Definition of Guarani Language

The Guarani language spoken in Paraguay is the only language pre-Columbian of Latin America that has been preserved and integrated into everyday life. In fact, Guaraní is recognized in Paraguay as a national language along with Spanish. In this sense, it was declared an official language in the 1992 constitutional text.

Outside of territory From Paraguay, this language is spoken by indigenous populations in Brazil, Bolivia, Argentina, Colombia and Peru. In the Argentine province of Corrientes it has been declared a co-official language.

Currently this language is spoken by more than 8 million people and in Paraguay it is the mother tongue 85% of the population. Among Paraguayans it is commonly said that its inhabitants speak Spanish but think in Guaraní.

Some interesting data

There is no definitive theory about the exact origin of the Guaraní language. However, most scholars consider that it comes from the first settlers of the American continent, who most likely came from the Asian continent. With regard to language, it comes from the

familylinguistics tupí-guaraní.

Only in the territory of Paraguay, Guaraní has ​​seven different dialects.

The Guaraní spoken in Paraguay is a language spoken by all strata of society. However, Spanish is the most widely used language in the field of administration and in the education system. It could be said that Guaraní is a very widespread language socially and, in fact, the majority of Paraguayans are fully bilingual. One or the other language is used depending on the social context.

The writing of Guaraní began with the colonial period and it was the Spanish Jesuits and Franciscans who left a written testimony of this thousand-year-old oral tradition.

In the terminology used in the botany the Guaraní language is one of the most important etymological sources.

The Guaraní language was persecuted during the colonial period and despite this it remained alive among Paraguayans.

During the Spanish colonization, Castilian monolingualism was officially imposed. Despite this, some official documents addressed to the Spanish Crown were written in the Guaraní language.

It is possible to affirm that Paraguayans have experienced a strange and paradoxical situation in relation to their own language: their language was the majority among its inhabitants, but officially its language and culture has not always had the same recognition legal.

Photos: Fotolia - DURIS Guillaume - pixs

Guarani Language Topics