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Siona language

The language of the Siona people (also known as Bain Coca, Pioje, Pioche-Sioni, Ganteyabain, Ganteya, Ceona, Zeona, Koka, Kanú, international code is SNN) is an indigenous language that belongs to the Eastern Tucano family. It is spoken mainly in Ecuador and Colombia, in the Amazon regions of the Putumayo, Cuyabeno and Aguarico rivers. It has about 460 native speakers, according to data from 2008-2012. It is a language in danger of extinction, since many Siona children and young people prefer to use Spanish, the dominant language in both countries.

The Siona language has two main varieties: Ecuadorian and Colombian, which are very similar to each other and have a high degree of mutual intelligibility. It is also closely related to the redwood or piojé language, which is spoken in the same territory by another indigenous people. The three languages ​​form a group called Siona-Secoya within the Eastern Tucano family.

The Siona language has a complex grammatical structure, with many cases, tenses, moods and verbal aspects. It also has a nominal classification system based on gender and number. The basic word order is subject-object-verb (SOV), but it can vary depending on emphasis or pragmatics. The Siona language uses the Latin alphabet for its writing, with some diacritics to represent the specific sounds of the language.

The Siona language is an important part of the culture and identity of this indigenous people, who have resisted colonization, exploitation and violence for centuries. The Siona language reflects their worldview, their beliefs, their knowledge and their ancestral practices. Therefore, it is necessary to preserve and revitalize this language, which is a cultural and historical heritage of humanity.

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