"Proyecto Rescate del Paraguay Cultivado" – Critical Edition, philological and ethnolinguistic analysis of an unknown manuscript by J.F. Sánchez Labrador, S.J.

• Applicant: Professor Dr. Joachim Steffen, since 8/2025
• Subject Area: Individual Linguistics, Historical Linguistics ; General and Comparative Linguistics, Experimental Linguistics, Typology, Non-European Languages ; Social and Cultural Anthropology and Ethnology ; Early Modern History
• Term: since 2024
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 554526123

The project "Rescate del Paraguay Cultivado" is dedicated to the transcription, critical edition, and philological as well as ethnolinguistic analysis of the third part of the Paraguay Trilogy written by the Jesuit priest José F. Sánchez Labrador in the 18th century. The "Paraguay Cultivado" is a significant source on the historical agronomy of Spain and extensively addresses agriculture in the Río de la Plata region, including crops, their cultivation, and usage. The agricultural description is embedded within an Enlightenment program of knowledge dissemination, which is why the work also holds significant insights from an ethnographic and linguistic perspective. The editorial goals include creating a diplomatic transcription of the manuscript using Transkribus and publishing an open-access digital edition on the TEITOK platform. This online version, enhanced with various annotation levels and search functions, will serve as the foundation for interdisciplinary research. It will be supplemented by a printed edition in collaboration with the Instituto Sánchez Labrador in Córdoba, Argentina. A central objective is the identification and completion of internal references in the text (to the other parts of the trilogy, "Paraguay Natural Ilustrado" and "Paraguay Catholico") as well as external references, to clarify the work's internal coherence and its numerous connections to other contemporary writings. Furthermore, indices and glossaries will be created to systematically explore the terminological diversity and scientific content of the manuscript. From a linguistic perspective, we will conduct a detailed philological examination of the linguistic features of the manuscript. This includes the analysis of 18th-century Spanish scientific language and linguistic variation. Both Sánchez Labrador's metalinguistic observations on Paraguayan Spanish compared to Spain and our own variationist linguistic analyses will play a role in this endeavor. Another focus is the ethnolinguistic analysis of elements and passages in Guarani and Mbaya/Guaikuru used in the manuscript. This study will document the historical development of these languages and their interaction with Spanish. In this context, the role of the Jesuits in knowledge transfer and linguistic documentation of indigenous cultures and languages will be highlighted and compared with missionary linguistic literature (including that of Sánchez Labrador himself). Through this comprehensive edition and analysis, the project will not only highlight and publicize the scientific relevance of the "Paraguay Cultivado" but also provide new insights into language history and intercultural encounters in colonial South America.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants
• Ehemaliger Antragsteller: Professor Dr. Harald Thun, until 7/2025 (†)