The Guarani-English/ English-Guarani Concise Dictionary is an extensive reference book to common Guarani phrases and words. The book also comes with a pronunciation and orthography guide which goes over proper pronunciation, stress, nasalization, and intonation of common Guarani words.
One of my plans for the near future is to visit Paraguay, but before going on this trip I’ve decided to study a bit of Guarani, Paraguay’s indigenous language. Guarani is a very unique language because it is spoken by approximately 6 million people and a proper written structure still does not exist. Having said this it’s no surprise that Guarani isn’t spoken by too many foreigners. Even though most tourists can get by speaking to the locals in Spanish, knowing just a bit of Guarani could surely come in handy.
"The book starts off by giving the reader some important information about the language such as the history, origins, and cultural facts about the Guarani speaking people."
The Guarani-English/ English-Guarani Concise Dictionary was my first stepping stone into the Guarani-speaking world. This book is not exactly a dictionary as the title would lead one to believe. This small yet informative book is a 120-page guide which helps English speakers become familiar with the basics of the language. The book starts off by giving the reader some important information about the language such as the history, origins, and cultural facts about the Guarani speaking people. Then the book briefly goes into detail about the regions in Paraguay and its neighboring countries that use the language.
Following the introduction there is a section which explains how certain consonants and vowels are pronounced. It gives examples of open, nasal, and glottal pronunciations; the guide also goes into detail about proper stress and intonation, which is an important aspect of the language. After these initial pages the book provides its readers with an extensive list of important Guarani words and phrases translated into English.
I believe that the first step for any beginner student to learn Guarani is to become familiar with some of the common words in the language. Unlike most languages, Guarani is very unique in the sense that both nouns and verbs can be conjugated and certain words may change in spelling and pronunciation depending on the context. Personally I think that it is important to become familiar with some common words and phrases before taking on any structured grammar exercises; by doing so students will have an easier time understanding Guarani grammar.
I would recommend this book to students who are planning to take a trip to Paraguay (just like me) or anyone who just wants to learn a new language in their spare time. For students who already speak Spanish there is a wider variety of course books to help them learn the language. A book that I would highly recommend for Spanish speakers is Método Práctico Para Aprender La Lengua Guaraní by F.M.
