Languages of South America

Languages of South America

The languages of South America can be divided into three broad groups: the languages of the (in most cases, former) colonial powers; many indigenous languages, some of which enjoy co-official status alongside the colonial languages; and various pockets of other languages spoken by emigrant groups that have survived assimilation by the majority languages.

Colonial languages

The languages imposed by the process of European colonization of the Americas are all Indo-European. Portuguese is the most widely spoken language in South America as the official language of Brazil, which is spoken by about 51% of the South American population. Spanish is the official language of most countries in the continent; there are also small Spanish speaking areas in Southernmost Brazil, due to the proximity of Uruguay. Dutch is the official language of Suriname; English is the official language of Guyana, although there are at least other 12 languages spoken in the country such as Hindi, Arabic, Portuguese, and various indigenous languages. English is also spoken in the Falkland Islands. French is the official language of the French overseas department of French Guiana.

Indigenous languages

Indigenous languages of South America include, among several others, Quechua in Bolivia, Peru, and Ecuador; Guaraní in Paraguay and, to a much lesser extent, in Bolivia; Aymara in Bolivia, Peru and less often in Chile, while Mapudungun is spoken in certain pockets of southern Chile and, more rarely, Argentina.

In Bolivia, Quechua, Aymara, and Tupi Guarani are co-official alongside Spanish. In Paraguay, Guarani shares joint official status with Spanish. In Colombia, the languages of the country's ethnic groups are constitutionally recognized as official languages in their territories; more than 60 such aboriginal languages exist today. In Peru, Quechua, Aymara, and other indigenous languages are co-official in the areas where they are predominant.

Other languages

Other languages found in South America include Hindi and Indonesian in Suriname; Italian in Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, Venezuela, and Colombia; and German in certain pockets in Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Venezuela, Colombia and Paraguay. Welsh remains spoken and written in the historic towns of Trelew and Rawson in the Argentine Patagonia. There are also small clusters of Japanese-speakers in Brazil, Bolivia, Colombia, Paraguay, Peru and Ecuador. Arabic speakers, often of Lebanese, Syrian or Palestinian descent, can be found in Arab communities in Brazil, Colombia, Argentina, Paraguay and less frequently in Chile.

In most of the continent's countries, the upper classes and well-educated people regularly study English, French, German or Italian. In those areas where tourism is a significant industry, English and some other European languages are often spoken.

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