Researching Paraguayan Guarani: The Minoritized Language of the Majority

Paraguayan Guarani, one of the native languages of Paraguay, is spoken by more than 80% of the country’s population. However, despite government and societal efforts, Spanish remains the language of prestige, required for education opportunities and social mobility. In this presentation, Josefina Bittar will discuss the characteristics of Guarani-Spanish bilingualism in Paraguay, the importance of documenting linguistic practices in the country, and the role of researchers in challenging the population’s internalized prejudices about languages and their speakers.

Josefina Bittar is a PhD candidate in the Department of Linguistics and an LAII PhD fellow. Her main research interests include language contact and bilingualism, language attitude and language ideology, language documentation and revitalization, language policies and language acquisition.

Видео Researching Paraguayan Guarani: The Minoritized Language of the Majority канала Latin American & Iberian Institute