What is Guaraní?
Guaraní is part of the Tupi-Guaraní language family of South America. It is currently spoken by around 4.6 million people in southwestern Brazil, southeastern Bolivia, northeastern Argentina, and Paraguay.
Today, Guaraní is one of the most widely spoken American languages. The 1992 constitution recognises both Spanish and Guaraní as the official languages of Paraguay, and it is spoken by nine-tenths of the population.
The history of Guaraní
There are three main distinct groups of the Guaraní language. These include Mbyà, Kaiowá, and Ñandeva. Today, the language is classified as 'vulnerable' by UNESCO.
The Jesuits
As a result of the arrival of the Jesuits to Guaraní territory in the 17th century, there was a re-organisation of the political, social and economic structure of the Guaraní community. These communities were often referred to as 'missions'. The missions that the Jesuits constructed came to a total of over 100,000 Guaraní people. This created the false image of the Guaraní people as one homogeneous group. Whilst the Spaniards recognised their social, economic, political, and spiritual differences, they failed to recognise this diversity in official documentation.
Encomenderos
When the Spaniards conquered the New World, they used a form of native labor known as the encomienda. This differs from slavery in that the Crown imposed restrictions on encomenderos. The Guaraní people fell victim to this, as well as to the slave traders of southern Brazil.
Treaty of Madrid
The Treaty of Madrid made mandatory the displacement of the Guaraní people living in areas under the control of the Spanish monarchy. The signing of the treaty meant that the Portuguese monarchy gained control of areas which were previously under the power of the Spaniards. The condition of this was that the Guaraní people would be removed from the territory. Despite being a major part of the Treaty, the Guaraní people were left out of the negotiation processes. Just four years after it was signed in 1750, the Guaraní people fought for their territory in a war which lasted up until 1756.
Language Documentation Projects
Guaraní-Mbyá was officially recognised byBrazil's Institute of National Historic and Artistic Heritage as having significant cultural importance in the history of Brazil. This provided the opportunity for the Brazilian people to reconsider the importance of the Guaraní people in their country's history.
Argentina
Paraguayan Guaraní holds joint official language status, alongside Spanish, in the province of Corrientes. Western Argentine Guaraní is also spoken by around 15,000 people in Jujuy andthe Salta Province. Another dialect known as Mbyá is spoken by around 3,000 Argentinian people.
Bolivia
Western Bolivian Guaraní and Eastern Bolivian Guaraní are widely spoken in southeastern parts of the country. In particular, Eastern Bolivian Guarani is spoken by 33,670 people in the area of the Paraeti River in Tarija. In 2009, Bolivia also set up a Guaraní-language university in the southeastern province of Chuquisaca.
Paraguay
Guaraní enjoys the same status as Spanish in Paraguay. Paraguay's constitution is bilingual, and textbooks produced by the state are normally half in Guaraní and half in Spanish.The variety of Guaraní known as Mybá, the one spoken in Brazil, is also spoken in Paraguay by around 8,000 speakers. Chiripà, another variety of Guaraní, is spoken by 7,000 people in Paraguay.
Brazil
Of the 280,000 Guaraní people residing in South America, Brazil is home to around 51,000. The Guaraní language remains one of the most spoken indigenous languages in Brazil today.
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