Also Known As:
Pai'pai, Akwa'ala, Cuñeil
Dialects & Varieties
Paipai (Baja California, Mexico) - Language Snapshot
Gonzalez, Ivette S. 2020. Paipai (Baja California, Mexico) – Language Snapshot. In Peter K. Austin (ed.) Language Documentation and Description 17, 150-157. London: EL Publishing. http://www.elpublishing.org/PID/191
Critically Endangered
100 percent certain, based on the evidence available
Fewer than 50 total; 25 in Santa Katarina as of 2010 (Gómez & Ibáñez), and 49 as of 2015 (Ibáñez).
Native Speakers Worldwide
Speaker Number Trends
Speaker Number Trend 4
Less than half of the community speaks the language, and speaker numbers are decreasing at an accelerated pace.
4
Domains of Use
Domain Of Use 5
Used only in a few very specific domains, such as in ceremonies, songs, prayer, proverbs, or certain limited domestic activities.
5
Transmission
Transmission 4
Many of the grandparent generation speak the language, but younger people generally do not.
4
Speakers
Native or fluent speakers:
No results found.
Second-language speakers and learners
No results found.
Semi-speakers or rememberers
No results found.
Children:
No results found.
Young adults
No results found.
Older adults
No results found.
Elders
No results found.
Ethnic or community population
No results found.
Year information was gathered
No results found.
Comments on speakers
Documentation work includes some descriptions, wordlists, a translated traditional narratives, a pedagogical book, and some audio-visual materials.
Location and Context
Countries
Now spoken primarily in Santa Catarina and San Isodoro near Ensenada in the Baja California region of Mexico.
Location Description
No results found.
Government Support
No results found.
Institutional Support
No results found.
Speakers' Attitude
As of 2015, 82.7% of the population in Santa Catarina are Indigenous, but primarily speak Spanish. Although the language is currently used primarily in conversation among the elderly, many members of the community support language maintenance through a recent bilingual primary school, and the children want to learn Paipai (Sánchez, 2016). The community believes that the language can only be transmitted effectively by trained teachers.
Other Languages Used By The Community
Spanish
Number of Other Language Speakers:
None
Domains of Other Languages:
None
Writing Systems
Standard orthography:
No results found.
Writing system:
No results found.
Other writing systems used:
No results text.
Comments on writing systems:
No results found.
Recent Resources
Variantes lingüísticas de la agrupación lingüística paipai, con sus autodenominaciones y referencias
Variantes lingüísticas de la agrupación lingüística paipai, por grado de riesgo de desaparición.
SITIO DEL INSTITUTO NACIONAL DE LENGUAS INDÍGENAS (INALI)