Can you identify the language, and do you know where it’s spoken?
4 thoughts on “Language Quiz”
Sounds Spanish/Portuguese but I am sure it isn’t. Perhaps a language from the Philippines?
Also sounds southeast Asian but no tones to speak of. Khmer?
This is Mapudungun, spoken by a branch of the Araucan people called Williche–people of the south–and therefore very similar to the araucano or Mapuche. Spoken in the island of Chiloé and the coast parallel to this island of Chile.
I agree, Mapuche/Mapudungun is a great choice – the presence of retroflex [ʈʂ] and high-central-unrounded [ɨ], the prevalence of [f] and [ŋ], and the word [mapu] itself showing up a couple times all point to it.
The answer is Huilliche (Che Süngun), an Araucanian language spoken in southern Chile.
Sounds Spanish/Portuguese but I am sure it isn’t. Perhaps a language from the Philippines?
Also sounds southeast Asian but no tones to speak of. Khmer?
This is Mapudungun, spoken by a branch of the Araucan people called Williche–people of the south–and therefore very similar to the araucano or Mapuche. Spoken in the island of Chiloé and the coast parallel to this island of Chile.
I agree, Mapuche/Mapudungun is a great choice – the presence of retroflex [ʈʂ] and high-central-unrounded [ɨ], the prevalence of [f] and [ŋ], and the word [mapu] itself showing up a couple times all point to it.
The answer is Huilliche (Che Süngun), an Araucanian language spoken in southern Chile.
The recording comes from YouTube: