Languages of South America


The languages of South America can be divided into three broad groups:

Main languages

Spanish is the most spoken language in the Americas, but Portuguese is the most spoken language in the continent of South America, with Spanish as a close second in South America.
Other official languages with substantial number of speakers are:
LanguageSpeakersCountriesSource
Portuguese215,754,600Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay, Venezuela
Spanish214,265,000Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, Venezuela, Brazil
Quechua7,735,620Bolivia, Ecuador, Peru, Argentina, Chile, Colombia
English6,925,850Falkland Islands, Guyana, Colombia
Guarani6,162,790Bolivia, Paraguay, Argentina, Brazil
Hunsrik3,000,000Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay
Aymara1,677,100Bolivia, Peru, Chile
German1,285,800Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay
Italian1,259,900Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, Venezuela
Dutch575,000Suriname
Japanese425,000Brazil
Wayuu416,000Colombia, Venezuela
French319,400French Guiana, Brazil
Sranan Tongo307,600Suriname, French Guiana
Pomeranian300,000Brazil
Mapudungun258,410Argentina, Chile
Hindustani164,000Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana
Surinamese-Javanese60,000Suriname, French Guiana

Indigenous languages

Indigenous languages of South America include, among several others, the Quechua languages in Bolivia, Ecuador, and Peru and to a lesser extent in Argentina, Chile, and Colombia; Guaraní in Paraguay and to a much lesser extent in Argentina and Bolivia; Aymara in Bolivia and Peru and to a lesser extent in Chile; Wayuu in northern Colombia and northwest Venezuela; and Mapudungun in small pockets of southern Chile and Argentina.
In Bolivia, three languages—Quechua, Aymara, and Tupi Guarani—are co-official alongside Spanish. In Paraguay, Guarani shares joint official status with Spanish. In Colombia, the languages of the country's ethnic groups are constitutionally recognized as official languages in their territories; more than 60 such aboriginal languages exist today. Ecuador uses Spanish, Northern Quechua, and Shuar as official languages for intercultural relations. In Peru, Quechua and Aymara, as well as other indigenous languages, are co-official in the areas where they are predominant. There are many other languages once spoken in South America that are extinct today.
In Brazil, there are around 135 indigenous languages confirmed. The regions with the most speakers are North and Central-West Brazil, where there is a larger concentration of native people. Indigenous populations have been trying to keep their traditions of their homeland, with the help of Funai, the agency responsible for the protection of the native people.
Rapa Nui is a Polynesian language spoken on Easter Island, Chile.
LanguageSpeakersCountriesSource
Quechua7,735,620Bolivia, Ecuador, Peru, Argentina, Chile, Colombia
Guarani6,162,790Bolivia, Paraguay, Argentina, Brazil
Aymara1,677,100Bolivia, Peru, Chile
Wayuu416,000Colombia, Venezuela
Mapudungun258,410Argentina, Chile

Classification

Source:

Other non-indigenous languages

In Brazil, Italian and German dialects, specifically Talian, East Pomeranian, and Hunsrik, have co-official status alongside Portuguese in about a dozen cities and are mandatory subjects in schools in other municipalities. The states of Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul have Talian officially approved as a heritage language in these states, and Espírito Santo has the East Pomeranian dialect, along with the German language as cultural heritage.
English is an official language in Guyana, and its creole form is the country's most widely spoken language. English is also the official language in the territories of the Falkland Islands and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands.
French is the official language in French Guiana, an overseas region of France. Dutch is the official language in neighboring Suriname.
Italian is spoken by communities in Argentina, Uruguay, Venezuela, and Brazil.
German is used by some in Brazil, Paraguay, Chile, Ecuador, Uruguay, Venezuela, and Colombia.
Welsh is spoken and written in the historic towns of Trelew and Rawson in Argentine Patagonia.
There are also small clusters of Japanese speakers in Brazil, Peru, and Bolivia. Brazil currently holds the largest Japanese community outside Japan.
Caribbean Hindustani is spoken by the Indo-Guyanese and the Indo-Surinamese. In Suriname, the language is known as Sarnámi Hindustáni and is still widely spoken. However, in Guyana, where it is known as Guyanese Hindustani or Aili Gaili, the language is nearly extinct as a spoken language, with only words and phrases still remaining.
Surinamese-Javanese is spoken by the Javanese Surinamese who form about 14% of the Suriname's population.
Sranan Tongo, an English-based creole, serves as one of the lingua francas of Suriname, alongside Dutch.
Other non-indigenous languages spoken include Arabic, Chinese, Romani, Haitian Creole, Romanian, Greek, Polish, Ukrainian, and Russian.