Languages Of Bolivia - Wikipedia

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Languages of Bolivia
Sign in Okinawa Uno (a colonia in Bolivia),in Spanish and Okinawan
Official	37 languages Aymara Araona Baure Bésiro Canichana Cavineño Cayubaba Chácobo Chimán Ese Ejja Guaraní Guarasu'we Guarayu Itonama Leco Machajuyai-Kallawaya Machineri Maropa Mojeño-Ignaciano Mojeño-Trinitario Moré Mosetén Movima Pacawara Puquina Quechua Sirionó Spanish Tacana Tapieté Toromona Uru-Chipaya Weenhayek Yaminawa Yuki Yuracaré Zamuco
Main	Spanish
Indigenous	Arawakan languages, Pano-Tacanan languages, Quechuan languages, Tupian languages, others
Vernacular	Bolivian Spanish, Portuñol
Minority	Standard German, Plautdietsch
Foreign	English
Signed	Bolivian Sign Language
Keyboard layout	Spanish Latinamerican QWERTY

The languages of Bolivia include Spanish and several dozen indigenous languages, most prominently Aymara, Quechua, Chiquitano, Guaraní and the Bolivian Sign Language (closely related to the American Sign Language). Indigenous languages and Spanish are official languages of the state according to the 2009 Constitution. The constitution says that all indigenous languages are official, listing 36 specific indigenous languages, of which some are extinct. Spanish and Quechua are spoken primarily in the Andes region, Aymara is mainly spoken in the Altiplano around Lake Titicaca, Chiquitano is spoken in the central part of Santa Cruz department, and Guarani is spoken in the southeast on the border with Paraguay and Argentina.

List of official languages

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The following languages are listed as official languages in the Constitution of Bolivia.[1]

• Castilian (Spanish)
• Araona
• Aymara
• Baure
• Bésiro (Chiquitano)
• Canichana
• Cavineño
• Cayubaba
• Chácobo
• Chimán
• Ese Ejja
• Guaraní
• Guarasu'we
• Guarayu
• Itonama
• Leco
• Machajuyai-Kallawaya
• Machineri
• Maropa
• Mojeño-Ignaciano
• Mojeño-Trinitario
• Moré
• Mosetén
• Movima
• Pacawara
• Puquina
• Quechua
• Sirionó
• Tacana
• Tapieté
• Toromona
• Uru-Chipaya
• Weenhayek
• Yaminawa
• Yuki
• Yuracaré
• Zamuco

In 2019, the Bolivian government and the Plurinational Institute for the Study of Languages and Cultures (Ipelec) announced plans to extend constitutional recognition to three additional indigenous languages.[2]

• Joaquiniano
• Kumsa
• Paunaka

Demographics

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Language	Number of speakers	Percent
Quechua	2,281,198	25.08%
Aymara	1,525,321	16.77%
Guaraní	62,575	0.69%
Other native	49,432	0.54%
All native	3,918,526	43.09%
Only native	960,491	10.56%
Native and Spanish	2,739,407	30.12%
Only Spanish	4,082,219	44.89%
Spanish	6,821,626	75.01%
Foreign	250,754	2.76%
Spanish or foreign	4,115,751	45.25%

Official status

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The Bolivian government and the departmental governments are required to use at least two languages in their operation, one being Spanish, and the other being selected according to the circumstances and the needs of the territory in question. These requirements appear in Article 234 of the 2009 Constitution and the General Law of Linguistic Rights and Policies (Law 269 of August 2, 2012); the law provided a three-year deadline to government functionaries, although there was no immediate punishment for officials who failed to comply.[3] Departmental and municipal autonomous governments are required to use the languages of their territory, always including Spanish.[4]

Following the National Education Reform of 1994, all thirty indigenous languages were introduced alongside Spanish in the country's schools.[5] However, many schools did not implement the reforms, especially urban schools.[citation needed]

Bolivia's national anthem has been translated into six indigenous languages: Aymara, Bésiro-Chiquitano, Guaraní, Guarayu, Quechua, and Mojeño-Trinitario.[6]

Bolivia has 12 million inhabitants. Only 5 languages of Bolivia are spoken by more than 30,000 people: Spanish monolingual (5 million speakers), Kichwa (2.4 million speakers), Aymara (1.5 million), Low German (Plattdeutsch) (100,000 speakers) and Guaraní (33,000 speakers). Of these all are official except Plattdeutsch. There are 8 official languages spoken by between 1,000 and 8,000 people each. So of the 37 languages declared official by the constitution of 2009, 23 are spoken by fewer than 1,000 people and 2 are extinct (puquina and machajuyai-kallawaya).[citation needed]

