There's a linguistic trend going on in the Americas. Generally speaking the language of the colonizers has been and continues to be the main language of the state while indigenous languages have been spoken by much smaller and more geographically isolated groups. Again this the trend, not the rule, but you if you look at the official languages from Canada to Chile you'll notice a certain pattern.
Paraguay, however is an exception to the general linguistics trends. While Spanish became an extremely important language (spoken by more than 90% of the population), it did not supplant native tongues so thoroughly as happened in other countries.
Today, Paraguay has two official languages - Spanish and Guarani, both of which are enshrined in the country's constitution. This made Guarani the first Amerindian language to attain the status of a country's official language.
Today other indigenous languages are recognised and named as official in South American by countries like Bolivia and Peru, but in no other country in the Americas has an indigenous language flourished quiet like Guarani has.
Today 90% of Paraguayans speak Guarani, with roughly a quarter of the population being monolingual in the language. Guarani also holds the distinction of being the only indigenous language of the Americas with such a large speaking population of non-indigenous people. It's used on the street, in blogs, to discuss cooking and finances. Many of the Mennonite groups of Paraguay use Guarani as well, although it's often mixed with either English or German. Compare that to another indigenous language like Mapuche which is not recognised by any government and is spoken almost exclusively by the Mapuche people. You could live your whole like in Chile or Argentina and never learn a word of Mapuche. In Paraguay its the opposite.
Guarani is essential to life in Paraguay.
So how did Guarani buck the trend and become one of the most widely spoken indigenous language? As with most modern linguistic situations, it's a matter of history and also one of politics.
The Spanish crown claimed the land which opened it to the Spanish explorers. At the same time, Jesuit Catholics came into the region to spread their religion.
The first grammar of Guarani (Tesoro de la lengua guarani) was written by a Jesuit priest, Antonio Ruiz de Montoya. He referred to the language as elegant and "on equal standing with the world’s most famous languages. " In the Jesuit reducciones, the Guarani language was regularly used instead of Spanish. So while the language of administration for most Spanish colonies was Spanish, Paraguay was an exception with Guarani. So, from the start Guarani wasn't dismissed but instead utilised.
In 1811, Paraguay gained its independence and José Gaspar Rodríguez de Francia become the leader until his death in 1840. While he ruled as a dictator, many people credit him with Paraguay's multilingual, multiethnic and multicultural society.
During de Francia's rule, Paraguay became extremely isolationist and cut off from neighbouring countries. De Francia regular appealed to the Guarani population by using and somewhat promoted Guarani. At the same time, he forbade European men (and Spaniards in particular) from marrying Spanish women. For years, men of European descent could only marry indigenous, mixed-race, or black Paraguayans.
Some scholars think that period gave the people of Paraguay time to established their own distinct culture that included many indigenous influences. And many believe this also one of the reasons that Paraguay could embrace multilingualism. So while there was a large Spanish speaking population in Paraguay, the language didn't take as firm dominance as it did in other colonies.
After de Francia's death, Carlos Antonio Lopez became the dictator of Paraguy and in 1844, he changed the nation’s constitution, removing any element or mention of Guarani heritage. However, by that time, de Francia had prevented Spanish from taking the same linguistic role it had in other South American colonies.
Then in 1864, the Paraguayan War (also known as the War of the Triple Alliance) began.
In 1954, Alfredo Stroessner became the president (and later dictator) of Paraguay and like de Francia, he used the Guarani language in an effort to appeal to common Paraguayans. This was furthered until the creation of the the 1962 Constitution, in which Guarani was recognised as a national language and Spanish was made the official language of the republic.
Finally, when the democratic constitution of 1992 was written, Guarani was given co-equal status alongside Spanish.
So it's safe to say that Guarani has a long road to finally becoming one of the most widely spoken indigenous languages in the Americas. Today many people describe Paraguay as essential bilingual with Guarani and Spanish.
It would still be a stretch to say that the languages are on equal footing.
Depending on where you are in Paraguay, there can be a diglossic situation with Guarani being used for most everyday situations while Spanish is more often used for media, business and administrative matters. Spanish dominates print media however, with nearly all of Paraguayan literature written in Spanish. This is reinforced by Spanish's position as the lingua franca for much of South America.
The Guarani language has also gained traction outside of Paraguay in Bolivia and Argentina where it is also spoken. In the province of Corriente Argentina, Guarani became an official language in 2004. Since then it has been incorporated in the provincial education system. And in 2000, Guarani was recognised as one of las lenguas indígenas oficiales de Bolivia (the official indigenous languages of Bolivia).
