Arhuaco | |
---|---|
Ikʉ | |
Native to | Colombia |
Ethnicity | 14,800 Arhuacos (2001)[1] |
Native speakers | 8,000 (2009)[2] |
Chibchan
| |
Language codes | |
ISO 639-3 | arh |
Glottolog | arhu1242 |
ELP | Ica |
Arhuaco, commonly known as Ikʉ (Arhuaco: Ikʉ), is an Indigenous American language of the Chibchan language family, spoken in South America by the Arhuaco people.[3]
There are 8000 speakers, all in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta region of Colombia, 90% of whom are monolingual.[3] Literacy is 1 to 5% in their native language. Some speak Spanish, and 15 to 25% are literate in that auxiliary language.[3] The users have a very strong traditional culture and have vibrant use of their tongue.[3]
It is also known as: Aruaco, Bintuk, Bíntukua, Bintucua, Ica, Ijca, Ijka, Ika, and Ike.[3]
The language uses a subject–object–verb (SOV) sentence structure.[3]