The displacement process of aymara language in Chile
- Journal of Historical Archaeology & Anthropological Sciences
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Hans Gundermann, Jorge Iván Vergara, Héctor González
Abstract
This paper examines the actual situation of Aymara language in Tarapacá (Region I), the traditional territory inhabited by these indigenous people in Chile. Its aim is to analyse the usage, knowledge and characteristics of the gradual displacement of Aymara language by Spanish, the dominant local language. To do so, the current levels of competence, conditions and contexts of usage and learning, both of the Aymara and Spanish languages are described. Finally, the sociolinguistic dynamics of continuity and change are discussed.
Keywords
Aymara language, linguistic vitality, displacement, northern Chile