Languages without official status

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Standard German is spoken by 160,000 of whom about 70,000 are Mennonites in Santa Cruz Department. These Mennonites speak Plautdietsch, a dialect of the Low German language, as everyday language but use Standard German for reading and writing and as formal language e.g. in church.[7] Portuguese is also spoken near Bolivia's border with Brazil and around 0.2% of Bolivia speaks it as their mother tongue.[8]

See also

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• Indigenous peoples in Bolivia
• Spanish language
• Quechua language
• Aymara language
• Guarani language

References

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1. ^ Political Constitution of the State - Article 5
2. ^ "Three new indigenous languages to be officially added to Bolivian Constitution". ConstitutionNet. Retrieved 2022-01-03.
3. ^ "Funcionarios deben hablar una lengua originaria desde agosto". Página Siete. 2015-07-29. Retrieved 2018-03-21.
4. ^ Nueva Constitución Política Del Estado, Aprobada en grande, detalle y revisión. December 2007, article 5.
5. ^ Hornberger, Nancy. 1997. Language policy, language education, language rights: Indigenous, immigrant, and international perspectives Archived 2012-09-15 at the Wayback Machine. Language in Society 27:443. Retrieved on April 28, 2009.
6. ^ Cuevas, Aleja (August 9, 2017). "6 de 34 pueblos logran traducir el Himno Nacional - La Razón". La Razón (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 2018-03-21. Retrieved 2018-03-21.
7. ^ Ethnologue: Paraguay
8. ^ "Censo de Población y Vivienda 2012 - BOLIVIA CARACTERÍSTICAS DE LA POBLACIÓN" (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 2021-08-01. Retrieved 2019-12-27.

External links

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• Lenguas de Bolivia Archived 2019-09-04 at the Wayback Machine (online edition)

v t e Indigenous language families and isolates of South America
Based on Campbell 2024 classification
Language families and isolates	Arawakan Je–Tupi–Carib ? Cariban Tupian Macro-Jê sensu stricto Jê Jabutian * †Kamakã Krenakan * Maxakalian †Jaikó Karajá Ofayé * Rikbaktsá * Eastern Brazil †Karirian Chiquitano Guató * †Purí–Coroado Taruma * †Xukurú Yaté Orinoco (Venezuela) †Otomacoan Sáliban Ticuna–Yuri Yanomaman Arutani * †Betoi †Guamo Hodï †Máku (Jukude) Pumé †Sapé Warao Andes (Colombia and Venezuela) †Jirajaran Paezan †Timotean Tiniguan * †Andaquí Cofán Camsá Amazon (Colombia, Japurá–Vaupés area) Andoque–Urequena Boran Guajiboan Kakwa-Nukak Nadahup Puinave Tucanoan Witotoan Pacific coast (Colombia and Ecuador) Barbacoan Chibchan Chocoan †Esmeralda †Yurumanguí Pacific coast (Peru) †Cañari–Puruhá †Mochica †Sechura †Tallán Amazon (Peru) Cahuapanan Chicham †Hibito–Cholon Pano–Tacanan Peba–Yagua Zaparoan * Candoshi †Munichi †Omurano Taushiro * †Tequiraca Urarina Waorani Amazon (west-central Brazil) Arawan Harákmbut–Katukinan Muran †Matanawí Trumai * Mamoré–Guaporé Bororoan Chapacuran Mosetenan Nambikwaran Aikanã †Arara do Rio Branco †Canichana †Cayubaba †Itonama Irantxe Kanoê * Kwazá * †Leco Movima Yuracaré Andes (Peru, Bolivia, and Chile) Araucanian Aymaran Quechuan Uru–Chipaya †Culle †Kunza †Puquina Chaco–Pampas Charruan * †Chonan Guaicuruan †Huarpean †Lule–Vilelan Matacoan Mascoyan Zamucoan †Guachí †Payaguá Far South (Chile) Qawasqaran * †Chono †Yaghan
Proposed groupings	Duho Macro-Andean Macro-Arawakan Macro-Chibchan Macro-Jibaro Macro-Otomákoan Macro-Paesan Macro-Panoan Macro-Puinavean Mura–Matanawí Macro-Warpean Arutani–Sape Bora–Witoto Esmeralda–Yaruroan Je–Tupi–Carib Katembri–Taruma Mataco–Guaicuru Maya–Yunga–Chipayan Moseten–Chonan Quechumaran Saparo–Yawan Chimuan Tequiraca–Canichana Wamo–Chapakura Sechura–Catacao Amerind
Unclassified	†Aguano †Anserma †Arma †Baenan †Bagua †Cabixi †Caimbé †Catuquinaru †Chachapoya †Chango †Chirino †Comechingón †Copallén †-den †Diaguita Flecheiro †Gamela †Gorgotoqui †Guaicaro Himarimã †Humahuaca †Isolado do Tanarú †Kaimbé †Kambiwá †Kapinawá †Katembri †Majena †Malibu †Mure †Natú †Otí †Pankararú †Panzaleo †Palta †Panche †Pijao †Querandí †Quingnam †Quimbaya †Rabona †Ramanos †Sacata †Sanavirón †Sinú †Tabancale †Tapajó †Tarairiú †Tonocoté †Truká †Tremembé †Tuxá †Uamué †Waitaká †Wakoná †Wasu †Xokó
Linguistic areas	Chaco Mamoré–Guaporé Amazonian
Countries	Argentina Bolivia Brazil Colombia Chile Ecuador Paraguay Peru Venezuela Guyana Suriname French Guiana
Lists	Languages Extinct languages Marañón River basin Unclassified languages Classification Linguistic areas
† indicates an extinct language, italics indicates independent status of a language, bold indicates that a language family has at least 6 members, * indicates moribund status

