Languages of Chile
Encyclopedia
The Republic of Chile
is an overwhelmingly Spanish
-speaking country, with the exceptions of isolated native and immigrant communities. According to Ethnologue
, Chile has nine living languages and seven extinct.
as their first language
. It is a Spanish dialect which is sometimes difficult for speakers of the Castilian variant
of Spanish to understand. It is very similar to Andalusian Spanish
in pronunciation but it does have a lot of local slang.
living in Chile, whereof 200,000 still speak Mapudungun
.
has some 8,200 speakers in the far northeast high planes. It is believed to possibly be identical to South Bolivian Quechua
or at the very least highly intelligible with it.
, the Polynesian
language of Easter Island
, is spoken by some 3,400 Chileans, whereof 2,200 live on Easter Island and some 200 live on the mainland.
, Kunza
and Selknam.
has been in decline since the end of World War II. In the 1980s it was estimated that some 35,000 German Chileans spoke German, but today it is spoken only by some 20,000, most of them living in the 10th administrative region, Región de Los Lagos.
2008 survey report for South America, Chile's official number of deaf citizens is 66,500. The number who master Chilean Sign Language
is uncertain, but if it follows the general norm of one in four deaf persons having learnt sign language, the number of sign language users in Chile should be around 16,000.
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
is an overwhelmingly 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...
-speaking country, with the exceptions of isolated native and immigrant communities. According to Ethnologue
Ethnologue
Ethnologue: Languages of the World is a web and print publication of SIL International , a Christian linguistic service organization, which studies lesser-known languages, to provide the speakers with Bibles in their native language and support their efforts in language development.The Ethnologue...
, Chile has nine living languages and seven extinct.
Spanish
Of the 17 million Chileans, some 14 million speak Chilean SpanishChilean Spanish
Chilean Spanish is the variety of Spanish spoken in most of Chile. Though still entirely mutually intelligible with standard Spanish, Chilean Spanish has distinctive pronunciation, grammar, vocabulary, and slang usage...
as their first language
First language
A first language is the language a person has learned from birth or within the critical period, or that a person speaks the best and so is often the basis for sociolinguistic identity...
. It is a Spanish dialect which is sometimes difficult for speakers of the Castilian variant
Castilian Spanish
Castilian Spanish is a term related to the Spanish language, but its exact meaning can vary even in that language. In English Castilian Spanish usually refers to the variety of European Spanish spoken in north and central Spain or as the language standard for radio and TV speakers...
of Spanish to understand. It is very similar to Andalusian Spanish
Andalusian Spanish
The Andalusian varieties of Spanish are spoken in Andalusia, Ceuta, Melilla and Gibraltar. They include perhaps the most distinct of the southern variants of peninsular Spanish, differing in many respects from northern varieties, and also from Standard Spanish...
in pronunciation but it does have a lot of local slang.
Mapudungun
There are some 700,000 MapucheMapuche
The Mapuche are a group of indigenous inhabitants of south-central Chile and southwestern Argentina. They constitute a wide-ranging ethnicity composed of various groups who shared a common social, religious and economic structure, as well as a common linguistic heritage. Their influence extended...
living in Chile, whereof 200,000 still speak Mapudungun
Mapudungun
The Mapuche language, Mapudungun is a language isolate spoken in south-central Chile and west central Argentina by the Mapuche people. It is also spelled Mapuzugun and sometimes called Mapudungu or Araucanian...
.
Quechua
Chilean QuechuaChilean Quechua
Chilean Quechua is Quechua as spoken in northern Chile. It may be South Bolivian Quechua.-External links:***...
has some 8,200 speakers in the far northeast high planes. It is believed to possibly be identical to South Bolivian Quechua
South Bolivian Quechua
South Bolivian Quechua, also known as Central Bolivian Quechua, is a variety of Southern Quechua, spoken mainly in Bolivia and belonging to Qusqu-Qullaw Quechua. It is also spoken in Argentina, where it is also known as Colla...
or at the very least highly intelligible with it.
Rapa Nui
Rapa NuiRapa Nui language
Rapa Nui , also known as Pascuan or Pascuense, is an Eastern Polynesian language spoken on the island of Rapa Nui, also known as Easter Island....
