Uses and Resignifications of Wichí and Spanish languages among Bilingual Undergraduate Youth (Salta, Argentina)

Abstract

This paper presents the results of an anthropological investigation which analyzes the resignifications in the use of Wichí and Spanish language among a young group of Wichí people who are taking their university studies in the province of Salta (Argentina).  This study is based in the analysis of the school trajectories of the young Wichí people, reconstructed from in-depth interviews where their linguistic experiences in a formal education context are weighed. The relevance of this investigation is justified by the particular situation of the Wichí people: they have the lowest levels of schooling among the indigenous peoples of Argentina, and the ones who show the greatest vitality in the use of the indigenous language. In conclusion, it is remarkable that the strengthening of their skills in the written use of both languages is linked to the redefinition of their intra and inter-ethnic ties.