Kawésqar language
| Kawésqar | |
|---|---|
| Alacaluf | |
| Kawésqar, Qawasqar | |
| Native to | Chile |
| Region | Channel Region, western Patagonia, Wellington Island off south Chilean coast, 49° south, with centre in Villa Puerto Edén. |
| Ethnicity | 2,600 Alacaluf people (2002 census) |
Native speakers | 10 (2019) |
Alacalufan
| |
| Latin | |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | alc |
| Glottolog | qawa1238 |
| ELP | Kawésqar |
Kawésqar is classified as Critically Endangered by the UNESCO Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger | |
Kawésqar (Qawasqar), also known as Alacaluf, is a critically endangered Alacalufan language spoken in southern Chile by the Kawésqar people. Originally part of a small family, only the northern language remains. In 2009, only a handful of elderly people spoke the language, most of whom lived on Wellington Island off the southwest coast of Chile.