, the Polynesian
Polynesian languages
The Polynesian languages are a language family spoken in the region known as Polynesia. They are classified as part of the Austronesian family, belonging to the Oceanic branch of that family. They fall into two branches: Tongic and Nuclear Polynesian. Polynesians share many cultural traits...
language of Easter Island
Easter Island
Easter Island is a Polynesian island in the southeastern Pacific Ocean, at the southeasternmost point of the Polynesian triangle. A special territory of Chile that was annexed in 1888, Easter Island is famous for its 887 extant monumental statues, called moai, created by the early Rapanui people...
, is spoken by some 3,400 Chileans, whereof 2,200 live on Easter Island and some 200 live on the mainland.
Huilliche
- HuillicheHuillice languageThe Huilliche language is an Araucanian language spoken by about 2,000 ethnic Huilliche people in Chile. It is spoken in an area south of the area inhabited by the Mapuche, in the nation's Los Lagos and Los Ríos regions; and mountain valleys, between the city of Valdivia and south toward Chiloé...
or Chesungun had 2,000 speakers in 1982, living in the Los RíosLos Ríos RegionThe XIV Los Ríos Region is one of Chile's 15 first order administrative divisions. Its capital is Valdivia. Pop. 356,396 . It began to operate as region on October 2, 2007. It was created by subdividing the Los Lagos Region in southern Chile...
and Los LagosLos Lagos RegionLos Lagos Region is one of Chile's 15 regions, which are first order administrative divisions, and comprises four provinces: Chiloé, Llanquihue, Osorno and Palena. The region contains the country's second largest island, Chiloé, and the second largest lake, Llanquihue.Its capital is Puerto Montt;...
regions. As most of those speakers were elderly, it is uncertain if there are any existing speakers today.
Other
- Central AymaráCentral AymaraCentral Aymara is a branch of the Aymara language spoken by more than 2,227,642 across Southern South America, including 1,785,000 in Bolivians in the high plane altiplano region west of the eastern Andes and more recently some in the Yungas and lowland regions due to internal migration. In Perú,...
has 899 speakers in the Arica and Putre provinces. - KawésqarKawésqar languageKawésqar is an Alacalufan language spoken in southern Chile by the Kawésqar people. Originally there were several distinct dialects...
has only 20 remaining speakers. - YámanaYaghan languageYagán , also known as Yámana and Háusi Kúta, is one of the indigenous languages of Tierra del Fuego, spoken by the Yagán people...
has Cristina CalderónCristina CalderónCristina Calderón of Robalo, Puerto Williams, on Navarino Island, Chile, is the last living full-blooded Yaghan person. By 2004, Calderón and her sister-in-law Emelinda Acuña were the only two remaining native speakers of the Yaghan language...
as a sole speaker and will likely become extinct soon.
Extinct languages
Some indigenous languages of Chile now extinct are Diaguita, KakauhuaKakauhua language
Kakauhua is an extinct Alacalufan language formerly spoken in Chile. - References :*...
, Kunza
Kunza
Kunza Cunza, also known as Likanantaí, Lipe, Ulipe, or Atacameño, is an extinct, unclassified language spoken in the Atacama Desert of northern Chile and southern Perú by the Lickan-antay people, who have since shifted to Spanish.The last Kunza speaker was found in 1949, although some have...
and Selknam.
German
Although it is estimated that 150,000 to 200,000 Chileans have some German ancestry, the number who speak GermanStandard German
Standard German is the standard variety of the German language used as a written language, in formal contexts, and for communication between different dialect areas...
has been in decline since the end of World War II. In the 1980s it was estimated that some 35,000 German Chileans spoke German, but today it is spoken only by some 20,000, most of them living in the 10th administrative region, Región de Los Lagos.
Chilean Sign Language
According to the World Federation of the DeafWorld Federation of the Deaf
The World Federation of the Deaf is an international non-governmental organization that acts as a peak body for national associations of Deaf people, with a focus on Deaf people who use sign language and their family and friends...
2008 survey report for South America, Chile's official number of deaf citizens is 66,500. The number who master Chilean Sign Language
Chilean Sign Language
-External links:* *...
is uncertain, but if it follows the general norm of one in four deaf persons having learnt sign language, the number of sign language users in Chile should be around 16,000.