Alongside Spanish and Portuguese, Guarani is one of the official languages of Mercosur (the Southern Common Market) trade bloc. However, the organisation doesn’t provide most of its services in Guarani and the summits are held either in Portuguese or Spanish.
Constitution of Paraguay
Artículo 140 - De los idiomas
Artículo 140 - Ñeœænguéra rehegua
Paraguay, however is an exception to the general linguistics trends. While Spanish became an extremely important language (spoken by more than 90% of the population), it did not supplant native tongues so thoroughly as happened in other countries.
Today, Paraguay has two official languages - Spanish and Guarani, both of which are enshrined in the country's constitution. This made Guarani the first Amerindian language to attain the status of a country's official language.
Today other indigenous languages are recognised and named as official in South American by countries like Bolivia and Peru, but in no other country in the Americas has an indigenous language flourished quiet like Guarani has.
Today 90% of Paraguayans speak Guarani, with roughly a quarter of the population being monolingual in the language. Guarani also holds the distinction of being the only indigenous language of the Americas with such a large speaking population of non-indigenous people. It's used on the street, in blogs, to discuss cooking and finances. Many of the Mennonite groups of Paraguay use Guarani as well, although it's often mixed with either English or German. Compare that to another indigenous language like Mapuche which is not recognised by any government and is spoken almost exclusively by the Mapuche people. You could live your whole like in Chile or Argentina and never learn a word of Mapuche. In Paraguay its the opposite.
Guarani is essential to life in Paraguay.
So how did Guarani buck the trend and become one of the most widely spoken indigenous language? As with most modern linguistic situations, it's a matter of history and also one of politics.
A Bit of Paraguayan History
First, it's important to understand that Paraguay's geography. It's a landlocked country in the interior of South America. Because getting there was such a challenge, it's often been described as una isla rodeada de tierra (an island surrounded by land).
The Spanish crown claimed the land which opened it to the Spanish explorers. At the same time, Jesuit Catholics came into the region to spread their religion.
The first grammar of Guarani (Tesoro de la lengua guarani) was written by a Jesuit priest, Antonio Ruiz de Montoya. He referred to the language as elegant and "on equal standing with the world’s most famous languages. " In the Jesuit reducciones, the Guarani language was regularly used instead of Spanish. So while the language of administration for most Spanish colonies was Spanish, Paraguay was an exception with Guarani. So, from the start Guarani wasn't dismissed but instead utilised.
In 1811, Paraguay gained its independence and José Gaspar Rodríguez de Francia become the leader until his death in 1840. While he ruled as a dictator, many people credit him with Paraguay's multilingual, multiethnic and multicultural society.
During de Francia's rule, Paraguay became extremely isolationist and cut off from neighbouring countries. De Francia regular appealed to the Guarani population by using and somewhat promoted Guarani. At the same time, he forbade European men (and Spaniards in particular) from marrying Spanish women. For years, men of European descent could only marry indigenous, mixed-race, or black Paraguayans.
Some scholars think that period gave the people of Paraguay time to established their own distinct culture that included many indigenous influences. And many believe this also one of the reasons that Paraguay could embrace multilingualism. So while there was a large Spanish speaking population in Paraguay, the language didn't take as firm dominance as it did in other colonies.
After de Francia's death, Carlos Antonio Lopez became the dictator of Paraguy and in 1844, he changed the nation’s constitution, removing any element or mention of Guarani heritage. However, by that time, de Francia had prevented Spanish from taking the same linguistic role it had in other South American colonies.
Then in 1864, the Paraguayan War (also known as the War of the Triple Alliance) began.
Despite the elite of Paraguay having little to no consideration for Guarani, the majority of the Paraguayan military at the time were indigenous and spoke and used Guarani in the army. In 1866, during the Battle of Estero Bellaco, a huge number of ethnically Spanish and Spanish elite died leaving the army majority indigenous.
Despite the extensive use of Guarani during the Paraguayan War, the use Guarani was banned when it ended.
About sixty years later, Guarani would gain considerably esteem during the Chaco War (1932-1935) between Paraguay and Bolivia. Nearly all of the Paraguayan soldiers were European-Guarani mestizos. The Paraguyan army utilised the fact that they could communicate over the radio in Guarani with relative confidence since Guarani not known to most Bolivian soldiers. And once again, Guarani took a place of huge importance for Paraguay. It also gave them the polk song 13 Tuyuti (Regiment 13) which has taken on a special importance in Paraguayan culture.
