Guanche language facts for kids

The Guanche language was a language spoken by the Guanches, the original people of the Canary Islands. This language became extinct around the 16th or 17th century. It disappeared after the conquest of the Canary Islands by the Spanish, as the Guanche people slowly adopted the dominant Spanish culture. Today, we know about the Guanche language from old records, including sentences and individual words written down by early explorers. We also find Guanche words in many place-names across the islands and in some words used by modern Canary Islanders.

Understanding the Guanche Language

How Guanche is Classified by Experts

Many language experts believe that Guanche was likely a Berber language, or at least closely related to the Berber languages. Berber languages are spoken in parts of North Africa. Some Guanche words, especially those about farming or animals, are similar to Berber words. However, the grammar of Guanche and many other words do not seem to match Berber languages. This makes it a bit of a mystery for linguists! Some think Guanche might have developed from a very early form of Berber, splitting off a long time ago.

A Glimpse into Guanche History

The name Guanche originally meant "man from Tenerife", which is one of the Canary Islands. Later, this name was used to describe all the native people of the entire archipelago. Different islands had their own versions, or dialects, of the Guanche language.

Archaeologists have found ancient rock carvings on the Canary Islands. These carvings include writings similar to Libyco-Berber and Punic scripts. However, early reports from explorers said that the Guanches themselves did not have their own system for writing.

The first clear record of the Guanche language came from an explorer named Nicoloso da Recco in 1341. He wrote down a list of numbers from 1 to 19, possibly from the island of Fuerteventura. His records show that the Guanches used a base-10 counting system, much like we do today, and it had strong similarities to Berber numbers.

The Whistled Language: Silbo

One very special part of Guanche communication was Silbo. This was a unique whistled form of speech. It was used to talk over long distances, especially across valleys and mountains on islands like La Gomera, El Hierro, Tenerife, and Gran Canaria. When the Guanche language faded away, people on the islands adapted Silbo to the Spanish words. Today, a Spanish version of Silbo is still used and taught on La Gomera!

Exploring Guanche Words and Numbers

Guanche Numerals: Counting in the Past

The Guanches had their own way of counting. Records from different times show some variations, but they generally followed a base-10 system. For example, Nicoloso da Recco's 1341 list included:

• 1: vait
• 2: smetti
• 3: amelotti
• 10: marava

Later records showed how they might have combined numbers, like adding -ir to make numbers from 11 to 19. For example, benirmarago might have meant "one and ten" (eleven).

A Small Guanche Vocabulary List

Here are some interesting Guanche words that have been recorded, giving us a peek into their daily lives and surroundings:

Some words also varied by island: