Multilingualism and ethnic stereotypes: The Tariana of Northwest

I N T R O D U C T I O N
The choice of the language of interaction in a multilingual society can be an
important site for the reproduction of ethnic stereotypes associated with each
language. The Tariana-speaking minority in the multilingual area of the Vaupés
basin in northwest Amazonia (Brazil) offers a spectacular illustration of how this
can be achieved.
This article starts with a brief overview of the Vaupés area. Then I discuss the
principles of choosing a language and look at the use of different languages in
varied circumstances – that is, code-switching and code-mixing. The findings
are summarized in the final section.