This is a list of Indigenous languages that are or were spoken in the present territory of Argentina. Although the official language of Argentina is Spanish, several Indigenous languages are in use. Most are spoken only within their respective indigenous communities, some with very few remaining speakers. Others, especially Aymara, Quechua ( South Bolivian Quechua and

Santiago del Estero Quichua Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital and largest city of Chile as well as one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is the center of Chile's most densely populated region, the Santiago Metropolitan Region, whose ...

), Toba (Qom) and Guaraní (

Western Argentine Guaraní Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US * Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that i ...

, Paraguayan Guaraní, Mbyá Guaraní), are alive and in common use in specific regions. Finally, some such as

Abipón The Abipones ( es, Abipones, singular ) were an indigenous people of Argentina's Gran Chaco region, speakers of one of the Guaicuruan languages. They ceased to exist as an independent ethnic group in the early 19th century. A small number of sur ...

and

Yaghan Yaghan, Yagán or Yahgan may refer to: * Yahgan people, an ethnic group of Argentina and Chile * Yahgan language Yahgan or Yagán (also spelled Yaghan, Jagan, Iakan, and also known as Yámana, Háusi Kúta, or Yágankuta), is an extinct language ...

, are now completely extinct. Since 2004 the

Guaraní language Guaraní (), specifically the primary variety known as Paraguayan Guarani ( "the people's language"), is a South American language that belongs to the Tupi–Guarani family of the Tupian languages. It is one of the official languages of P ...

is official, together with Spanish, in the northeastern Corrientes Province. Aboriginal languages in Argentina , ____ Living , , ____ Tupi–Guaraní family , , , _Guaraní subfamily , , , ___ Subgroup I , , , ___ Paraguayan Guaraní , , , ___ Western Guaraní (Avá Guaraní or "chiriguano") , , , ___ Mbyá Guaraní , , , ___ Chiripá , , , ___ Kaiwá , , , ___ Tapieté , , ____ Guaycuruan family , , , ___ Qom group , , , ___ Mocoví , , , ___ Pilagá , , , ___ Toba , , ____ Mataguayo ("Mataco") family , , , ____Wichí group ("Mataco") , , , , ___ Nocten (Oktenay) , , , , ___ Güisnay (Wenhayéy) , , , , ___ Vejoz (Wehwos) , , , ____Nivaklé group ("Chulupí") , , , , ___ Forest Nivaklé (Yita'a lhavós) , , , , ___ River Nivaklé (Chishamne and Shichaam lhavos) , , , ____Chorote group , , , ___ Jo'wuwa or Iyo'wujwa (Manjui) , , , ___ Yofwaja or Iyojwa'ja (Eklenjui) , , ____ Quechua family , , , ____Quechua II C , , , ___ Southern Bolivian (Kolla) , , , ___ Santiago del Estero Quichua , , ____ Araucanian family , , , _____________ Mapudungun (Mapuche) , , ____ Isolated and unclassified , , _____________ Aymara , , _____________ Yagan, Yámana or Háusi-kúta , ____________ Endangered or nearly extinct , , ____ Lule–Vilela family , , , _____ Vilela , , ____ Isolated and unclassified , , _____ Gennaken ("Puelche") , ___ Extinct (an incomplete list) , ____ Arawakan family , , _____ Chané , ____ Charruan (?) , , _____ Güenoa , , _____ Chaná (?) , ____ Guaicuruan family , , _____ Abipón , , _____ Mbayá , , _____ Payaguá , , _____ Mbeguá (?) , ____ Lule–Vilela family , , _____ Lule , ____ Chon family , , _____ Manek'enk or Haush , , _____ Teushen , , , _____ Aönikën ("Tehuelche") , , _____ Śelknam ("Ona") , ____ Isolated and unclassified , ___ Huarpe group , , ___ Allentiac or Alyentiyak , , ___ Millcayac or Milykayak , _____ Toconoté , _____ Omaguaca , _____ Cacán (Diaguita-Calchaquí) , _____ Kunza, or Likanantaí (Atacameño) , _____ Henia-camiare or "Comechingon" , _____ Sanavirón , _____ Het Dubious. Fabre states (with convincing arguments) that no Kaiwá live in Argentina. Some authors give this languages as extinct. (?) Tentative classification

Living languages

* Aymara * Caiwá ( Kaiwá) *

Chiriguano The Ava Guaraní are an Indigenous peoples formerly known as Chiriguanos or Chiriguano Indians who speak the Ava Guarani and Eastern Bolivian Guaraní languages. Noted for their warlike character, the Chiriguanos retained their lands in the Ande ...

