Language diversity and language policy in Ecuador

Ecuador is a country with rich cultural and linguistic diversity. However, this diversity has been endangered due to contact between indigenous languages and Spanish. The objective of this paper is to describe the languages and language policy of Ecuador. Attention is devoted mainly to the indigenous languages and to the possibility of their revitalization. The text surveys their sociolinguistic situation and vitality. The indigenous languages are divided into three groups in accordance with the geography of the country: kichwa (highlands), languages of the Pacific coast and languages of the Amazon lowlands. The paper also discusses the general language policy of the country that has recently changed in favor of linguistic diversity but which has not been able to change the negative attitude towards indigenous languages. Regarding language planning, the absence of a consistent policy unfortunately favors a language shift to Spanish rather than the revitalization of the indigenous languages.