Enxet language


Enxet or Southern Lengua is a language spoken by the southern Enxet people of Presidente Hayes Department, Paraguay. It is one of twenty languages spoken by the wider Gran Chaco Amerindians of South America. Once considered a dialect of the broader Lengua language, Enxet and Enlhet diverged as extensive differences between the two were realized.

Classification

Enxet belongs to the Mascoian language family, spoken primarily by Native Americans in the Paraguayan region of the South American Gran Chaco. The South Amerindians living in this region are referred to as Guaycuru.

History

Enxet and Enlhet were once considered dialects of a single language known as Lengua. The Enxet language was first documented in the late 19th century by explorers from Spain.

Language contents and structure

Enxet contains only three phonemic vowel qualities /e,a,o/, each requiring a certain length such to maximize distinction. Bilingual speakers of Spanish and Enxet purportedly utilize shorter spacing between vowels when speaking the latter compared to the former.

Contemporary issues

The region occupied by the Enxet people is the subject of an ongoing legal dispute with the state of Paraguay.
The Enxet language and people are of interest to Anglican missionaries.

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