* Chiripá * Chorote * Guaraní *

Mapudungun Mapuche (, Mapuche & Spanish: , or Mapudungun; from ' 'land' and ' 'speak, speech') is an Araucanian language related to Huilliche spoken in south-central Chile and west-central Argentina by the Mapuche people (from ''mapu'' 'land' and ''che ...

* Wichí (''Wichí Lhamtés'') *

Mocoví The Mocoví ( Mocoví: ''moqoit'') are an indigenous people of the Gran Chaco region of South America. They speak the Mocoví language and are one of the ethnic groups belonging to the Guaycuru peoples. In the 2010 Argentine census, 22,439 peopl ...

Nivaclé The Nivaclé are an indigenous people of the Gran Chaco. An estimated 13,700 Nivaclé people live in the President Hayes and Boquerón Departments in Paraguay, while approximately 200 Nivaclé people live in the Salta Province of Argentina. A ver ...

( Chulupi) * Pilagá * Quechua * Tapieté * Toba Qom

Extinct languages

A large number of languages once spoken in Argentina have disappeared. According to Censabella (1999), two thirds of the languages spoken when the Spaniards arrived became extinct. In some cases, the languages disappeared along with the ethnic groups that spoke them; in other, the acculturation and transculturation phenomena associated with deep changes in the living conditions of the indigenous peoples caused the extinction, even if a number of individuals of the ethnical group still survive. *

, from the Guaykuruan family, somewhat related to Kadiwéu of Brazil. No living speakers of this language are known. * Cacán, spoken by peoples known as Diaguitas and Calchaquíes, in northwestern Argentina. Extinct since the mid-17th century or beginning of 18th century. Its genetic classification remains unsolved. The language was supposedly documented by the

Jesuit , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders ...

Alonso de Bárcena, but the manuscript is lost. * Chané, from the

Arawakan Arawakan (''Arahuacan, Maipuran Arawakan, "mainstream" Arawakan, Arawakan proper''), also known as Maipurean (also ''Maipuran, Maipureano, Maipúre''), is a language family that developed among ancient indigenous peoples in South America. Branch ...

family. It has been sometimes compared with Guana or Kashika language of Paraguay, and also with the Terena of Brazil, but both are different. Chané was spoken about 300 years ago in the north-east of

Salta Province Salta () is a province of Argentina, located in the northwest of the country. Neighboring provinces are from the east clockwise Formosa, Chaco, Santiago del Estero, Tucumán and Catamarca. It also surrounds Jujuy. To the north it borders Boliv ...

; the ethnical group, now called Izoceño, became subject as vassals to the Avá Guaraní people, and the language was lost. All surviving Chané individuals speak Western Guaraní. * Güenoa (or ''Wenoa'') and

Chaná Chana, chhana, or chaná may refer to : Food * Chickpea, known in South Asia as ''chana'' * Chhana, a type of curds from South Asia Places * Chana, Illinois, United States, an unincorporated community * Chana District, Songkhla Province, ...

languages, of Charrúan stock, were spoken in today's central-eastern Argentina and Uruguay. Charruan languages became extinct by the beginning of the 19th century west of Uruguay River, and around 1830 in the eastern shores of the same river. *

Kunza Kunza is an extinct language isolate once spoken in the Atacama Desert of northern Chile and southern Peru by the Atacama people, Atacama people, who have since shifted to Spanish people, Spanish. The last speaker was documented in 1949. Other n ...

(also ''Cunza'', ''Likanantaí'', ''Lipe'', ''Ulipe'' or ''Atacameño''), probably an isolated language, was spoken in northwestern Argentina, northeastern Chile and

Bolivia , image_flag = Bandera de Bolivia (Estado).svg , flag_alt = Horizontal tricolor (red, yellow, and green from top to bottom) with the coat of arms of Bolivia in the center , flag_alt2 = 7 × 7 square p ...

, in and around the region of Atacama up to Bolivian

Salar de Uyuni Salar de Uyuni (or "Salar de Tunupa") is the world's largest salt flat, or playa, at over in area. It is in the Daniel Campos Province in Potosí in southwest Bolivia, near the crest of the Andes at an elevation of above sea level. The Sal ...

by the

Lickan-amtay The Atacama people, also called Atacameño, are indigenous people from the Atacama Desert and altiplano region in the north of Chile and Argentina and southern Bolivia, mainly Antofagasta Region. According to the Argentinean Census in 2010, 13,93 ...

