Mapudungun

Where it’s spoken

Mapudungun (“the speech of the land”) is the language of the Mapuche people, spoken in southern-central Chile (especially Araucanía, Bío-Bío, and Los Lagos regions) and in the Argentine provinces of Neuquén, Río Negro, and Chubut. About 250,000 people speak it, with significant language shift to Spanish among younger generations. Chile has provided some constitutional recognition since the 1990s.

What it sounds like

Mapudungun has six vowels and a rich consonant inventory including retroflex ḻ and interdental ḻ (the latter contrasting alveolar n with dental ṉ in some varieties). It has aspirated/unaspirated contrasts on some stops. The language is non-tonal but stress is somewhat unpredictable.

How it’s written

Mapudungun has several orthographic conventions — including the Unified Mapuche Alphabet (Grafemario Unificado), Raguileo, and Azumchefe systems — that differ in transcribing certain sounds. All use the Latin alphabet with diacritics or special letters.

History

The Mapuche fiercely resisted both Inca and Spanish conquest, maintaining political independence until the late 19th century. This long autonomy preserved Mapudungun until Chile and Argentina absorbed the territory. Revival movements have grown since the 1990s.