A large number of languages once spoken in Argentina have disappeared. According to Censabella (1999), two thirds of the languages spoken when the Spaniards arrived became extinct. In some cases, the languages disappeared along with the ethnic groups that spoke them; in other, the acculturation and transculturation phenomena associated with deep changes in the living conditions of the indigenous peoples caused the extinction, even if a number of individuals of the ethnical group still survive. •
Abipón, from the
Guaykuruan family, somewhat related to
Kadiwéu of
Brazil. No living speakers of this language are known. •
Chané, from the
Arawakan family. It has been sometimes compared with
Guana or Kashika language of
Paraguay, and also with the
Terena of Brazil, but both are different. Chané was spoken about 300 years ago in the north-east of
Salta Province; the ethnical group, now called
Izoceño, became subject as vassals to the Avá Guaraní people, and the language was lost. All surviving Chané individuals speak
Western Guaraní. •
Güenoa (or
Wenoa) and
Chaná languages, of
Charrúan stock, were spoken in today's central-eastern Argentina and
Uruguay. Charruan languages became extinct by the beginning of the 19th century west of
Uruguay River, and around 1830 in the eastern shores of the same river. •
Kunza (also
Cunza,
Likanantaí,
Lipe,
Ulipe or
Atacameño), probably an isolated language, was spoken in northwestern Argentina, northeastern
Chile and
Bolivia, in and around the region of
Atacama up to Bolivian
Salar de Uyuni by the
Lickan-amtay (
Atacameño) people. It is almost certainly extinct in Chile too. •
Henia-Camiare or
Hênia-Kamiare, sometimes considered as two different languages, was spoken by the ethnic group of the same name, known by Spaniards as "
comechingones". The extant elements of this language (some
toponyms and plant names) are not enough to establish its genetic relationships, nor to attempt a reconstruction. •
Het was the language spoken by the original dwellers of the
Pampas, known as
Pampas or
Querandíes, before they became intermixed with peoples of
Mapuche origin and progressively switched to
Mapudungun. Its very existence as a unique language (by opposition to a group) is merely speculative. •
Allentiac or
Alyentiyak and
Millcayac or
Milykayak languages belonged to the
Huarpe or
Warpe family and were spoken in the
Cuyo region in central-western Argentina. The scarcity of remaining elements prevents accurate classification or reconstruction. •
Lule, supposed to be part of the
Lule–Vilela family, was spoken by peoples living in today's
Salta Tucumán and
Santiago del Estero provinces. Only a few toponyms and names remain, but their precise meaning is often obscure. However, the language is fairly well documented in a vocabulary and grammar composed by the
Jesuit Antonio Machoni in 1732. •
Tonocoté, sometimes confused with Lule, was spoken by a
settled people dwelling in western and central regions of today's
Santiago del Estero Province. There is some speculation among scholars about the possible
Arawakan origin of that ethnic group, while other sources state that they were switching to
Quechua in the 16th century. No evidence of the language has survived. •
Yaghan,
Yámana,
Háusi-Kúta or
Yagán is a language spoken by indigenous peoples of southern shores and islands of
Tierra del Fuego. A very analytical language, it had an extensive vocabulary. In Argentina Yaghan became extinct at the beginning of the 20th century, but
lexicons and early recordings remain. It is recognised in a number of well known toponyms as
Ushuaia,
Lapataia,
Tolhuin, etc. Some elder speakers (between 1 and 5) remain in Chile, where the language is nearly extinct. •
Selkʼnam (Ona) •
Puelche •
Tehuelche language •
Vilela language Other extinct languages are known just by the ethnic group that spoke them, since very scarce (if any) linguistic material remains. Among them: Omaguaca;
Sanavirón; several languages probably belonging to the
Guaycurú family but known by their Guaraní
ethnonyms as
Mbayá,
Payaguá,
Minuané, Mbeguá, Timbú, Corondá, Quiloazá and Colastiné; and others related to the
Chon stock, as
Manek'enk and
Teushen. == See also ==