Kunza (Kunza: Likanantaí) is a mostly extinct language isolate spoken in the Atacama Desert of northern Chile and southern Peru by the Atacama people, who have since shifted to Spanish. The last speaker was documented in 1949; however, it has since been learned that the language is still spoken in the desert.[1]

Kunza
Atacameño
Likanantaí
Native toChile, Peru, Bolivia
RegionAtacama Desert
EthnicityAtacama
Extinctafter 1949
Revival21st century
Language codes
ISO 639-3kuz
Glottologkunz1244

Other names and spellings include Cunza, Ckunsa, Likanantaí, Lipe, Ulipe, and Atacameño.

History

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The language was spoken in northern Chile, specifically in the Chilean villages of Peine, Socaire (near the Salar de Atacama), and Caspana, and in southern Peru.

The last Kunza speaker was found in 1949, although some have been found since[when?] according to anthropologists. There are 2,000 Atacameños (W. Adelaar).

Unattested varieties listed by Loukotka (1968):

A revitalization effort was initiated in the 21st century.[2]

Classification

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Kaufman (1990) found a proposed connection between Kunza and the likewise unclassified Kapixaná to be plausible; however, the language was more fully described in 2004, and the general consensus among linguists was that both languages are isolates.[citation needed]

Language contact

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Jolkesky (2016) notes that there are lexical similarities with the Mochika, Kandoshi, Jaqi, Kechua, Mapudungun, and Uru-Chipaya language families due to contact.[3]

Phonology

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Consonants[4]
Bilabial Alveolar Palatal Velar Uvular Glottal
plain sibilant
Nasal m n
Stop/
Affricate
voiceless p t t͡s t͡ʃ k q ʔ
ejective t͡ʃʼ
Fricative voiceless ɬ s x χ h
voiced β ɣ
Approximant l j w
Trill r
Vowels[4]
Front Central Back
Close i u
Mid e (ə) o
Open a

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Bartlett, John (October 17, 2024). "In Chile a language on the verge of extinction, stirs into life". NPR.
  2. ^ Bartlett, John; Dixon, Greg (2024-05-17). "Saving a Language in Chile". State of the World. NPR. Retrieved 2024-05-18.
  3. ^ Jolkesky, Marcelo Pinho de Valhery (2016). Estudo arqueo-ecolinguístico das terras tropicais sul-americanas (Ph.D. dissertation) (2 ed.). Brasília: University of Brasília.
  4. ^ a b Adelaar, Willem; Muysken, Pieter (2004). The Languages of the Andes. New York: Cambridge University Press. p. 380.
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