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Part of
Aspects of Latin American Spanish Dialectology: In honor of Terrell A. Morgan
Edited by Manuel Díaz-Campos and Sandro Sessarego
[Issues in Hispanic and Lusophone Linguistics 32] 2021
► pp. 241–274

Chapter 11
Twenty years of Guaraní-Spanish bilingual education in Paraguay

| Western Washington University

The Paraguayan constitution instituted Guaraní-Spanish bilingualism in 1992. Although law provides for Guaraní literacy instruction with Spanish as a second language, the de facto model for the two decades following officialization was one of Spanish literacy instruction with Guaraní as a second language. This model works well in bilingual districts; however, the 2002 Paraguayan census reported 1,319,777 monolingual Guaraní speakers, and 146,618 households that identified as Guaraní-dominant. Test results of over 300 third graders are incontrovertible: Spanish literacy instruction with Guaraní as a second language produces semilingualism (i.e., written production at less than half of comprehension). Bringing Paraguayan education into line with legal requirements is a priority for the sake of children’s academic linguistic proficiency and the future of Guaraní.

Keywords: Guaraní, bilingual education, Spanish, indigenous languages
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Historical, demographic, sociolinguistic, psycholinguistic, and legal foundations of Paraguayan bilingual education
    • 2.1A sociolinguistic history of Paraguayan bilingualism
    • 2.2Demography and sociolinguistics of Paraguayan bilingualism
  • 3.Legal foundations of bilingual education in Paraguay
    • 3.1Unesco 1996: Universal declaration of linguistic rights
    • 3.2Law 4251 “of languages” (December 29, 2010)
  • 4.The first National Plan for the Maintenance of Bilingual Education, 1995
  • 5.Measurement of bilingual proficiency in Guaraní-speaking towns of the Paraguayan interior (2001, 2009, 2013)
    • 5.1Instrument validity and reliability
    • 5.2Guaraní and Spanish modalities, compared (2001)
    • 5.3Confirmation of semilingualism caused by Spanish submersion of Guaraní-speaking children
  • 6.Sociolinguistic and academic consequences of Spanish submersion for the Guaraní-speaking interior of Paraguay (2013)
    • 6.1Bilingual profile of four classes
      • 6.1.1Third grade, morning shift, section A (N = 31)
      • 6.1.2Third grade, morning shift, section B (N = 33)
      • 6.1.3Third grade, afternoon shift, section A (N = 27)
      • 6.1.4Third grade, afternoon shift, section B (N = 32)
  • 7.Discussion, conclusion, and recommendations
  • Note
  • References
Published online: 12 January 2021
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/ihll.32.11gyn
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