Guaraní and Spanish are languages that belong to different families, with dissimilar linguistic systems. Colonization placed these two languages together in a small country in Latin America: Paraguay. Furthermore, the rather isolated character of the location, and the social dynamics among colonizers and indigenous peoples made Guaraní (and not just Spanish) the language spoken by the majority of the population. This unique scenario makes Paraguay a prime setting to study language contact phenomena. In this presentation, Dr. Bittar will discuss characteristics of Guaraní-Spanish bilingualism in Paraguay, the challenges of documenting linguistic practices in the country, and the broader impact of language contact research for bilingual communities. Read more
