Endangered Languages Project

ALSO KNOWN AS		Goajiro, Wayuu, Wahiro, Guajira, Goahiro, Wayuunaiki
CLASSIFICATION		Arawakan, Northern Arawakan, Maritime
CODE AUTHORITY		ISO 639-3
LANGUAGE CODE		guc
DOWNLOAD		As csv
MORE RESOURCES		OLAC search

Compare Sources (5)

Information from: “South America” (103-196) . Mily Crevels (2007) , C. Moseley · London & New York: Routledge

Vulnerable

100 percent certain, based on the evidence available
~312,730
Native speakers worldwide
Ethnic population
~312,730
MORE ON SPEAKER NUMBERS
There are 144,000 in Colombia and 168,730 in Venezuela.

DOMAINS OF USE

SPEAKER NUMBER TRENDS

TRANSMISSION

MORE ON VITALITY

Guajiro is taught at university level in Venezuela and it's the of the most vital indigenous languages spoken in Latin America today. They still pass on the language to their children.

SPEAKER ATTITUDE

Guajiro language forms an important factor of ethnic and cultural identity.

OTHER LANGUAGES USED BY THE COMMUNITY

Spanish

PLACES: Colombia and Venezuela

LOCATION DESCRIPTION

Colombia: Department of La Guajira,
all over the peninsula, especially in the municipalities of Uribia, Manaure, and
Maicao, but also in Riohacha, Barrancas, Fonseca, San Juan del Cesar, Villanueva, Urumita, and El Molino.

Venezuela: Zulia State, La Guajira Peninsula, to the northwest and west of Lake Maracaibo; to the north of the cities Sinamaica and Maracaibo, towards the Colombian border; a little to the north of Guana, and in Maracaibo.

At risk

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available
318,500
Native speakers worldwide

At risk

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available
305,000
Native speakers worldwide

Vulnerable

100 percent certain, based on the evidence available
305,000
Native speakers worldwide
MORE ON SPEAKER NUMBERS
135,000 in Colombia; 199,000 in Venezuela.
(Unchanged 2016).

DATE OF INFO: 1995

DOMAINS OF USE

SPEAKER NUMBER TRENDS

TRANSMISSION

MORE ON VITALITY

One of the most vigorously spoken indigenous languages in South America (Crevels 2007). Positive attitudes. Many, especially younger generations, understand and speak Spanish [spa] fluently (Crevels 2007) (2013).

LANGUAGE CONTEXT COMMENTS

PLACES: Venezuela; Colombia;

LOCATION DESCRIPTION: La Guajira Department, Guajira peninsula, Caribbean coast.

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: La Guajira Department, Guajira peninsula, Caribbean coast.

Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. comments powered by Disqus

	3rd	2010	Atlas of the World’s Languages in Danger				UNESCO Publishing	Paris	http://www.unesco.org/culture/en/endangeredlanguages/atlas	Christopher Moseley (ed.)	Moseley, Christopher (ed.). 2010. Atlas of the World’s Languages in Danger, 3rd edn. http://www.unesco.org/culture/en/endangeredlanguages/atlas. (03 June, 2011.)	ll_pub		318,500		100000						At risk (20 percent certain, based on the evidence available)								11.8673,-71.9824
		2007	South America	Atlas of the World's Endangered Languages	103-196	C. Moseley	London & New York: Routledge			Mily Crevels	Crevels, Mily. 2007. "South America." In Atlas of the World's Endangered Languages, edited by C. Moseley. 103-196. London & New York: Routledge.	HHOLD	~312,730	~312,730		100000	There are 144,000 in Colombia and 168,730 in Venezuela.	Spanish	Guajiro language forms an important factor of ethnic and cultural identity.		Most Guajiro are bilingual in Spanish.	Vulnerable (100 percent certain, based on the evidence available)	10	Guajiro is taught at university level in Venezuela and it's the of the most vital indigenous languages spoken in Latin America today. They still pass on the language to their children.	11	10		Colombia and Venezuela	Colombia: Department of La Guajira, all over the peninsula, especially in the municipalities of Uribia, Manaure, and Maicao, but also in Riohacha, Barrancas, Fonseca, San Juan del Cesar, Villanueva, Urumita, and El Molino. Venezuela: Zulia State, La Guajira Peninsula, to the northwest and west of Lake Maracaibo; to the north of the cities Sinamaica and Maracaibo, towards the Colombian border; a little to the north of Guana, and in Maracaibo.
0199255911		2005	The World Atlas of Language Structures			Bernard Comrie and David Gil and Martin Haspelmath and Matthew S. Dryer	Oxford University Press	New York			2005. "The World Atlas of Language Structures." edited by Bernard Comrie et al. Oxford University Press.																			12.0,-72.0
			World Oral Literature Project						http://www.oralliterature.org		"World Oral Literature Project." Online: http://www.oralliterature.org.			305,000		100000						At risk (20 percent certain, based on the evidence available)
	16	2009	Ethnologue: Languages of the World, 16th Edition (2009)			M. Paul Lewis	SIL International	Dallas, TX	http://www.ethnologue.com/		Lewis, M. Paul (ed.). 2009. Ethnologue: Languages of the World, 16 edn. http://www.ethnologue.com/home.asp. (15 February, 2011.)	ll_pub		305,000	1995	100000	135,000 in Colombia; 199,000 in Venezuela. (Unchanged 2016).			One of the most vigorously spoken indigenous languages in South America (Crevels 2007). Positive attitudes. Many, especially younger generations, understand and speak Spanish [spa] fluently (Crevels 2007) (2013).		Vulnerable (100 percent certain, based on the evidence available)	10	One of the most vigorously spoken indigenous languages in South America (Crevels 2007). Positive attitudes. Many, especially younger generations, understand and speak Spanish [spa] fluently (Crevels 2007) (2013).	11	10	La Guajira Department, Guajira peninsula, Caribbean coast.	Venezuela; Colombia;	La Guajira Department, Guajira peninsula, Caribbean coast.

Guajiro

Language metadata

Language information by source

Vulnerable

100 percent certain, based on the evidence available

~312,730

At risk

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

318,500

At risk

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

305,000

Vulnerable

100 percent certain, based on the evidence available

305,000

Discussion

Guajiro

Language metadata

Language information by source

Vulnerable

100 percent certain, based on the evidence available

~312,730

At risk

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

318,500

At risk

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

305,000

Vulnerable

100 percent certain, based on the evidence available

305,000

Discussion

Suggest information or improvement

Download language data

Sources of information