The
proposal of this paper is to discuss what an urban language is, based on the
analysis of the situation of Guarani in Paraguay, the official language of this
country, together with Spanish, since 1992.
This question is dealt with by means of geographical criteria (language
spoken predominately in the rural areas or in towns) of “content” (language
linked to rural or town themes) and by public/private distinction. If “being a
town inhabitant means participating somehow in public life” (Rolnik 1998), the
main objective of this research is to understand the “public character” of
the Guarani language and the way in which town inhabitants take part in
different urban practices through that language.
In the first place, historical documents, which describe Guarani as a
language of the absolute majority, though also of “rural areas and homes”
and associated to “vulgar and trivial use”, will be presented.
In other words, Guarani is historically described as a “rural language”,
restricted to private scope and colloquial/informal register. Up to the last
decades of the 19th century, Spanish was spoken only in towns, by a
very reduced elite and its use was restricted to public administration and to
dialogues with foreigners.
The analysis of the present situation shows that this division between
these languages – Spanish and Guarani – mutatis mutandi continues
nowadays, despite the greater diffusion of Spanish and of other more recent
immigrant languages such as German, Platt
deutsch
and Portuguese. Statistics from the latest national census and the survey of
use of Guarani in towns (in legal, administrative and political speeches;
concerning names of roads, traffic signs, etc.; in the media and in the
literature) indicate that it continues to be a language that is linked to rural
areas; and when used in town, it continues to be excluded from the production of
public, formal meanings, still reserved for Spanish.
Finally,
this paper will analyze the role of educational reform established since 1994,
to solve this existing contradiction between the real status of Guarani in
society and its legal status, as a State language, thus, a public, formal and
written language. It will be shown that despite the objective of making Guarani
a “public language” its restriction as a rural and a private scope language
is reinforced in the teaching programs in schools.