- Cofán language
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Cofán A'ingae Spoken in Ecuador, Colombia Region Oriente or Ecuadorian Amazon Ethnicity Cofán people Native speakers 1,000-1,600 (date missing) Language family Official status Regulated by No official regulation Language codes ISO 639-3 con The Cofán language (also Kofan or Kofane; autonym: A'ingae) is the language of the Cofán people, an indigenous group native to Napo Province northeast Ecuador and southern Colombia, between the Guamués River (a tributary of the Putumayo River) and the Aguarico River (a tributary of the Napo River).
Approximately 60% of Cofán speakers in Ecuador are literate in their own language. There is extensive bilingualism with Spanish on both sides of the border. Intermarriage with Siona people and Secoya people also promotes bilingualism.
The language is written in the Roman script and has ten vowels (five with and without nasalization) and twenty-eight consonants.
Cofán has been classified as one of the Chibchan languages, but this appears to be due to borrowed vocabulary.
External links
- Alain Fabre, 2005, Diccionario etnolingüístico y guía bibliográfica de los pueblos indígenas sudamericanos: COFÁN[1]
Categories:- Language articles with undated speaker data
- Indigenous languages of the South American Northern Foothills
- Languages of Colombia
- Languages of Ecuador
- Language isolates of South America
- Indigenous languages of the Americas stubs
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