Wichí Lhamtés Nocten ('weenhayek)

Wichí Lhamtés Nocten is a Matacoan language spoken mainly in southeastern Boliva, and also in northwestern Argentina. There are about 1,900 speakers of Wichí Lhamtés Nocten in the north of Tarija Department in Bolivia, and about 100 in the north of Chaco Province in Argentina. It is spoken mainly by adults. Children are more likely to speak Spanish as they are taught in Spanish at school.

The language is also called Mataco, Bolivian, Mataco Nocten, Nocten, Noctenes, Oktenai or Weenhayek. It is closely related to Wichí Lhamtés Vejoz and Wichí Lhamtés Güisnay. They are known collectively as Wichí languages, and are considered dialects of one language by some.

Wichí Lhamtés Nocten is an officially recognised language in Bolivia, and an official language of Chaco Province in Argentina. It is written with the Latin script. A translation of the New Testament of the Bible in Wichí Lhamtés Nocten was published in 2002.

Wichí Lhamtés Nocten alphabet and pronunciation

Download an alphabet chart for Wichí Lhamtés Nocten (Excel)

Notes

Stress normally falls on the last syllable of a word. When it doesn't, it is indicated with an acute accent (á), or a circumflex (â) when it falls on the letter à.

Sample text

Nilhooqej wikyi', talhe tà nekye' tàlho laqoh tà t'uhaawetwj kyek 'waawulhkya' tà 'nowolahaaya' wet kyek àp imakhit'ak 'iihla' kyek 'imakt'ak Hààpe' kyek 'niti-ikyuuhla kyek iwooyeh, wet tà Hààpe' Hino' tà yahan honhaatej wet àp latiikyunhayaj ìihi, Hàp tààjtsoh tà t'uhaawetey kyek yom is lakyuunyaj tà 'iihi' wikyii'iyhaj.

Source: https://www.ohchr.org/en/human-rights/universal-declaration/translations/weenhayek?LangID=mtp

Translation

All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.
(Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights)

Links

Information about the Wichí Lhamtés Nocten language
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wichí_languages
https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Idioma_mataco
https://www.jstor.org/stable/1265479
http://www.language-archives.org/language/mtp
https://glottolog.org/resource/languoid/id/wich1262
http://www.native-languages.org/mataco.htm

Matacoan languages

Iyo'wujwa Chorote, Maká, Nivaclé, Wichí Lhamtés Güisnay, Wichí Lhamtés Nocten, Wichí Lhamtés Vojez

Languages written with the Latin alphabet

Page created: 22.05.24. Last modified: 22.05.24

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