Am trying to learn a few phrases in Guaran�. Everyone speaks Spanish here in Asunci�n, but among themselves they speak guaran�. The churches are built according to Spanish architectural forms, but the ornamentation and the merchants surrounding them use native religious artifacts that are far removed from European forms.
The blend is fascinating, especially when speaking with Catholics and learning about their Guaran�-Spanish identity encountering globalization. The TV broadcast stations use the spanish language exclusively. The grassroots media producers who use analog videotape and editors, use Guaran� with some spanish. The institutional church, unable to enter into the main corporate media structures (Spanish), finds its way through the independent productions in Guaran� that circulate informally among the community.
Ad�n
