El El bilingüismo y el Paraguay

Abstract

In this paper we aim to analyze some of the linguistic theories about bilingualism and see if they can sum up the linguistic reality of Paraguay. It is assumed that each theory is built from a specific model that, at times, in no way resembles others. We seek to evaluate whether the theories by Mackey (1972), Romaine (1995), Baker (2006) and the definitions by Bussmann (1996), Crystal (2008) and Richards; Schmidt (2010) apply to the case of Paraguay or if what occurs in this country, like Granda (1979), Gynan (2003) and Melià (2013) thought, for different reasons, cannot be considered an example of bilingualism. A more detailed vision about the linguistic policies of the Paraguayan State, which aim to shape the Guarani language in spaces where it is not usually used, seems to show that neither for the authorities from national linguistics the issue is solved. Just as there is a theoretical difficulty in ensure what bilingualism is, there are gaps in the Paraguayan model of bilingual nation that make it difficult to ensure this condition for the country.