Indigenous Languages Of Bolivia: A Rich Cultural Heritage

Bolivia is a landlocked country in South America with a population of around 11 million people. It is a multiethnic and multilinguistic country with a very large indigenous population. In fact, Bolivia has one of the highest numbers of official languages in the world, with 39 languages recognized as official. While Spanish is the language with the highest number of native speakers in Bolivia, several dozen indigenous languages are also spoken in the country. The main indigenous languages are Quechua, Aymara, Chiquitano, and Guaraní.

Quechua: the language of the ancient Inca, it is the most widely spoken native language in South America

Bolivia is a country with a rich linguistic heritage. It has one of the highest numbers of official languages in the world, with 39 languages recognised as official. While Spanish is the dominant language, spoken by 84% of the population, several dozen indigenous languages are also spoken across the country. Quechua is one of the most widely spoken of these indigenous languages, with an estimated 2.1 million native speakers in Bolivia and 10 million speakers across the entire continent.

Quechua is the most widely spoken native language in South America and was the language of the ancient Inca Empire. The Quechua ethnic group are the primary speakers of the language, and it is divided into two geographically-defined dialects: Quechua I and Quechua II. Quechua II is the dialect with the most speakers across Bolivia. The language is currently spoken in Cochabamba, Tarija, Potosí and Chuquisaca in Bolivia.

In the 18th century, Quechua was banned by Spanish colonialists, who encouraged locals to embrace the Spanish language. Despite this, Quechua survived and was later recognised as an official language in Bolivia. However, like many other indigenous languages in the country, Quechua is experiencing a steady decline in the number of native speakers. This decline is partly attributed to the lack of Quechua-based literature, with the Bible being the only widespread book written in Quechua.

Efforts have been made to preserve and promote the use of Quechua and other indigenous languages in Bolivia. The Bolivian government requires that both Spanish and at least one indigenous language are used in official communications, depending on the circumstances and needs of the territory in question. Additionally, all thirty indigenous languages were introduced alongside Spanish in the country's schools following the National Education Reform of 1994, although many schools, especially in urban areas, did not implement these reforms.

Aymara: one of the oldest Latin American pre-Colombian languages, it is spoken by 1.6 million people

Aymara is one of the oldest Latin American pre-Colombian languages, with a history that dates back centuries. It is spoken by approximately 1.6 million people, primarily in the Andes and Altiplano regions of South America, including Bolivia, Peru, Argentina, and Chile. The language gets its name from the Aymara people, an indigenous group native to these regions.

Aymara has a rich cultural and historical significance. It is one of the few Native American languages with over a million speakers and is recognised as an official language in Bolivia and Peru. The Bolivian constitution, adopted in 2009, specifies the country's official languages, and with nearly 40 languages recognised, Bolivia has one of the highest numbers of official languages in the world.

The Aymara language has a unique grammatical structure. It is an agglutinative and polysynthetic language, with a subject-object-verb word order. Aymara is usually written using the Latin alphabet, although several other writing systems have been developed over the years, including the Scientific Alphabet approved in 1954.

The survival and preservation of the Aymara language are important, especially given its long history and the insights it provides into the culture and traditions of the Aymara people. However, it is essential to note that the number of native speakers has been declining in recent years, and efforts are being made by the Bolivian government to encourage the use of Aymara, including the implementation of intercultural bilingual programs.

The Aymara language is a testament to the resilience and diversity of indigenous cultures and their ongoing influence in the modern world.

Guarani: the native language of the Guarani ethnic group, it is an official language in Paraguay

Guarani is the native language of the Guarani ethnic group, who are indigenous to the Chaco and Amazonian regions. It is one of the official languages of Paraguay, where it is spoken by nearly nine-tenths of the population. In Bolivia, Guarani is spoken by a much smaller percentage of the population, at around 1%. It is known locally as Eastern Bolivian Guarani, Chawuncu, or Chiriguano (although the latter is considered a pejorative term).

