Guarani-Spanish Jopara

What is it about?

Paraguay has two official languages: Guarani, the language of the majority of the indigenous people in the area; and Spanish, the language of European colonizers. Modern Paraguayans choose to speak a mixture of both languages that they call "japer" (meaning "mixed", in Guarani). I show in this publication that this is not a new mixed language, but rather a more flexible mixing of the two codes.

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Why is it important?

The jury's still out on whether jopara is a language or not, and whether it can be used in teaching, as the Paraguayan constitution mandates. My work shows that, while it can be used for teaching, in order for that to happen Jopara would have to be standardized, just like European languages (for example) were between the 15 and 17 centuries.