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The YamanaLanguage is a language isolate spoken in Chile. SIL code: YAG. ISO 639-2: sai. Population: 3 women speakers (Anne Chapmen), who are married to Spanish men and raised their children as Spanish speakers (1990 A. Salas and A. Valencia). Region: Patagonia, Isla Navarino, Puerto Williams, Ukika hamlet. Extinct in Argentina. Alternate names: YAGHAN, YAGAN, TEQUENICA, HAUSI KUTA. Comments: Tovar (1961) says it was closest to Qawasqar, and had some relationship to Ona. Earlier there were up to five dialects. Bilingualism in Spanish. Speakers from 56 to 70 years old (1990). One report says that there are still speakers near the Beagle Canal Naval Base in Chile. Their name for their language is 'Hausi Kuta.' Dictionary. Nearly extinct. Bible portions 1881-1886.(extract from http://www.ethnologue.com/)
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