Aldo Berríos Castillo

My research interest is on the historical trajectories of Mapudungun. Several challenges are connected to this endevour. First, Mapudungun is a language isolate, which means that no known relatives of the language are available to do a historical comparison to ascertain linguistic forms of the remote past.

Despite this there is a relatively substantial historical record of Mapudungun. The earliest sources were published in the 17th Century and the written record continued to increase throughout the 18th and 19th century. Thanks to this, we can look back to the attested internal changes that have happened in the history of the language, and compared to what is typologically and theoretically plausible.

My most recent works (Berríos, 2026, Berríos & Salamanca, 2024) talk about a historical rule of fricativisation that altered the lexicon of Mapudungun, and left remnants in a class of verbs.

I am also interested in documentation and linguistic dissemination, read more about this in the section about language revitalisation.

Academic publications

Most of my publications have a direct links to a PDF. If you cannot see them, please contact me.

Berríos, A. (in preparation). Allomorphy of stative ‑(kɨ)le (and other affixes) in Mapudungun.
Berríos, A. (2026). The history of the [ɨm] causatives in Mapudungun: From regular phonology to lexicalisation. Diachronica, 43 (1), 1–40. doi.org/10.1075/dia.24080.ber
Berríos, A., & Salamanca, G. (2024). Frecuencia fonemática en mapudungun. Literatura y Lingüística, 50, Article 50. https://doi.org/10.29344/0717621X.50.3533 | PDF
Berríos, A., & Salamanca, G. (2024). Efectos morfofonémicos del causativo «-(ü)m» del mapudungun: aspectos sincrónicos y diacrónicos. Forma y Función, 37(2). https://doi.org/10.15446/fyf.v37n2.107627 | PDF

See more publications

Berríos, A. (2023). Frecuencia fonemática del mapudungun.[Master’s thesis, Universidad de Concepción]. Institutional Repository: PDF
Inostroza Araos, Maria-Jesus, Quero Álvarez, Ester, & Berríos Castillo, Aldo. (2021). Perfil de los participantes de internados de mapuzugun de la organización Mapuzuguletuaiñ. Nueva revista del Pacífico,(74), 361-384. https://dx.doi.org/10.4067/S0719-51762021000100361 | scielo.conicyt.cl | PDF

Books / Chapters

These are books and chapters, which I have written with my colleagues in Spanish. Most of them deal with the revitalisation and promotion of Mapudungun.

Painequeo, J., Salamanca, G. & Berríos, A. (2024). Pu Mapuche ñi N´emül´: Una introducción al estudio de la lengua mapuche. Ariadna Ediciones | PDF
Berríos, A., & Inostroza, M.-J. (2025). Experiencia de enseñanza de mapudungun en contexto universitario: Tañi chumken kiñe antü mew. In C. D. Vargas, C. S. Campos, & E. Q. Llancao (Eds.), La enseñanza de lenguas y culturas originarias: Desafíos y oportunidades para la educación del siglo XXI (1st ed., pp. 175–190). Ediciones Universidad de Concepción.
Berríos, A., Namuncura, A. & Carilaf, V. (forthcoming). Kimeltuwe witrañpüramtuael mapuzungun: un espacio de enseñanza para levantar el mapuzungun. En Malvestitti, M. & A. Olate. La lengua mapuche en Gulumapu y Puelmapu: Avances e intersecciones en los estudios lingüísticos, la enseñanza y los activismos. Editoriales UFRO y UNRN.