Eastern Bolivian Guarani is one of several dialects or varieties of Guarani, which are sometimes considered distinct languages. The other dialects include Avá (Chané, Tapieté), Izoceño, and Paraguayan Guarani, the latter being the most important variety and often referred to simply as Guarani. In Argentina, it is known as Western Argentine Guarani, while in Paraguay, it is called Ñandeva.

Guarani is a Tupian language, and it is one of the few Indian languages that has not been influenced by Spanish or Portuguese. In fact, in Paraguay, Guarani speakers outnumber Spanish speakers, and it is a strong marker of Paraguayan identity.

In Bolivia, Guarani is spoken in the department of Santa Cruz and in the southeast on the border with Paraguay and Argentina. In the year 2000, there were 33,670 speakers of Eastern Bolivian Guarani in Bolivia, known as the Ava Guarani people, in the south-central Parapeti River area and the city of Tarija. This makes it one of the smaller indigenous languages in Bolivia, with only 33,000 speakers across the country.

Chiquitano: also known as Bésiro, it is spoken by 6,000 people in the Santa Cruz province

Chiquitano, also known as Bésiro, is one of the several dozen indigenous languages spoken in Bolivia. It is also the name of the ethnic group who speak it. The Chiquitano people primarily live in the Chiquitania region, a tropical savanna in the Santa Cruz Department of Bolivia, with a small number also living in the Beni Department of Bolivia and in Mato Grosso, Brazil.

The Chiquitano language is spoken by approximately 40,000 to 60,000 people in Bolivia, according to one source, while another source puts the number at 20,000. It is the fourth most commonly spoken indigenous language in the country. The language is written in the Latin script, and several grammars for Chiquitano have been published. Men's and women's speech differ grammatically. Four dialects have been identified: Manasi, Peñoqui, Piñoco, and Tao.

The Chiquitano people were integrated into the Jesuit missions in 1691, and the Chiquitano language was adopted as the means of communication among the converts, who soon numbered 50,000, representing nearly fifty tribes. The formative experience of the Chiquitano ethnicity was their common evangelization and confinement to towns under the authority of Jesuit missionaries from 1692 until their expulsion in 1767. The Jesuit legacy has been described as both protective and harmful to the Chiquitano people. After the expulsion of the Jesuits, some Chiquitanos were incorporated into mestizo-owned ranches and farms, while others retreated from the villages, living in smaller camps. The rubber boom from 1880 to 1945 brought a new industry to the region, once again staffed by Chiquitano laborers, who experienced debt peonage and forced labor.

The Chiquitano people are represented by the Chiquitano Indigenous Organization (Organización Indígena Chiquitana, OICH) in Bolivia. In Brazil, the Chiquitano are seeking their own indigenous territory.

Bolivian Sign Language: based on American Sign Language, it is used by around 22,600 people

Bolivia has one of the highest numbers of official languages in the world, with 39 languages recognised as official by the 2009 Constitution. Bolivian Sign Language (LSF) is one of these languages and is used by the country's deaf community, which numbers around 22,600 people.

Bolivian Sign Language is based on American Sign Language (ASL) and shares several characteristics with it. According to research by the Hursts in 2002, there may be two distinct sign languages used in Bolivia. One of them, introduced by missionaries in 1973, is based on ASL and has incorporated local indigenous signs. This form of ASL was introduced in Cochabamba and has likely spread to other areas. The other pre-existing sign language may be used in Catholic circles and in La Paz.

The first Bolivian Sign Language book was published by the Bolivian Ministry of Education and Culture in 1992. There are also about a dozen schools with services for deaf students and many active deaf associations across the country. The Bolivian Federation for the Deaf (FEBOS) was able to mobilise approximately 1,000 people for a celebration on World Day of the Deaf, demonstrating the potential vitality of the language.

The majority of deaf people in Bolivia are found in the larger cities, such as La Paz, Santa Cruz, Cochabamba, El Alto, Oruro, and Sucre. Other cities and towns with deaf populations include Trinidad, Tarija, Potosí, and Chuquisaca.

Frequently asked questions