NATIVE LANGUAGE DAY

May 27th marks the celebration of Native Language Day, or Indigenous Languages Day, in Peru. This commemorates the recognition of Quechua as an official language in 1975 (Decree Law No. 21156). The date aims to promote the preservation, recovery, and dissemination of Peru’s 48 indigenous languages, a vital part of the nation’s cultural identity. However, 21 of these languages are endangered due to a lack of intergenerational transmission, exacerbated by discrimination and state policies that favor assimilation into Spanish.

These languages, living memories of pre-Hispanic peoples, safeguard the history and identity of communities that survived the Spanish conquest. Their disappearance represents an irreparable loss to Peru’s cultural heritage. Native Language Day, established in 1975 by the government of Juan Velasco Alvarado, provides an opportunity to recognize linguistic diversity and promote state actions to ensure the survival of these languages, including their use, preservation, development, and dissemination as intangible cultural heritage.

The situation is critical: no endangered language has more than 11,000 speakers, with extreme cases like Taushiro, which has only one speaker. It is estimated that at least 35 languages have become extinct in the country over the last 40 years. Despite this reality, Peru has 41 official alphabets for indigenous languages, contrasting sharply with the alarming figure of approximately 7,000 languages spoken worldwide.

17/05/2025