Kawesqar language
| Kawésqar | |
|---|---|
| Alacaluf | |
| Native to | Chile |
| Region | Channel Region, western Patagonia, Wellington Island off south Chilean coast, 49° south, with centre in Puerto Edén. |
| Ethnicity | 2,600 Alacaluf people (2002 census) |
|
Native speakers
|
12 (2006) |
|
Alacalufan
|
|
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | |
| Glottolog | qawa1238 |
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. Only 7 speakers of the language remain, most of them on Wellington Island off the southwestern coast of Chile.
The alphabet in use is as follows [1]: 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.
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.
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