ABSTRACT
As a result of European and other historical processes, the current Latin American linguistic formation is characterized by the asymmetrical relationship between Spanish and Portuguese (thoroughly spread all over the region) and numerous indigenous languages (some of which persist with vitality, while others have lost ground or disappeared). Latin America comprises more than one hundred linguistic families, including between 420 and 700 indigenous languages (Grinevald 2006; Sichra 2009). These are spoken by more than 29 million indigenous people (López 2009), who are to a greater or lesser degree in contact with Spanish or Portuguese.
