Why have many Indigenous languages of South America become extinct or endangered?

Many Indigenous languages of South America have become extinct or endangered due to a complex history of European conquest, colonization, and subsequent social changes.12

The primary factors contributing to this decline include:

• European Conquest and Colonization: The arrival of Europeans in the 16th century led to the disappearance of many groups through violence, disease, and the systematic takeover of Indigenous societies. As populations declined or were absorbed into colonial hierarchies, their native tongues were often lost.32
• Acculturation and Language Displacement: Many Indigenous peoples were assimilated into European languages (such as Spanish or Portuguese) or adopted dominant Indigenous languages that were favored by colonial authorities for government and missionary activities. For example, the spread of Quechuan languages and the development of língua-geral in Brazil often displaced smaller, local languages.12
• Social and Economic Pressures: In many regions, populations became bilingual, with Indigenous languages relegated to the home while European languages became the standard for public transactions, education, and commerce. This shift often leads to younger generations having only a superficial command of their ancestral idioms, causing those languages to slowly die out.12
• Population Loss: In some instances, languages became extinct simply because the communities that spoke them disappeared entirely.2