Endangered Languages, endangered peoples in Argentina: vilela

LUCÍA GOLLUSCIO

Austin

Seminario; Seminario "Endangered Languages in Argentina"; 2004

Departamento de Lingüística, Universidad de Texas, Austin

Endangered languages, endangered peoples in Argentina (South America):Mocovi (Guaycuru), Tapiete (Tupi-Guarani), Vilela (Lule-Vilela), and Wichi (Mataco)in their ethnographic context •         Academic coordination: Dr. Lucía A. Golluscio (Universidad de Buenos Aires and the National Council for Scientific and Technological Research), Argentina. •         International Cooperation: Dr. Bernard Comrie, Director of the Department of Linguistics, Max Planck Institute, Leipzig. •         Their particular geographical distribution •         Their present low percentage population compared to the total Argentine population •         The seriously endangered situation of the peoples and their languages. •         •         •         •         •         Vilela is defined by an extremely endangered situation, because of: –        a significantly low and “invisibilized” population –        a strong rejection to identify themselves as Vilela people –        a (probably) abrupt language shift to Toba language •         Tapiete currently manifests powerful threats for the future of the language, because of: –        the increasing pressure on Tapiete speakers to use Spanish. –        an extended bilingualism and non monolingualism among the children –        a relatively recent phenomenon of abrupt rupture of the transmission to the youngest generations.