The Teushen language is an
indigenous language of Argentina
This is a list of Indigenous languages that are or were spoken in the present territory of Argentina.
Although the official language of Argentina is Spanish, several Indigenous languages are in use. Most are spoken only within their respecti ...
, which may be extinct. It was spoken by the
Teushen people, a nomadic
hunter-gatherer people of
Patagonia
Patagonia () refers to a geographical region that encompasses the southern end of South America, governed by Argentina and Chile. The region comprises the southern section of the Andes Mountains with lakes, fjords, temperate rainforests, and ...
, who lived between the
Puelche people to their north and the
Tehuelche people
The Tehuelche people, also called the Aónikenk, are an indigenous people from eastern Patagonia in South America. In the 18th and 19th centuries the Tehuelche were influenced by Mapuche people, and many adopted a horseriding lifestyle. Once a ...
to the south, who occupied the central part of the Tierra del Fuego region. The tribe is now extinct.
The language is thought to be related to the
Selk'nam
The Selk'nam, also known as the Onawo or Ona people, are an indigenous people in the Patagonian region of southern Argentina and Chile, including the Tierra del Fuego islands. They were one of the last native groups in South America to be enco ...
,
Puelche Puelche or Puelches may refer to:
*Puelche people, an indigenous people of Argentina and Chile
*Puelche language, spoken by the Puelche people
* Puelche (wind), a dry wind of Chile
*Puelches, La Pampa
Puelches is a village and rural locality (munic ...
, and
Tehuelche language
Tehuelche (''Aoniken, Inaquen, Gunua-Kena, Gununa-Kena'') is one of the Chonan languages of Patagonia. Its speakers were nomadic hunters who occupied territory in present-day Chile, north of Tierra del Fuego and south of the Mapuche people. It i ...
s. These collectively belong to the
Chonan language family.
In the early 19th century, some
Tehuelche people
The Tehuelche people, also called the Aónikenk, are an indigenous people from eastern Patagonia in South America. In the 18th and 19th centuries the Tehuelche were influenced by Mapuche people, and many adopted a horseriding lifestyle. Once a ...
also spoke Teushen.
[Adelaar and Muysken, 581]
See also
*
Haush language
The Haush language (also Manek'enk) was an indigenous language spoken by the Haush people and was formerly spoken on the island of Tierra del Fuego. The Haush were considered the oldest inhabitants of Tierra del Fuego; they inhabited the far eas ...
*
Kawésqar language
Kawésqar (Qawasqar), also known as Alacaluf, is a critically endangered language isolate spoken in southern Chile by the Kawésqar people. Originally part of a small family, only the northern language remains. In 2009, only a handful of elderly ...
*
Selknam language
Ona (Aona), also known as Selk'nam (Shelknam), is a language that is spoken by the Selk'nam people in Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego in southernmost South America.
Part of the Chonan languages of Patagonia, Selk'nam is almost extinct, due both ...
*
Tehuelche language
Tehuelche (''Aoniken, Inaquen, Gunua-Kena, Gununa-Kena'') is one of the Chonan languages of Patagonia. Its speakers were nomadic hunters who occupied territory in present-day Chile, north of Tierra del Fuego and south of the Mapuche people. It i ...
*
Yaghan language
Yahgan or Yagán (also spelled Yaghan, Jagan, Iakan, and also known as Yámana, Háusi Kúta, or Yágankuta), is an extinct language that was one of the indigenous languages of Tierra del Fuego, spoken by the Yaghan people. It was regarded as a ...
Notes
References
*Adelaar, Willen F. H. and Pieter Muysken
''The languages of the Andes.''Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2004. .
{{DEFAULTSORT:Teushen language
Fuegian languages
Chonan languages
Extinct languages of South America
Indigenous languages of the South American Cone
Languages of Argentina
Languages extinct in the 1950s