Presentations

Berríos, A. (2026, February 27). Phonologically conditioned allomorphy in Mapudungun: A missed generalisation or a historical accident?. Talk at the Phonetics and Phonology Research Group, also know as the P-workshop, University of Edinburgh, UK. PDF
Berríos, A. (2026, January 15). [kɨ]-allomorphs in Mapudungun: accounting for [-kɨle] and other inflectional affixes. Poster presentation at the 23rd Old-World Conference in Phonology (OCP23), Gonville & Caius College, University of Cambridge, UK. PDF

See more presentations

Berríos, A. (2025, December 02). Kɨ-allomorphy in Mapudungun. From ‘stuff’, to affix, to suppletion. Poster presentation at The Seventh Edinburgh Symposium on Historical Phonology, University of Edinburgh, Scotland. PDF
Molineaux, B. & Berríos, A. (2025, October 15). A grapho-phonological history of the ‘sixth vowel’ in Mapudungun: Epenthesis, stress and rule inversion. Presentation at the Autumn 2025 Catchup Sessions, Angus McIntosh Centre for Historical Linguistics, Edinburgh, Scotland, UK.
Berríos, A. (2025, September 12). Alomorfía de -küle, y otros sufijos flexivos, en mapudungun [Allomorphy of ‑küle and other inflectional suffixes in Mapudungun]. Talk at the on-line event ABRALIN & SOCHIL: vozes que aproximam saberes. PDF
Berríos, A. (2025, August 19). Origin, trajectory and deactivation of a phonological process: tracing the root-consonant alternation in Mapudungun. Talk at ICHL27 (International Conference on Historical Linguistics), Santiago, Chile. PDF
Molineaux, B. & Berríos, A. (2025, August 19). A grapho-phonological history of the 'sixth vowel' in Mapudungun: Epenthesis, stress and rule inversion. Talk at ICHL27 (International Conference on Historical Linguistics). Santiago, Chile. PDF
Berríos, A. (2025, July 2). Lanzamiento del libro Pu Mapuche ñi N’Emül’. Una Introducción al Estudio de la Lengua Mapuche [Book Launch: Pu Mapuche ñi N’emül’. An introduction to the study of the Mapuche language]. Talk at the Universidad de La Frontera, Temuco, Chile. Organized by Ediciones FECSH UFRO.
Berríos, A. (2025, June 5). K-Allomorphy in Mapudungun: the case of stative -(kɨ)le. Talk for the Linguistics and English Language Postgraduate Conference 2025, University of Edinburgh. PDF
Berríos, A. (2025, May 29). K-POP* Allomorphy: On the status of -k in Mapudungun Morphophonology. Poster presentation at the PPLS Research Day 2025 Programme, University of Edinburgh, Scotland, UK. PDF
* k-Phonologically-Oriented Phenomena
Berríos, A. (2025, February 7). Today’s irregular morphology is yesterday’s regular phonology: […] the complex verbal morphology of Mapudungun. Talk at the 22nd Old-World Conference in Phonology, University of Amsterdam. PDF

