Newfound Pride in Guaraní, a Language Long Disdained in Paraguay<br />Porfiria Orrego Invernizzi said that I had to do it in front of my friends so<br />that they saw in black and white what happens to people who speak the language,<br />David Galeano Olivera said that It was a question of open persecution,<br />The Guaraní Language Academy, established in 2012, is split between those who favor a purer version of the language, replacing words adopted from Spanish with old Guaraní words,<br />and those who believe it should be the heavily Spanish-influenced version, known as Yopará, that is spoken on the street.<br />Despite its widespread use — Paraguay is the only country in the Americas where the majority of the population speaks a single indigenous<br />language — Guaraní has long been considered palatable for use on the streets and at home, but unsuitable in the spheres of power.<br />Nancy Benítez said that Parents say: ‘At home we speak Guaraní, so in the school they attend, I want them to learn Spanish,’<br />But not mine.’ " The government is hoping to change people’s perspective on the language by encouraging its use in official circles.
