Chipaya language
Chipaya is a native South American language of the Uru–Chipaya language family. The only other language in the grouping, Uru, is considered by some to be a divergent dialect of Chipaya. Ethnologue lists the language vitality as "vigorous," with 1,800 speakers out of an ethnic population of around, although younger generations speak it progressively less. Chipaya has been influenced considerably by Aymara, the Quechuan languages, and more recently, Spanish, with a third of its vocabulary having been replaced by those languages.
Geographical distribution
The Chipayan language is spoken in the area south of Lake Titicaca along the Desaguadero River in the mountains of Bolivia and mainly in the town of Chipaya located in the Sabaya Province of the Bolivian department of Oruro north of Coipasa Salt Flats. Native speakers generally refer to it as Chipay taqu or Puquina or Uchun Maa Taqu, but is not the same as, nor in fact even related to, the extinct Puquina language.Phonology
Consonant clusters
Multiple possibilities are separated by slashes, and optional elements are enclosed in parentheses.Possible syllable onsets are:
- + p +
- + k/'q +
- s'/ŝ + p/'k/kʷ/q'/qʷ/'h/hʷ/m'/n
- t + h/'hʷ/x'/xʷ
- ¢/'ĉ/č'/l + h
- h/'x + p'/t/'k/q'/l/'ll/r' +
- hʷ/'xʷ + k'/q +
- Consonant + '''t'''
Vowels
- Each vowel can be short, e.g., a, or long, e.g., a•.