Alacalufan
Kawesqaran
EthnicityAlacaluf people
Geographic
distribution		Chile
Linguistic classificationOne of the world's primary language families
Subdivisions
  • Kawesqar
  • Central Alacaluf †
  • Southern Alacaluf †
ISO 639-5aqa
Glottologkawe1237

The Alacalufan languages or Kawesqaran languages are a small language family of South America. They have not been definitely linked to any other American language family.[1][2]

Languages

Early vocabularies show that Alakaluf was three languages, with an extinct Southern Alakaluf (vocabularies in Fitz-Roy 1839 and Hyades & Deniker 1891) and Central Alakaluf (vocabularies in Borgatello 1928, Marcel 1892, and Skottsberg 1913) in addition to the critically endangered northern variety, Kawésqar.[3]

Based on alleged toponymic evidence, a purported Kakauhua language has sometimes been included in the Alacalufan family.

Guaicaro may have been a dialect of Central Alakaluf or Kawesqar.

Mason (1950)

Mason (1950) lists:[4]

  • Caucawe (Kaukahue, etc.)
  • Enoo (Peshera)
  • Lecheyel
  • Yekinawe (Yequinahuere, etc.)
  • Adwipliin
  • Alikulip, Alakaluf, etc.
  • Calen
  • Taijatof

Chono, Caraica (Karaika), and Poya may also belong.

Vocabulary

Loukotka (1968) lists the following basic vocabulary items.[5]

glossNorthern AlcalufSouthern AlcalufKaueskar
tongue lekélpaileafkalaktás
hand palkáryukebeterwá
water karkasaarrétchfalai
moon dzyakapésyakapechkapánuk
dog salkishalkikyurro
fish xawoelorolkeuwako
canoe pelercherrukaief

References

  1. ↑ Campbell, L. (1997). American Indian Languages: The Historical Linguistics of Native America. Oxford Studies in Anthropological Linguistics 4. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
  2. ↑ Adelaar, W. F. H., & Muysken, P. C. (2004). The Languages of the Andes. Cambridge Language Surveys. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
  3. ↑ Viegas Barros (1990, 2005), cited in Hammarström (2015) Ethnologue 16/17/18th editions: a comprehensive review: online appendices
  4. ↑ Mason, John Alden (1950). "The languages of South America". In Steward, Julian (ed.). Handbook of South American Indians. Vol. 6. Washington, D.C., Government Printing Office: Smithsonian Institution, Bureau of American Ethnology Bulletin 143. pp. 157–317.
  5. ↑ Loukotka, Čestmír (1968). Classification of South American Indian languages. Los Angeles: UCLA Latin American Center.
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