Village Books and the WWU Libraries are pleased to present WWU Connections, a brown bag speaker series highlighting the expertise of WWU faculty and staff. Bring your lunch and join us for this engaging presentation and discussion. Western Connections is co-sponsored by Western Washington University Libraries.

Presenter Name: Shaw Gynan, PhD, Spanish Linguistics

Topic: Indigenous Languages of Paraguay

Paraguay, a landlocked South American country the size of California, has the largest proportion of speakers of indigenous languages in the New World, which include Aché, Ayoreo, Enxet, Guaraní, Koasvok, Ishir, Nivaklé and Qom. An overview is presented of the history and structure of these languages and the people who speak them.

Shaw N. Gynan holds a PhD in Spanish Linguistics and has taught at Western Washington University for 25 years. His two Fulbright Scholar Awards have allowed him to establish his linguistic research in Paraguay for more than 15 years.