Despite the extensive use of Guarani during the Paraguayan War, the use Guarani was banned when it ended.
About sixty years later, Guarani would gain considerably esteem during the Chaco War (1932-1935) between Paraguay and Bolivia. Nearly all of the Paraguayan soldiers were European-Guarani mestizos. The Paraguyan army utilised the fact that they could communicate over the radio in Guarani with relative confidence since Guarani not known to most Bolivian soldiers. And once again, Guarani took a place of huge importance for Paraguay. It also gave them the polk song 13 Tuyuti (Regiment 13) which has taken on a special importance in Paraguayan culture.
In 1954, Alfredo Stroessner became the president (and later dictator) of Paraguay and like de Francia, he used the Guarani language in an effort to appeal to common Paraguayans. This was furthered until the creation of the the 1962 Constitution, in which Guarani was recognised as a national language and Spanish was made the official language of the republic.
Finally, when the democratic constitution of 1992 was written, Guarani was given co-equal status alongside Spanish.
Article 140 - About Languages*
(1) Paraguay is a bilingual country with a pluralistic culture.* original Guarani and Spanish at the bottom
(2) Its official languages are Spanish and Guaraní. The law will establish the procedures for using one or the other.
(3) Languages, as well as those of other minority groups, are part of the cultural heritage of the nation.
So it's safe to say that Guarani has a long road to finally becoming one of the most widely spoken indigenous languages in the Americas. Today many people describe Paraguay as essential bilingual with Guarani and Spanish.
It would still be a stretch to say that the languages are on equal footing.
Depending on where you are in Paraguay, there can be a diglossic situation with Guarani being used for most everyday situations while Spanish is more often used for media, business and administrative matters. Spanish dominates print media however, with nearly all of Paraguayan literature written in Spanish. This is reinforced by Spanish's position as the lingua franca for much of South America.
Guarani is consistently making inroads to becoming a commonly used language of many situations. Author Tadeo Zarratea published the first novel in Guarani in 1981. Since then, there’s been slow but steady stream of literature written in Guarani. Paraguayan cinema has produced numerous film that are in the language either partially or entirely.
Today, the Foundation Yvy Marãe'ỹ (land without evil) advocates for the Guarani language and provides translations for modern technology and has produced IT dictionaries. Yvy Marãe’ỹ collaborated with Facebook and OpenOffice for the Guarani versions.
Guarani Outside Paraguay
The Guarani language has also gained traction outside of Paraguay in Bolivia and Argentina where it is also spoken. In the province of Corriente Argentina, Guarani became an official language in 2004. Since then it has been incorporated in the provincial education system. And in 2000, Guarani was recognised as one of las lenguas indígenas oficiales de Bolivia (the official indigenous languages of Bolivia).
Alongside Spanish and Portuguese, Guarani is one of the official languages of Mercosur (the Southern Common Market) trade bloc. However, the organisation doesn’t provide most of its services in Guarani and the summits are held either in Portuguese or Spanish.
Final Thoughts on Guarani
The linguistic situation of Paraguay is frustratingly rare in the world. It does however provide a lot of insight into how policy affects a nation linguistic situation. In a way the story of Guarani being what it is today is a story of policies, whether it's the Jesuits using Guarani in administration or a de Francia's hard turn towards isolationism. Any government's relationship to a language is a strong indicator of that language's status and future and it's refreshing the way that Paraguay shows us how this can work in favour of indigenous languages.
Constitution of Paraguay
Artículo 140 - De los idiomas
El Paraguay es un país pluricultural y bilingüe. Son idiomas oficiales el castellano y el guaraní. La ley establecerá las modalidades de utilización de uno y otro. Las lenguas indígenas, así como las de otras minorías, forman parte del patrimonio cultural de la Nación.
Artículo 140 - Ñeœænguéra rehegua
Paraguái haœe tetã hembikuaa arandu heta ha iñeœæ mokõiva. Estado ñeœæ tee haœe castellano ha guarani. Léipe haœívaœerã mbaœéichapa ojeporúta mokõivéva. Mayma ypykue ñemoñare ñeœæ ha opaite imbovyvéva ñeœæ haœe tetã rembikuaa arandu avei.
Comments
Post a Comment