Bolivia languages

Which are the Languages Spoken in Bolivia?

There are 39 official languages in Bolivia which include Spanish & indigenous languages like Guarani, Quechua, Aymara and more. World over, this country has the highest number of official languages.Surprisingly, 75% of the population only speaks different dialects of Spanish. Interesting, isn’t it?Let’s read more to find out in detail.

Bolivia, a beautiful and diverse country, which is counted among a few landlocked nations in the South American continent.  Bolivia was a Spanish colony for a long time until it got its independence in 1825. After independence, the population of Bolivia decided to keep on promoting their own culture and languages. But Spanish remained a major part of their culture along with other indigenous languages. 

Official Languages of Bolivia

There are multiple official languages in Bolivia. One official language of Bolivia, which is spoken by most part of the population is Spanish. There are various indigenous languages as well and 36 of them are counted as official languages of the country along with Spanish. Although, most of them are extinct. 

Some of these indigenous languages include Quechua, Aymara, and Guarani. It’s not impossible to hear English while roaming around in the country of Bolivia. But a very smaller number of people are comfortable speaking English. Mostly, people involved in major businesses, working at hotels or other tourist destinations, and tour guides are able to speak English.

Other than the 4 major languages of the country, the following are the indigenous or native languages recognized under the official languages category.

Zamuco, Yuracare, Yuki, Yaminawa, Weenhayek, Uru-Chipaya, Toromona, Tapiete, Tacana, Siriono, Puquina, Pacawara, Majeno-Moseten, Movima, Machajuyai-Kallawaya, Machineri, Maropa, Mojeno-Ignaciano, Mojeno-Trinitario, More, Moseten, Leco, Itonama, Guarasu’we, Guarayu, Ese Ejja, Chiman, Chacobo, Cayubaba, Cavineno, Canichana, Besiro, Baure, and Araona.

After the adoption of the Constitution of Bolivia, in 2009, 39 languages were marked as the official languages of the country. Bolivia is a country with the highest number of official languages.  Native languages in Bolivia with a population of more than a million speakers are Aymara and Quechuan.

The next major language with the greatest number of speakers in the country is Guarani. The native speakers in Bolivia for Guarani language are nearly 117 thousand.

Spanish Dominance in Bolivia

The dominance of the Spanish language in Bolivia is the result of it being a Spanish colony in the past. The Bolivian Spanish is used by around 75% of the population of the country. The majority of these speak the language as their first language but there is no shortage of people speaking Spanish as their second language.

A variety of Spanish dialects are spoken in the country and almost all of them are influenced either by some regional language like Guarani or by some foreign languages like Arabic or Portuguese.

Castilian is one of the many Spanish dialects that are commonly spoken in Bolivia. But this is the majorly spoken one and the speakers of Castilian are found all around the country. The Bolivian Spanish is called Castilian. VallegrandinoAndeanChapacoValluno, and Camba are the 5 dialects of this form of Spanish.  These dialects are defined mainly based on geography.

The Andean Spanish dialect is commonly spoken by the population of Bolivia living in the Andes region. Similarly, the Valluno Spanish, which closely resembles Andean Spanish is used in the regions of Cochabamba and Chuquisaca. One major difference in these two dialects of Spanish is in the intonations.

Next comes the Camba Spanish, another dialect of Castilian Spanish or Bolivian Spanish. The speakers of this form of Spanish reside majorly in Santa Cruz, Beni & Pando regions. The last, Chapaco Spanish is primarily spoken in regions of Chuquisaca, Sud Chichas, and Santa Cruz regions.

Bolivia’s Major Indigenous Languages

As we already discussed that Aymara and Quechuan are the two major local or indigenous languages in Bolivia. Let’s get in-depth and learn more about these languages.

Aymara

One of the highly spoken indigenous languages of the nation is Aymara. There are millions of native speakers of the language in the Andes region. There are 2 more million speakers of the language that live in the country of Bolivia. This is one of the few native languages in the nation that has more than a million native speakers.

The name of the language Aymara was derived from the name of the ancient inhabitants living in the Apurimac region. As per some linguists, many other languages have been derived from Aymara and it is a language group.

In the past few years, a decline has been observed in the Aymara language as its native speakers are decreasing significantly. But the government of the nation is taking all the needed measures to increase the use of Aymara by introducing intercultural bilingual programs.

Quechuan

Another official language of Bolivia, Quechua is the next most spoken indigenous language of the country. Quechua is the language spoken primarily by the Quechua ethnic group. The language doesn’t have over a million speakers in Bolivia alone, but the language is popular in other Latin American countries as well.

Quechuan has more than 10 million speakers around the entire continent of South America. Bolivia alone has more than 2.1 million Quechuan speakers. The language dates back to the ancient Inca Empire.

In the 18th century, at the time of Spanish colonization, Quechuan was banned and importance was given to the Spanish language. The locals were embraced to speak and use Spanish. This language has two dialects differentiated geographically.

Quechua I and Quechua II are the two dialects and the dialect which is majorly spoken in Bolivia is Quechua II. Like the other most spoken indigenous languages, Quechua is also experiencing a decline in its native speakers in the past few years.

The absence of literature is one of the main factors for the decline of Quechua native speakers. Quechuan-based literature is not available easily which is making it hard for the new generation to learn the same.

Guarani

Guarani is the third most popular language in Bolivia & is one of the most elegant languages in the world. It is an official language in Paraguay. It is also spoken in some parts of Brazil & Argentina. There are around 5 million speakers of Guarani world over. 

Translation Services for Bolivian Languages

When it comes to Bolivian language translation it is best to hire Spanish translation services. When you immigrate to any other country, specially to the US,  it is important to get all your documents translated to English. The importance of translation can’t be ignored here.

If you are moving to the US, translating everything like your passport, birth certificates, visa, identity proofs, educational degrees, certifications, diploma certificates, medical records and others from Spanish or any other official language of Bolivia to English is vital.

But this translation needs to be done by professional translation services. Transcription Services US is one such name that is the one-stop solution for all kinds of translation services. You can get all your required documents translated, thanks to our expert & experienced native Bolivian translators.

We are internationally known for offering the best Spanish translation services at the most affordable rates with super rush turnaround time and with 98% accuracy. You can get a free quote from our website.

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