(''Atacameño'') people. It is almost certainly extinct in Chile too. * Henia-Camiare or ''Hênia-Kamiare'', sometimes considered as two different languages, was spoken by the ethnic group of the same name, known by Spaniards as "'' comechingones''". The extant elements of this language (some toponyms and plant names) are not enough to establish its genetic relationships, nor to attempt a reconstruction. * Het was the language spoken by the original dwellers of the Pampas, known as ''Pampas'' or ''Querandíes'', before they became intermixed with peoples of Mapuche origin and progressively switched to

. Its very existence as a unique language (by opposition to a group) is merely speculative. *

Allentiac Allentiac (Alyentiyak), also known as Huarpe (Warpe), was one of two known Warpean languages. It was native to Cuyo in Argentina, but was displaced to Chile in the late 16th century. Luis de Valdivia, a Jesuit missionary, wrote a grammar, voca ...

or ''Alyentiyak'' and Millcayac or ''Milykayak'' languages belonged to the

Huarpe The Huarpes or Warpes are an indigenous people of Argentina, living in the Cuyo region. Some scholars assume that in the Huarpe language, this word means "sandy ground," but according to ''Arte y Vocabulario de la lengua general del Reino de Chi ...

or ''Warpe'' family and were spoken in the Cuyo region in central-western Argentina. The scarcity of remaining elements prevents accurate classification or reconstruction. * Lule, supposed to be part of the Lule–Vilela family, was spoken by peoples living in today's

Salta Salta () is the capital and largest city in the Argentine province of the same name. With a population of 618,375 according to the 2010 census, it is also the 7th most-populous city in Argentina. The city serves as the cultural and economic ce ...

Tucumán and

Santiago del Estero Santiago del Estero (, Spanish for ''Saint-James-Upon-The-Lagoon'') is the capital of Santiago del Estero Province in northern Argentina. It has a population of 252,192 inhabitants, () making it the twelfth largest city in the country, with a surf ...

provinces. Only a few toponyms and names remain, but their precise meaning is often obscure. However, the language is fairly well documented in a vocabulary and grammar composed by the

Jesuit , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders ...

Antonio Machoni Antonio Machoni or Antonio Maccioni (1671–1753) was an Italian Jesuit, linguist and cartographer. 1671 births 1753 deaths People from the Province of South Sardinia Linguists from Italy {{Italy-bio-stub ...

in 1732. *

Tonocoté Lule is an indigenous language of northern Argentina. Lule may be extinct today. Campbell (1997) writes that in 1981 there was an unconfirmed report that Lule is still spoken by 5 families in Resistencia in east-central Chaco Province. It is ...

, sometimes confused with Lule, was spoken by a

settled A settler is a person who has migrated to an area and established a permanent residence there, often to colonize the area. A settler who migrates to an area previously uninhabited or sparsely inhabited may be described as a pioneer. Settle ...

people dwelling in western and central regions of today's

Santiago del Estero Province Santiago del Estero (), also known simply as Santiago, is a province in the north of Argentina. Neighboring provinces, clockwise from the north, are Salta, Chaco, Santa Fe, Córdoba, Catamarca and Tucumán. History The indigenous inhabitant ...

. There is some speculation among scholars about the possible

origin of that ethnic group, while other sources state that they were switching to Quechua in the 16th century. No evidence of the language has survived. *

, ''Yámana'', ''Háusi-Kúta'' or ''Yagán'' is a language spoken by indigenous peoples of southern shores and islands of Tierra del Fuego. A very analytical language, it had an extensive vocabulary. In Argentina Yaghan became extinct at the beginning of the 20th century, but

lexicon A lexicon is the vocabulary of a language or branch of knowledge (such as nautical or medical). In linguistics, a lexicon is a language's inventory of lexemes. The word ''lexicon'' derives from Koine Greek language, Greek word (), neuter of () ...

s and early recordings remain. It is recognised in a number of well known toponyms as Ushuaia, Lapataia, Tolhuin, etc. Some elder speakers (between 1 and 5) remain in Chile, where the language is nearly extinct. *

Ona Ona or ONA may refer to: Anthropology * Ona people, an indigenous people of southern Argentina and Chile ** Ona language, a language once spoken in Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego * Ona, a pre-Aksumite culture in Sembel, Eritrea Geography * On ...

