Paraguay: Spanish competing with an indigenous tongue

When Buenos Aires was evacuated due to indigenous attacks, Asunción temporarily grew in size. Relations with the Guaraní community were different from those experienced in other areas; the alliance facilitated an immediate and extensive amalgamation. Consequently, many households learned Guaraní.

Only small numbers of Europeans chose to stay in Paraguay, and they remained isolated from the way of life in larger cities such as Buenos Aires. The Jesuits who arrived in the region encouraged the use of Guaraní as the language of the missions.

After breaking away from Buenos Aires in 1617, Paraguay was a dependency of the Viceroyalty of Peru, but lack of access meant it was physically disconnected from Lima. In 1776, it was returned to the Viceroyalty of Río de la Plata, until the Argentine War of Independence began in 1810.

Paraguay gained its independence in 1817, but its borders remained closed under the dictatorship of José Gaspar, until his death in 1840. This isolation led to a tacit rejection of the linguistic innovations occurring abroad, especially in Buenos Aires.

More than 70% of Paraguayans speak Guaraní, while 68.2% are Spanish speakers. Almost half the population is able to speak both languages, but if we focus on command of just one language, the number of Guaraní speakers is higher than that of Spanish speakers.

However, Guaraní is not the only indigenous tongue in Paraguay, nor is it consistent across the country. There are still some small indigenous communities who maintain their own language and culture.

Paraguayan Spanish includes certain Italianisms, presumably originating from Buenos Aires. The Paraguayan lexicon is largely the same as in the rest of the Southern Cone. It is the addition of Guaraní that gives Paraguayan Spanish its distinctive character.