Indigenous Languages, Linguistic Pluralism and Constitutional Proposal in Chile. Challenges and Urgencies

Abstract

This article analyzes the matter of indigenous languages and linguistic pluralism in the Proposal for the Political Constitution of the Republic of Chile (2022), which was rejected by a wide margin on September 4 of the same year. The regulations developed were part of a broader set of measures linked to plurinationalism and were among those that prompted the greatest questioning by the public. Specifically, we will address in detail the proposals related to indigenous languages, and then we will examine the possibility of their adoption in accordance with their sociolinguistic situation and with the state policies towards indigenous languages. We conclude by arguing that multilingual policies favorable to the revitalization of indigenous languages may only be successful if they are actively promoted by the indigenous speakers themselves and with a state policy capable of covering many areas, including formal and status planning, school and the community, among others.