Ashéninka language

Ashéninka (Ashéninca, Ashéninga) is the name that some varieties included in the Ashéninka-Asháninka dialect complex have traditionally received, which belongs to the Kampan branch of the Arawak family.[3] The Ethnologue distinguishes seven languages throughout the whole complex, while Pedrós[3] proposes a division in three languages (Ashéninka, Asháninka and Northern Ashé-Ashá) based on the principle of mutual intelligibility. The varieties included in Ashéninka and Northern Ashé-Ashá have traditionally been called Ashéninka. The Glottolog reflects Pedrós’ proposal, although considering the languages proposed by him as groupings of the languages that the Ethnologue distinguishes.

According to the indigenous peoples database of the Peruvian Ministry of Education,[1] there are 13,496 people living in Ashéninka communities, of whom 9,881 (73%) claim to be able to speak the language. The Ethnologue gives much higher figures for the different Ashéninka varieties.

The classification of the different varieties was first established by David Payne in his Apurucayali Axininca grammar,[4] but he referred to them as dialects and not as different languages.[4]^:3–5

Ashéninka is a locally official language in Peru, as are all native Peruvian languages. It and its relatives are also known by the largely pejorative term Campa.