Gununa Kune, also known as Puelche, Gennaken, Northern Tehuelche or Ranquelche, is an extinct Chonan language formerly spoken by the Gununa Kune people of the Pampas region of Argentina, in what is now Río Negro Province and southern Neuquén Province. It became extinct in 1960 with the death of its last known speaker, José Maria Cual, and UNESCO's Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger lists it as extinct. Its exact relationship within the Chonan family is debated: it has long been treated as potentially isolated within the group, though some researchers have proposed a connection to the extinct Querandi language on limited evidence.
Facts
Disputed
Proto-Language StatusNo proto-language; long considered a language isolate within the Chonan family 1 Viegas Barros (2005) proposed a relation to the Chon languages, but the family affiliation remains unsettled. RegionRío Negro and southern Neuquén, Argentina 1 Speaker Count In the Other Atlases
Found In
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Sources
1. Puelche language, Wikipedia
Infobox: region
Río Negro and southern Neuquén
Article text
Casamiquela released the first and last name of the last Puelche speaker: José María Cual, who died in 1960 at the age of 90.
Classification section
Gununa Kune has long been considered a language isolate.
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