Language policies: Paraguay since 1992

Paraguay’s linguistic situation is unique; although the majority of the population speaks Guaraní, the country’s official language was Spanish until 1992. But since 1992, Paraguay has been undergoing a silent revolution: the recognition of the Amerindian language, Guarani, and its equal status with Spanish, the Castilian language imposed during colonization. This is a vast political project whose main tools are the national Constitution and the Bilingual Education Plan. The acquisition of the fundamentals of the mother tongue-Castilian or Guarani-and bilingual education aim to transform Paraguay into a bilingual country that respects interculturality for better social development. However, these goals of human progress face objections such as the negligible place of Guarani in the global language market.