. * Puelche. * Tehuelche language. *

Vilela language Vilela (''Uakambalelté, Atalalá, Chulupí~Chunupí'')Not to be confused with Niwaklé, which is also called Chulupí~Chunupí. is an extinct language last spoken in the Resistencia area of Argentina and in the eastern Chaco near the Paraguay ...

. Other extinct languages are known just by the ethnic group that spoke them, since very scarce (if any) linguistic material remains. Among them: Omaguaca; Sanavirón; several languages probably belonging to the Guaycurú family but known by their Guaraní

ethnonym An ethnonym () is a name applied to a given ethnic group. Ethnonyms can be divided into two categories: exonyms (whose name of the ethnic group has been created by another group of people) and autonyms, or endonyms (whose name is created and used ...

s as Mbayá, Payaguá, Minuané, Mbeguá, Timbú, Corondá, Quiloazá and Colastiné; and others related to the Chon stock, as

Manek'enk The Haush or Manek'enk were an indigenous people who lived on the Mitre Peninsula of the Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego. They were related culturally and linguistically to the Ona or Selk'nam people who also lived on the Isla Grande de Tierra ...

and Teushen.

References

* Adelaar, Willem F.H. (2004). ''The languages of the Andes''. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press * Braunstein, José A. (1992-3A). ''Presentación: esquema provisorio de las tribus chaqueñas''. Hacia una Nueva Carta Étnica del Gran Chaco, 4: 1-8. Las Lomitas, Formosa. * ______ (1992-3B). ''Presentación''. Hacia una Nueva Carta Étnica del Gran Chaco, 5: 1-3. Las Lomitas, Formosa. *

Campbell, Lyle Lyle Richard Campbell (born October 22, 1942) is an American scholar and linguist known for his studies of Indigenous languages of the Americas, indigenous American languages, especially those of Central America, and on historical linguistics in ...

. (1997). ''American Indian languages: The historical linguistics of Native America''. New York: Oxford University Press. . * Censabella, Marisa (1999). ''Las lenguas indígenas de la Argentina. Una mirada actual''. Buenos Aires: Eudeba. * Fabre, Alain (1998). ''Manual de las lenguas indígenas sudamericanas'', Vol. II. Munich: Lincom Europa * Gordon, Raymond G., Jr. (Ed.). (2005). ''Ethnologue: Languages of the world'' (15th ed.). Dallas, TX: SIL International. . (Online version: http://www.ethnologue.com). * Loukotka, Čestmír (1968). ''Classification of South American languages''. Los Angeles: UCLA * Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censos (2005). ''Encuesta Complementaria de Pueblos Indígenas (ECPI), 2004-2005 - Primeros resultados provisionales''. Buenos Aires: INDEC. ISSN 0327-7968. * Kaufman, Terrence. (1994). ''The native languages of South America''. In C. Mosley & R. E. Asher (Eds.), ''Atlas of the world's languages'' (pp. 46–76). London: Routledge. * Key, Mary R. (1979). ''The grouping of South American languages''. Tübingen: Gunter Narr Verlag. * Martín, Herminia E. and Andrés Pérez Diez (eds.) (1996). ''Lenguas indígenas de Argentina 1492-1992''. San Juan: Universidad Nacional de San Juan. * Martínez, Angelita (2004). ''Lenguas amerindias en Argentina''. In: Ariadna Lluís i Vidal-Folch & Azucena Palacios Alcaine (eds.), ''Lenguas vivas en América Latina''. Barcelona/ Madrid: Institut Català de Cooperació Iberoamericana/ Universidad Autónoma de Madrid. * Mason, J. Alden. (1950). ''The languages of South America''. In J. Steward (Ed.), ''Handbook of South American Indians'' (Vol. 6, pp. 157–317). Smithsonian Institution Bureau of American Ethnology bulletin (No. 143). Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office.
Languages spoken in Argentina
{{South American languages Argentina Languages of Argentina Indigenous languages of the South American Chaco Indigenous languages of Central Amazonia Indigenous languages of Western Amazonia Indigenous languages of the Andes Indigenous languages of South America (Central) Indigenous languages of the South American Cone Indigenous languages of the South American Southern Foothills Indigenous peoples in Argentina Indigenous languages es:Lenguas de Argentina

Living languages

Extinct languages

See also

References