El discurso "wewpin" en la etnoliteratura mapuche

Abstract

In this article the author tests the hypothesis that “wewpin” or “koyagtun”, more than being an individual type of mapuche discourse, constitutes a wide genre of public formal discourse within the ritual and social domains that is crystalized in a variety of speech forms sharing similar linguistic features and different levels of codification, depending on topic and context; and that can be pronounced by a member of the culture who is qualified for his social status and power within the group. For such purpose, there is first a historical revision of classifications and descriptions of “wewpin” to further define its domains and propose a new typologization.