Wichí Lhamtés Nocten
Wichí language spoken in Bolivia
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Wichí Lhamtés Nocten, or Weenhayek, is a Wichí language spoken primarily in Bolivia, as well as in Argentina. The language is also called "Mataco", "Mataco Nocten", Nocten, Noctenes, and Oktenai,[2] though the name "Mataco" has negative connotations.[3]
| Wichí Lhamtés Nocten | |
|---|---|
| Weenhayek | |
| Native to | Bolivia, Argentina |
| Region | Tarija Department (Bolivia), Salta Province (Argentina) |
| Ethnicity | Wichí |
Native speakers | (1,900 cited 1994)[1] |
Matacoan
| |
| Official status | |
Official language in |  Bolivia |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | mtp |
| Glottolog | wich1262 |
| ELP | Wichí (shared) |
Status
An estimated 1,810 Wichí people spoke Weenhayek in Bolivia as of 1994. An additional 100 people spoke the language in Argentina in 1994.[2]
Official status
Weenhayek has been one of the 37 official languages of Bolivia since 2009, as outlined by the Constitution of Bolivia.[4]
Geographical distribution
In Bolivia, the language is spoken in the north-central Tarija Department, southwest of Pilcomayo River, and in Cordillera de Pirapo. In Argentina, it is spoken in from the northern border south to Tartagal, Salta.[2]
Classification
Weenhayek is one of the Wichí languages, a dialect continuum spoken throughout northern Argentina and southern Bolivia. Wichí is a further member of the Mataguayan language family.[3]
Phonology
Weenhayek displays marked phonological differences from the other varieties of Wichí.[5]
Consonants
/kʲ/, depending on the dialect and/or speaker, may be realized as an affricate [tʃ]. /p, t, kʲ, kʷ, q, ts/ may be aspirated [pʰ, tʰ, kʲʰ, kʷʰ, qʰ, tsʰ] when preceding /h/, or glottalized [pʼ, tʼ, kʲʼ, kʷʼ, qʼ, tsʼ] when preceding /ʔ/. /m, n, l, j, w/ within the position of /ʔ/ are also glottalized as [ʼm, ʼn, ʼl, ʼj, ʼw].[5]
Vowels
No contrasts between vowels with respect to lip roundedness exist. Vowel length is considered prosodic.[5]
Phonotactics
CV syllable structure is the most common in Weenhayek. Word-final syllables must end in a consonant, typically with the form CVC.[5]