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Chono is a poorly attested extinct language of confusing classification. It is attested primarily from an 18th-century catechism,[1] which is not translated into Spanish. Various placenames in Chiloé Archipelago have Chono etymologies, despite the main indigenous language of the archipelago at the arrival of the Spanish being Veliche.[2]
Classification
Campbell (2012) concludes that the language called Chono or Wayteka or Wurk-wur-we by Llaras Samitier (1967) is spurious, with the source material being a list of mixed and perhaps invented vocabulary.[3]
Viegas Barros, who postulates a relationship between Kawesqar and Yaghan, believes that 45% of the Chono vocabulary and grammatical forms correspond to one of those languages, though it is not close to either.[4]
Glottolog concludes that "There are lexical parallels with Mapuche as well as Qawesqar, ... but the core is clearly unrelated." They characterize Chono as a "language isolate", which corresponds to an unclassified language in other classifications.
Fake "Chono" of Samitier (1967)
The following list of Chono (Wayteka) words, as "spoken" in the Gulf of Penas, is from Samitier (1967).[5] It was later found to be spurious by Campbell (2012).[3]
Chono (Wayteka)
English gloss (translated)
Spanish gloss (original)
notes (English translations)
notes (Spanish original)
tónkekoq
grandfather
abuelo
same as 'old man'
igual que ‘hombre viejo’
maáksa
water
agua
drinking water
agua potable
kamóka
wing
ala
neks
bitter
amargo
bitter taste
gusto amargo
káaʃer
friend
amigo
same as 'like a son'
igual que ‘como un hijo’
saco
anchor
ancla
según Fitz Roy
noksawlek
year
año
walete
plow
arado
wooden stick for removing dirt
según Fitz Roy. Pala para remover la tierra en las islas. Era de madera
^ abCampbell, Lyle (2012). "Classification of the indigenous languages of South America". In Grondona, Verónica; Campbell, Lyle (eds.). The Indigenous Languages of South America. The World of Linguistics. Vol. 2. Berlin: De Gruyter Mouton. pp. 59–166. ISBN9783110255133.
^Adelaar & Muysken, 2005. The languages of the Andes
^Samitier, Liaras. 1967. El grupo chono o wayteka y los demas pueblos fuegopatagonia. Runa 10. 1-2:123-94 (Buenos Aires).
† indicates an extinct language, italics indicates independent status of a language, bold indicates that a language family has at least 6 members, * indicates moribund status
