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Aché Indian Language (Guayaki, Ache, Axe)

Language: Aché is a Tupi-Guarani language of South America. It is spoken by around 800 people in Paraguay, out of a total population of 2000. Though Ache is closely related to the more commonly spoken Guarani language, and is often grouped together with the different dialects of Guarani, in fact Guarani and Ache people cannot easily understand each other. Their languages are about as different from one another as French and Spanish. Ache is a polysynthetic language with many prefixes, and usually uses SVO word order.

Names: Aché is their indigenous name, meaning "the people." It is also sometimes spelled Ache, Axé or Axe. The Guarani word for the Ache tribe used to be Guayaki (also spelled Guayaqui, Guayakí, Guajaki, Guaiaqui, or Guadjaki.) This means "wild bees" and originally had the connotation of fierce fighters in Guarani, but after colonization it began to be used as a word for "crazy" or "uncivilized" and our Guarani speakers say it would be very rude to call their Ache neighbors by this name anymore. Aché subgroups include the Ache Wa (also known as Ache del Yñarõ, Ache de Ypetimi, or Ypety Aché,) the Ache Gatu (also known as the Northern Aches, Ybytyrusu or Yvytyruzu Ache), the Ñacunday River Ache (also known as the Southern Aches or Ache Irollä,) and the Ache Purä.



Ache Language
Ache language samples and resources.

Ache Culture and History
Information and links about the Ache tribe past and present.



Ache Language Resources

Our Ache Language Materials

Ache Vocabulary
    Our list of vocabulary words in the Ache language, with comparison to words in other Tupi-Guarani languages.
Ache Pronunciation Guide:
    How to pronounce Ache words.
Ache Animals:
    Picture dictionary of animal words in the Ache language.
Ache Body Parts:
    Online and printable worksheets showing parts of the body in Ache.

Aché Language Lessons and Linguistic Descriptions

Paraguay Tribal Map: * Paraguay Language Map:
    Maps showing where in Paraguay the Ache language is spoken.
Aché Language Documentation Project:
    Information from a linguistics initiative using technology to record and preserve the Ache language.
Aché Phonology:
    Linguistic chart of phonemes in the Ache language.
Ache Good News:
    Translations of Bible stories into Ache.
Ache Language Tree:
    Theories about Aché's language relationships compiled by Linguist List.
Ache Language Structures:
    Ache linguistic profile and academic bibliography.
Lexicología y fonología históricas del Aché:
    Online Ache grammar and dictionary. Site is in Spanish.
OLAC: Ache:
    Reference list of Ache language materials.
Inflectional morphology restructuring in Ache * The origin of language among the Aché:
    Aché linguistics papers available online.
Endangered Languages Project: Ache:
    Bibliography of Ache language resources.

Additional Resources, Links, and References

Aché:
    Wikipedia article on the Aché language.
Lengua Axé * Nómadas de la Selva subtropical * Idioma Aché:
    Information about the Aché Indians and their language in Spanish.



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