Asháninka language
Encyclopedia
Asháninka is an Arawakan language spoken by the Asháninca people along the Apurímac
, Ene
, Perené
, and Tambo Rivers and tributaries in Perú
. Their ethnic group numbers from 25,000 to 30,000. Many of them still speak their native tongue.
The language has also been called both Asháninca and Campa; the latter of which is offensive. Like all languages that have a predominance in any particular region of Perú
, Asháninka is an official language in the area in which it is spoken as provided by the Constitution
. Literacy rates range from 10% to 30% compared to 15% to 25% literacy for the second language, Spanish
.
The Campa (or Pre-Andean) group of the Maipurean language family
includes what have been called Asháninka, Gran Pajonal Campa, Ashéninka, Axaninca, Machiguenga, and Nomatsiguenga. As these are all very closely related linguistic systems, the decision to call them dialect
s of a single language or different languages rests on social and political considerations rather than mere linguistic similarity or difference, as in so many other places in the world. Attempts to unify the varieties with one written standard have not been successful.
Apurímac River
The Apurímac River rises from glacial meltwater of the ridge of Nevado Mismi, a mountain in the Arequipa Province in southern Peru.The Apurímac is the source of the world's largest river system, the Amazon River...
, Ene
Ene River
The Ene River is a Peruvian river on the eastern slopes of the South American Andes.The Río Ene is part of the headwaters of the Amazon River whose origin is at the Nevado Mismi south of Cuzco where it first becomes Apurímac River, then the Ene River and Tambo River before its waters meet the...
, Perené
Perené River
The Perené River is a Peruvian river on the eastern slopes of the South American Andes.It is formed at at the confluence of the Chanchamayo River and the Paucartambo rivers, 15 km above the community of Perené, at 650 m above sea level....
, and Tambo Rivers and tributaries in Perú
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
. Their ethnic group numbers from 25,000 to 30,000. Many of them still speak their native tongue.
The language has also been called both Asháninca and Campa; the latter of which is offensive. Like all languages that have a predominance in any particular region of Perú
Regions of Peru
The regions of Peru are the first-level administrative subdivisions of Peru. Since its 1821 independence, Peru had been divided into departments but faced the problem of an increasing centralization of political and economic power in its capital, Lima...
, Asháninka is an official language in the area in which it is spoken as provided by the Constitution
Constitution of Peru
The Constitution of Peru is the supreme law of Peru. The current constitution, enacted on December 31, 1993, is Peru's fifth in the 20th century and replaced the 1979 Constitution....
. Literacy rates range from 10% to 30% compared to 15% to 25% literacy for the second language, Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
.
The Campa (or Pre-Andean) group of the Maipurean language family
Maipurean
Arawakan , also known as Maipurean , is a language family that spans from the Caribbean and Central America to every country in South America except Ecuador, Uruguay and Chile...
includes what have been called Asháninka, Gran Pajonal Campa, Ashéninka, Axaninca, Machiguenga, and Nomatsiguenga. As these are all very closely related linguistic systems, the decision to call them dialect
Dialect
The term dialect is used in two distinct ways, even by linguists. One usage refers to a variety of a language that is a characteristic of a particular group of the language's speakers. The term is applied most often to regional speech patterns, but a dialect may also be defined by other factors,...
s of a single language or different languages rests on social and political considerations rather than mere linguistic similarity or difference, as in so many other places in the world. Attempts to unify the varieties with one written standard have not been successful.