In the present piece of research we offer preliminary answers to the following question: what is the place of indigenous languages of Chile in the language ideologies of the Spanish-speaking elite from the 19th-century? After a brief characterization of the language-ideological Chilean context of the 19th century and that of the current period, we analyze the book RazaChilena (1904) by the Chilean ethno-nationalist Nicolás Palacios, in terms of its language ideology. We conclude that indigenous languages were a “non-issue” for the Chilean Spanish-speaking elite from the 19th century.We also point out that even in Palacios’ ethno-nationalist ideology, in which indigenous peoples play an important role, indigenous languages are erased and denied. Our findings are coherent with what can be observed in the current Chilean language-ideological situation.
Keywords:
linguistic historiography, language ideologies, language attitudes, ethnolinguistic nationalism, Nicolás Palacios, Raza Chilena
Rojas, D. (2014). Spanish-speakers’ attitudes and ideologies about indigenous languages in 19th -century Chile. Lenguas Modernas, (42), Pág. 85 – 98. Retrieved from https://rchd.uchile.cl/index.php/LM/article/view/32240
