Editing Uruguay (section)

=== Language ===
{{Main|Uruguayan Spanish|Rioplatense Spanish}}

[[Spanish language|Spanish]] is the de facto [[national language]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-07-29 |title=Proponen establecer por ley que el idioma oficial de Uruguay es el español |trans-title=They propose establishing by law that the official language of Uruguay is Spanish |url=https://www.sarandi690.com.uy/2020/07/29/proponen-establecer-por-ley-que-el-idioma-oficial-de-uruguay-es-el-espanol/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231115021514/https://www.sarandi690.com.uy/2020/07/29/proponen-establecer-por-ley-que-el-idioma-oficial-de-uruguay-es-el-espanol/ |archive-date=15 November 2023 |access-date=2023-11-15 |website=Radio Sarandí 690 AM |language=es}}</ref> [[Uruguayan Spanish]], as a variant of ''[[Rioplatense Spanish|Rioplatense]]'', employs both {{lang|es|[[voseo]]}} and {{lang|es|[[yeísmo]]}} (with {{IPA|[ʃ]}} or {{IPA|[ʒ]}}) and has a great influence of the [[Italian language]] and its different dialects since it incorporates ''[[lunfardo]]''.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.cervantes.es/imagenes/file/biblioteca/situacion_espanol/uruguay_situacion_espanol.pdf |title=Particularities of the Spanish language in Uruguay |access-date=15 November 2023 |archive-date=15 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231115014121/https://www.cervantes.es/imagenes/file/biblioteca/situacion_espanol/uruguay_situacion_espanol.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> In the border areas with Brazil in the northeast of the country, [[Uruguayan Portuguese]] is spoken, which consists of a mixture of Spanish with [[Brazilian Portuguese]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Hacia el portuñol "patrimonio inmaterial de la humanidad" {{!}} Comisión Coordinadora del Interior |url=https://www.cci.edu.uy/node/95 |access-date=2023-11-15 |website=www.cci.edu.uy |archive-date=15 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231115014139/https://www.cci.edu.uy/node/95 |url-status=live }}</ref> It is a dialect without formally defined orthography and without any official recognition.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Fernandez |first=Freddy |date=2006-09-01 |title=Portuñol de Rivera pasó de estigma a riqueza lingüística |trans-title=Portuñol of Rivera went from stigma to linguistic wealth |url=http://www.elpais.com.uy/ProDig/Uruguayos/06/03/16/esp_urugud_206659.asp |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060901223003/http://www.elpais.com.uy/ProDig/Uruguayos/06/03/16/esp_urugud_206659.asp |archive-date=1 September 2006 |access-date=2023-11-15 |work=Diario El País |department=Uruguayos}}</ref> [[English language|English]] is the most widespread foreign language among the Uruguayan people, being part of the educational curriculum.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-07-22 |title=56% de los uruguayos tienen conocimientos de inglés, aunque solo 13,6% tiene certificación oficial |url=https://ladiaria.com.uy/educacion/articulo/2020/7/56-de-los-uruguayos-tienen-conocimientos-de-ingles-aunque-solo-136-tiene-certificacion-oficial/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220522074234/https://ladiaria.com.uy/educacion/articulo/2020/7/56-de-los-uruguayos-tienen-conocimientos-de-ingles-aunque-solo-136-tiene-certificacion-oficial/ |archive-date=2022-05-22 |access-date=2023-11-15 |website=la diaria |language=es-UY}}</ref>

As few [[Indigenous peoples in Uruguay|indigenous people]] exist in the population, no indigenous languages are thought to remain in active use in the country.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ethnologue.org/show_country.asp?name=UY|title=Ethnologue report for Uruguay|publisher=Ethnologue.org|access-date=2 December 2010|archive-date=7 July 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100707075945/http://www.ethnologue.org/show_country.asp?name=UY|url-status=live}}</ref> Another spoken dialect was the [[Patois]], which is an [[Occitan language|Occitan]] dialect. The dialect was spoken mainly in the [[Colonia Department]], where the first pilgrims settled, in the city called [[La Paz, Colonia|La Paz]]. There are still written tracts of the language in the Waldensians Library (Biblioteca Valdense) in the town of [[Colonia Valdense]], [[Colonia Department]]. Patois speakers arrived to Uruguay from the [[Piedmont]]. Originally, they were Vaudois who become [[Waldensians]], giving their name to the city Colonia Valdense, which translated from the Spanish to mean "Waldensian Colony".<ref>{{cite book |url=http://dedicaciontotal.udelar.edu.uy/adjuntos/produccion/742_academicas__academicaarchivo.pdf |title=Etnicidad y Lenguaje – La aculturación socio lingüística de los inmigrantes italianos en Montevideo |author=Graciela Barrios |publisher=Departamento de Publicaciones de la Facultad de Humanidades y Ciencias de la Educación Universidad de la República |date=2008 |access-date=21 April 2017 |archive-date=12 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210112203153/http://dedicaciontotal.udelar.edu.uy/adjuntos/produccion/742_academicas__academicaarchivo.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>

In 2001, [[Uruguayan Sign Language|Uruguayan Sign Language (LSU)]] was recognized as an official language of Uruguay under Law 17.378.<ref name=LSU />