Guaraní, Paraguayan

Print

A language of Paraguay

ISO 639-3
gug
Alternate Names
Avañe’e
Population

4,650,000 in Paraguay (1995), decreasing. Only a few elderly monolingual speakers. Population total all countries: 4,850,000.

Location

Widespread. Also in Argentina.

Language Status

4 (Educational). Statutory national language (2010, No. 4251, Language Law, Article 3).

Classification
Tupian, Tupí-Guaraní, Guaraní, Guaraní
Dialects

Jopará (Yopará). One Chiripá speaker [nhd] indicated it was bilingualism rather than linguistic closeness that made Paraguayan Guaraní intelligible to him. Jopará is the colloquial form mixed with Spanish [spa] loanwords, used by 90% of the population in Asunción area. Lexical similarity: 80% with Chiriguano [gui], 75% with Mbyá [gun].

Typology

SVO

Language Use

52% of rural Paraguayans bilingual in Guaraní. Home, friends, religion; mixed use: Work, education. All ages. About 60% are bilingual in Spanish [spa]; most in urban areas are bilingual in Spanish.

Language Development
Used extensively in bilingual education. Taught in primary and secondary schools. Poetry. Newspapers. New media. Radio programs. Films. TV. Videos. Dictionary. Grammar. Bible: 1997.
Language Resources
OLAC resources in and about Guaraní, Paraguayan
Writing
Latin script.
Other Comments

Christian.