Chile - a state in South America, located on the Pacific Ocean. It has long been a multinational land. From the very beginning, it was inhabited by different Indian tribes, to which later colonists and immigrants from Spain, England, Ireland, Yugoslavia, Italy and other European countries were added. What languages are spoken in Chile now? What has had the greatest impact on local culture?
Historical reference
Chile is located in the west of South America. The country occupies a narrow coastal strip between the Pacific Ocean and the Andes Mountains, but at the same time stretches for 6,435 kilometers. Due to its enormous length from north to south, it was never integral in ethnic composition. To start a conversation about the languages of Chile, you need to familiarize yourself with the history of its settlement.
The indigenous inhabitants of the north of the country were the Quechua and Aymara Indians, who were the first to be influenced by invaders - first the Incas, and then the Spanish colonists. They allowed themselves to be subdued without a fight, which cannot be said about the Mapuche people or the Araucans living in the central part. The latter were famous for their hot blood. Their conquest was accompanied by a long war, which went down in history under the name “Araucan War”. The remote southern tribes of Yagans, Ones, Alakalufs were captured much later than the rest.
The first Europeans in Chile were the Spaniards who arrived here in 1535. They cultivated crops here, raised livestock, and Indians used as labor. Smugglers from England and Scotland periodically visited Chile, and from the 19th century farmers from other European countries began to arrive here. For several centuries, the country was a colony of Spain and gained independence only in 1810.
The official language of Chile
Colonization of the country left a strong imprint on the vital structure of local peoples. Many Indians adopted the traditions of their invaders, and thanks to numerous mixed marriages, by the 19th century, more than 80% of the population represented mestizos. Currently, approximately 17 million people live in the country, 65% of which are mestizos, and another 30% are Caucasian.
The official language of Chile is Spanish. The dialect used in Santiago is accepted as the norm, but there are two more dialects. In the far south of the country they speak Chilot, in the far north they use Andean.
The language of Chile is very different from the traditional European version. It is abundantly seasoned with slang words, which is why it is difficult to understand it even for Spaniards. The locals speak very quickly, constantly swallowing or omitting the letter “d” and the final “s”. The consonants here greatly soften, and at the end of each word a raised intonation is necessarily used.
Interesting facts about Spanish
- Spanish is considered one of the most beautiful and common languages in the world. In terms of the number of carriers, it outperformed English and is second only to Chinese.
- Most of all, Spanish is used in the countries of South and Central America, where it is fixed as an official. In addition, the language is common in the Philippines, in Western Sahara, Equatorial Guinea, Curacao, Morocco, Andorra, Belize, Turkey, some US states, etc.
- In total, 437 million people speak it in the world, about 18 million are in Chilean Spanish.
- The largest Spanish-speaking country is Mexico, Chile is at about 8th place.
- There are only five vowels in Spanish: A, E, I, O, U, which is less than in other Romance languages. They are characterized by special vocalism and the absence of any phonemic nuances, such as openness or closeness, brevity or longitude. One of the words in which all vowels are used is murciélago - “bat”.
- A small number of vowels does not interfere with their abundant use in words. Thanks to this, Spanish is considered the fastest language in the world.
Other languages
As the main language of Chile, Spanish is usually used. Other languages are common in small indigenous communities and among diasporas. Many locals speak English as well as German, although the number of native speakers is gradually declining.
And what languages are spoken in Chile yet? Among the native dialects, there are nine living and seven dead. The descendants of the warlike and freedom-loving Mapuche number about 200,000 people and speak Mapudungun. In the north, approximately 8,200 people speak Quechua, and 19,000 use Aymara. On the coast of the country and Easter Island, native speakers of rapanui, the language of the Polynesian group, live.
Chilean languages such as she, Kakauchua, Kunza, have long been considered dead, their last speakers disappeared in the 1950s. Some of the local dialects are also living out their last days. So, about 20 people speak the Cavescar language, but only two know the Yaman now.