Language attitudes: Identity, distinctiveness, survival in the Vaupes

Abstract

In the Vaupes area of Colombia and Brazil, exogamy is practiced among groups who consider that their main distinctiveness is lineage membership, demonstrated by the primary language they speak. They are patrilineal and patrilocal; thus one's primary language is his father's primary language. Although people understand and in some cases perfect their speaking ability in other languages, the situations under which they use those languages are fairly restricted. Efforts are made to keep one's primary language pure in order to preserve linguistic and ethnic distinctiveness, and ultimately to preserve exogamous marriage and the lineage. One may not marry a person from his own language or from a ‘brother’ language group. However, in some cases what linguistically are dialects are considered to be distinct languages, permitting intermarriage to occur between them. Linguistic and social ranking is also recognised between dialects of a language, based on sib, or unilineal descent group, membership. Restrictions on speaking other languages or lower ranked sib dialects also apply to reading and to writing materials in those languages or dialects. These sociolinguistic factors have important implications for language choice in cross cultural communication, literacy, and preserving cultural integrity.