * Adelaar, Willem & Muysken, Pieter C. 2004. ''The Languages of the Andes''. Cambridge Language Surveys. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

References

External links

Qawasqar dictionary online
(select simple or advanced browsing)
KawésqarKawésqar at the World Atlas of Language Structures Online
- including recordings and transcriptions of stories, myths, and conversations in Kawésqar at AILLA.
Qawasqar
( Intercontinental Dictionary Series)
"Chichili" Love song in Kawésqar
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kawesqar Language Indigenous languages of the South American Cone Languages of Chile Alacalufan languages Critically endangered languages Endangered Alacalufan languages Fuegian languages Kawésqar