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Tehuelche dialect

Tehuelche

Also known as: Aonekko ʼaʼien, Aonikenk

The last spoken Chonan language, of the Patagonian steppe in Santa Cruz province, southern Argentina. Died with Dora Manchado in 2019, taking the Chonan family with it as a living lineage; recorded in her final years by Javier Domingo, building on Ana Fernández Garay's documentation.

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Frequently asked questions

What language is Tehuelche?

Tehuelche is a dialect of the Tehuelche language.

Where is Tehuelche spoken?

Tehuelche is primarily spoken in Argentina.

Which region is Tehuelche associated with?

Tehuelche is part of the Latin America & the Caribbean region on DialectAtlas.

Is Tehuelche known by other names?

Yes — Tehuelche is also referred to as Aonekko ʼaʼien, Aonikenk.

Is Tehuelche endangered?

Tehuelche is no longer spoken as a community language and is documented here for historical and linguistic reference.

Nearby dialects

See on the atlas →
Kawésqar

349 km away

The last surviving Alacalufan language, spoken at Puerto Edén on Wellington Island in the fjords of Chilean Patagonia. The language of the last nomadic canoe peoples of the southern channels; fewer than ten fluent speakers remain.

Yagán

478 km away

A language isolate of the Tierra del Fuego archipelago, around the Beagle Channel and Navarino Island. Source of the famously untranslatable word mamihlapinatapai; recorded in a 32,000-word missionary dictionary by Thomas Bridges. Died with Cristina Calderón in 2022; heritage revival continues at Puerto Williams.

Mapudungun

1,373 km away

The language of the Mapuche people, spoken across south-central Chile and adjacent Argentina. The largest Indigenous language of Chile and one of South America's most documented language isolates.

Chilean Spanish

1,952 km away

The Spanish of Chile. Known for rapid speech, heavy aspiration of /s/, distinct second-person verb forms, and a rich slang lexicon.

Rioplatense Spanish

2,067 km away

The Spanish of Argentina and Uruguay. Distinctive for its voseo verb forms, the sheísmo / zheísmo realisation of <ll>/<y>, and a strong Italian-influenced intonation.

Gaúcho

2,826 km away

The Brazilian Portuguese of Rio Grande do Sul and southern Brazil. Distinct from northern Brazilian varieties, with strong Spanish (Rioplatense) and Italian/German immigrant contact features.

Continue exploring

Tehuelche — Tehuelche dialect — Dialect Atlas