See even more presentations

Berríos, A. (2024, December 5). La morfología del presente es la fonología del pasado: Estudio del surgimiento de las irregularidades morfológicas en mapudungun a partir de procesos fonológicos ancestrales [The Morphology of the Present is the Phonology of the Past: A Study of the Emergence of Morphological Irregularities in Mapudungun from Ancestral Phonological Processes], Jornadas de estudios lingüísticos internacionales SOCHIL-SAEL 2024: Primeras jornadas transcordillera SOCHIL-SAEL online. PDF
Berríos, A. (2024, October 10). Tañi chumken kiñe antü mew: Una experiencia pedagógica en contexto universitario [Reporting a Pedagogical experience at the University level]. Talk at the VII Coloquio sobre Enseñanza y Aprendizaje de la lengua mapuche, Universidad de la Frontera. PDF
Berríos, A. (2024, August 28). From regular phonology to irregular morphology: An amphichronic study of the alternation of causative -(ɨ)m in Mapudungun. Talk at the 2024 Annual Meeting of the LAGB, Newcastle University, UK. PDF
Berríos, A. (2024, July 4). Today’s morphology is yesterday’s phonology: An amphichronic study of the alternation of causative -(ɨ)m in Mapudungun. Poster presentation at the 20th ACTL Summer School, University of York, UK. PDF
Berríos, A. (2024, June 13). Today’s morphology is yesterday’s phonology: An amphichronic study of the alternation of causative -(ɨ)m in Mapudungun. Poster presentation at the PPLS Research Day 2024, University of Edinburgh, Scotland, UK. PDF
Berríos, A. (2024, June 4). From regular phonology to irregular morphology: An amphichronic study of the alternation of causative -(ɨ)m in Mapudungun. Talk at the 30th Linguistics and English Language Postgraduate Conference, University of Edinburgh, Scotland, UK. Slides PDF
Berríos, A. (2024, April 29). Mapudungun: Sociolinguistis, Research and Revitalisation. Talks at the micro-conference entitled Researching and Revitalising Minoritised Isolates: the cases of Mapudungun and Euskera, organised by A. Berríos & I. Urrestarazu-Porta, University of Edinburgh, Scotland, UK. Slides PDF
Berríos, A. (2024, April 25-26). From regular phonology to irregular morphology: An amphichronic study of the alternation of causative - (ɨ)m in Mapudungun. Talk at the 11th Manchester Forum in LInguistics (MFiL 2024), University of Manchester, UK. Slides PDF
Berríos, A. (2024, February 6). The history of the - (ɨ)m causative in Mapudungun: from regular phonology to irregular morphology. Talk at the AMC Catchup Sessions, University of Edinburgh, Scotland, UK. Slides PDF
Berríos, A. (2023, November 27). N’emülkawe: A learner’s dictionary for Mapudungun. Invited speaker at the lecture Minority Languages II, taught by Dr Maria Mazzoli, University of Groningen (NL). Slides PDF
Berríos, A. (2023, November 6). Invited speaker at the lecture Structure of a Language : Mapudungun, taught by Dr Ben Molineaux, University of Edinburgh (UK). Slides PDF
Berríos, A. (2023, November 2). Phoneme Frequency in Mapudungun. [Poster Session]. 78th Language Lunch, University of Edinburgh, U.K. Poster PDF
Berríos, A. (2023, May 23-25). Frecuencia fonemática del mapudungun. [Conference Session] XXIII Congreso internacional de la Sociedad Chilena de Lingüística, Facultad de Educación de la Universidad Católica Silva Henríquez, Santiago, Chile. Slides PDF
Berríos, A. (2022). Frecuencia fonemática del mapudungun. [Conference Session] 8vas Jornadas Nacionales de Fonética Humberto Valdivieso, Universidad de Concepción. Slides PDF
Berríos, A. (2021). Características acústicas de la reducción del grupo /ej/ asociado a procesos morfofonológicos del mapuzugun. [Conference Session] I Congreso Nacional de Estudiantes de Postgrado en Lingüística de Chile, Santiago de Chile. Slides PDF
Berríos, A. (2021). Diversidad Lingüística en Wallmapu. [Conference Session] Tercera Jornada de Pedagogía Media en Inglés. Universidad de los Lagos.
Berríos, A. (2021). Diccionario de mapuzugun en linea www.azümchefe.cl. [Conference Session] II Jornada de Revitalización lingüística: experiencias desafíos y urgencias en Latinoamérica.

Other Publications

Berríos, A. (2026, May). Phoneme Frequency in Mapudungun: a report. Edinburgh Research Archive. https://doi.org/10.7488/era/7112
Berríos, A. (2026, April). Mapudungun: A Concise Language Profile. Edinburgh Research Archive. https://doi.org/10.7488/era/7088
Berríos, A. (2023). Esbozo Gramatical del Mapudungun. Fiwfiw ñi Dungun. PDF
Berríos, A., Urrea, P., Pichún, H., Gutiérrez, C., Llancapan, L. y Guíñez, M. (2023). Mapudungun: Gramática básica ilustrada. Fiwfiw ñi Dungun. PDF
Berríos, A. (2022). Nhemülkawe: Diccionario Mapuzugun – Castellano. Mapuzuguletuaiñ Konse Mew. PDF(Extract)