Index compiled with the help of Pierric Sans, 2009

Data on Chiquitano:

Alternative names: Chiquito (obsolete), Bésɨro, Besüro

Classification: Language isolate, non-classified language of America

Area:

• Mainly in Bolivia, in the lowlands on the border between the Amazonian Basin and the Argentinian Chaco, to the North-East of Santa Cruz de la Sierra.
• Small communities of speakers also found in the state of Mato Grosso, in Brazil.

Number of speakers: 2 000 (estimate by Pierric Sans, University of Lyon 2)

Language status: No official status.

Language of communication for over 50 years.

Vitality & transmission:

Chiquitano is a seriously endangered language. The new generation of young parents are no longer able to transmit the language to their children. The break in the transmission of the language took place in the previous generation of speakers. Average age of Chiquitano speakers: 50-60 years of age.

Media:

A church-owned radio station in Lomerío broadcasts a few programs in Chiquitano (mostly biblical readings).

Historical & ethnographic observations:

A little bit of history…

In the 18^th century, Jesuit missionaries came to the region of Chiquitos (name used by the Guaranis to designate the natives who lived in the region). This area was inhabited by numerous ethnic groups, which spoke very distinct languages from one another. To complete their mission, the Jesuits chose to preach in regional languages rather than in Spanish. Thanks to their more significant numbers, the Chiquitano-speaking missions overtook the missions in other local languages, thereby imposing Chiquitano on a vast territory.

The former Jesuit missions are included in the UNESCO World Heritage List today.

A little bit of economy…

The natural environment of Chiquitanos is a “dry forest” (i.e. a wooded area, which is not tropical or humid). The Chiquitano economy relies largely on agriculture. The region was once mined for tin, but these resources were recently exhausted.

The Chiquitano people today…

The Chiquitanos are one of Bolivia’s most active ethnic groups in the fight for indigenous autonomy.

Linguistic observations:

Researchers believe that the spoken Chiquitano of today has been linguistically influenced by other languages of the region that no longer exist today.

In Chiquitano, men and women do not speak in the same way, and it is possible to distinguish the gender of the speaker from the way in which he or she expresses him or herself: men and women follow distinct rules of agreement for verbs and nouns, and use gender-specific lexicons and pronunciations.

Sources & additional bibliography:

Sans, Pierric. (2009). Eléments de sociolinguistique du bésiro (chiquitano). Approche bibliographique et approche de terrain d’une langue en danger de Bolivie. Mémoire de Master I, Université Lyon 2: Sans-2009-Chiquitano

UNESCO webpage on the Jesuit missions in the Chiquitos

Interview with Jürgen Riester (anthropologist who has worked alongside the Chiquitanos) from the Audiovisual Research Archives website