Languages of Chile and Argentina

[vijayjohn]

Although Spanish is the sole de facto official language of Chile and Argentina, several languages from at least six language families are spoken there, especially in Argentina, which has a much larger land area anyway. The Austronesian language Rapa Nui is spoken on Easter Island, and there is also a language called Qawesqar that may still be spoken in southern Chile. A bit further north, Mapudungun is spoken in both Chile and Argentina, while its close relative, Huiliche, is spoken only on the Chilean side of the border, if it is still spoken at all. Chilean Quechua and Central Aymara are both spoken in northern Chile and Argentina.

South Bolivian Quechua is spoken immediately to the east of the area where Chilean Quechua is spoken, in Argentina just south of the border with Bolivia. Along the borders with Paraguay and southeastern Bolivia, some Matacoan, Guaicuruan, and Tupi-Guaraní languages are spoken. Santiago del Estero Quichua is spoken to the south of these languages (one Guaicuruan language, Mocovi, is spoken to the east of where Santiago del Estero Quichua is spoken).