The indigenous languages in Argentina and their continuity in regional Spanish

Abstract

Argentina is a country that has historically denied and invisibilized its multi-linguistic and multi-ethnic matrix, especially the one linked to indigenous peoples. However, the number of people who recognize themself as indigenous surpasses the figures of a nation imagined as homogenous and monolingual. In this article, we present a general overview of the indigenous languages currently spoken in Argentine territory, with special focus on their sociolinguistic situation and their contact with Spanish. Likewise, we present three grammatical and pragmatic features of some of the indigenous languages and we observe their influence and continuity in regional Spanish (i.e. tenselessness, evidentiality, and pragmatic markers). These examples allow us to delve into typological features scarcely known in the languages of the world -and not present in general Spanish- which is a contribution to the visibility and awareness of linguistic diversity as a universal human heritage.