v t e Languages of Bolivia
Official languages	Indo-European Spanish Arawakan Baure Iñapari Machineri Moxo Pauna Yine Pano–Tacanan Araona Cavineño Chácobo Pakawara Ese Ejja Reyesano Tacana Toromona Yaminawa Quechua Cusco–Collao Quechua North Bolivian Quechua South Bolivian Quechua Tupian Guaraní Eastern Bolivian Guarayu Sirionó Warázu Yuqui Other Aymara Ayoreo Chiquitano Canichana Cayubaba Chimán Chipaya Itonama Leco Kallawaya Moré Movima Puquina Weenhayek Yuracaré
Sign languages	Bolivian Sign Language
Other languages	Arawakan Saraveca Bororoan Gorgotoqui ? Kovareka Kuruminaka Otuke Chapacuran Chapacura Napeca Quitemoca Rocorona Tupian Jorá Uru-Chipaya Murato Uru Unclassified Majena Mure Ramanos
Italics indicate extinct languages still recognized by the Bolivian constitution.

v t e Languages of South America
Sovereign states	Argentina Bolivia Brazil Chile Colombia Ecuador Guyana Paraguay Peru Suriname Uruguay Venezuela
Dependencies andother territories	Falkland Islands French Guiana South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands

v t e Bolivia articles
History	Pre-colonial Tiwanaku polity Aymara lordships Colla–Inca War Inca Empire 16th century Colonial era Spanish colonization 17th century Viceroyalty of Peru 18th century Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata Upper Peru Rebellion of Túpac Katari Rebellion of Túpac Amaru II 19th century Early Republic Bolivian War of Independence Chuquisaca Revolution La Paz revolution Declaration of Independence Peru–Bolivian Confederation Salaverry-Santa Cruz War War of the Confederation Bolivia-Argentina War War of the Pacific Treaty of Defensive Alliance Battle of Río Grande Litoral Department Puna de Atacama dispute Liberal Era Chiriguano War Federal War 20th century Acre War Treaty of Petrópolis Manuripi campaign Revolutionary era Chaco War Military Socialism Bolivian National Revolution Dictatorship era Operation Condor Ñancahuazú Guerrilla Teoponte Guerrilla 21st century Contemporary era Cochabamba Water War Gas conflict Plurinational State Constitution Constituent Assembly 2009 referendum 2019 crisis COVID-19 pandemic Coups d'état
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Politics	Executive Cabinet President of Bolivia List Legislative Chamber of Deputies current members Chamber President Chamber of Senators current members Senate President Vice President of Bolivia Judiciary Plurinational Constitutional Tribunal Supreme Tribunal of Justice Law Constitution history Law enforcement Human rights Military Armed Forces Army Air Force Navy Politics Elections Plurinational Electoral Organ Foreign relations Atacama Desert border dispute Parties Movement for Socialism Civic Community Creemos
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