An Indigenous Language With Unique Staying Power (fwd link)

[Phillip E Cash Cash]

MEMO FROM PARAGUAY

An Indigenous Language With Unique Staying Power

By SIMON ROMERO
Published: March 12, 2012

ASUNCIÓN, Paraguay — Legislators on the floor of Congress deliver speeches
in it. Lovers entwined on Asunción’s park benches murmur sweet nothings
with its high-pitched, nasal and guttural sounds. Soccer fans use it when
insulting referees.

Elementary school students learning Guaraní, which is a required subject in
Paraguay.

To this day, Paraguay remains the only country in the Americas where a
majority of the population speaks one indigenous language: Guaraní. It is
enshrined in the Constitution, officially giving it equal footing with the
language of European conquest, Spanish. And in the streets, it is a source
of national pride.

Access full article below:
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/12/world/americas/in-paraguay-indigenous-language-with-unique-staying-power.html?_r=1
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