Pilagá is a Guaicuruan language spoken in the northeast of Argentina. It is spoken in the Bermejo and Pilcomayo River valleys in Formosa province, and also in Chaco and Salta provinces. In 2012 there were about 3,500 speakers of Pilagá.
Pilagá is spoken by people of all ages, and is the first language Pilagá children acquire. When they go to school, however, they are taught in Spanish. A few schools have Pilagá-speaking assistants as well.
A orthography for Pilagá was developed in 1996 after much discussion in Ayo La Bomba by representatives of Pilagá-speaking communities. Before then a spelling system for Pilagá was developed by Alberto Buckwalter, a missionary, and used to produce a translation of the New Testament of the Bible.
Download an alphabet chart for Pilagá (Excel)
Chanʼeesa daʼ ‘antamiñii, qaaʼle ‘oñiitʼoi: ‘Am qadetʼa qanʼétoqoʼt ‘me ‘onetʼague diʼ piỹem, ỹima daʼ qoỹiʼỹoxoden daʼ ‘adenaxat. Ỹa ‘anamaxañoʼ qomle daʼ ‘adʼonataxanaxac, tetoqoʼ ỹíʼet gaʼ ‘onétapeec ỹima jenʼme huetalquéna, ‘enáʼam jenaʼme huetʼot naʼ piỹem. Ỹa qoʼmi ‘auanema jénjoʼ noloʼ gaʼ qonoq ‘me seuénaqtaaque. ‘Auapalaxaʼt qomle nauaʼ qadoico, ‘enáʼam qoʼmi daʼ sóxote sapalaxataq gaʼ qoʼmi qoỹʼeteque ‘me sa nóʼin. Sa ‘te qomle daʼ qoʼmi ‘auasengueta gaʼ qanʼiinaguec, naʼchidáta daʼ qoʼmi ‘antelaqtenaʼagueta gaʼ sa nóʼin. Qáʼa daʼ ‘adʼonataxanaxac, qataxa daʼ ‘adʼañaxac, qataxa daʼ ‘adiʼỹoxodic naʼchi ‘eetaʼt qaỹa ‘te loiquiaqaʼ. Jáʼa, naʼchi ‘éeta dójo.
Note: the sample text appears to use a different spelling system for Pilagá.
Information about the Pilagá language and people
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pilagá_language
https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pilagá_(langue)
http://lenguapilaga.com.ar/web/
https://www.ethnologue.com/language/plg
http://www.unf.edu.ar/presentan-material-para-la-ensenanza-de-la-lengua-pilaga/
http://www.native-languages.org/pilaga.htm
Kadiwéu, Mocoví, Pilagá, Toba Qom
Languages written with the Latin alphabet
Page last modified: 01.06.25
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