| Also Known As: Yaghan,Tequenica,Yagán,Háusi Kúta
Description:
Yagán (originally Yahgan, but also now spelled Yaghan, Jagan, Iakan), also known as Yámana and Háusi Kúta, is one of the indigenous languages of Tierra del Fuego, spoken by the Yagán people. It is regarded as a language isolate, although some linguists have attempted to relate it to Kawésqar and Chon.
Following the death of the second-to-last full-blooded Yaghan, Emelinda Acuña, in 2005, one elderly speaker remains, Cristina Calderón of Ukika Village on Isla Navarino, Chile. There is reportedly some interest in reviving the language among Yagán descendants. Along with other Fuegian languages, it was among the first South American languages to be recorded by European explorers and missionaries.
Yahgan was also spoken briefly on Keppel Island in the Falkland Islands at a missionary settlement.
There are three analyses of the phonological system of Yahgan, which differ in many details from one another. The oldest analysis is from the 19th century (prephonological era) and corresponds to Thomas Bridges (1894); from the middle of the 20th century Haudricourt (1952) and Holmer (1953); and towards the end of the 20th century, the last phonological studies were made on this moribund..... full article at Wikipedia |
