A Note On different spellings

The word Iguassu is not an innocent sound. Just look at all the following ways to spell it: Iguaçu, Iguassu, Iguazú, Yguazu, Yguazú, Y-Guasu. And this book adds three other spellings: Y-Guassu, Y-Guazu or Y-Guaçu. What are we talking about with all these different ways to put this unusual word on paper?

First there are nationalistic and language considerations. Iguaçu immediately identifies you with Brazil and the Brazilian universe. This can be good or bad. That is the Brazilian spelling since the orthographical reform of the 1940s. Iguassu used to be correct in Brazil until this orthographical reform. Now, this spelling is used mainly in English and internationally for airline-ticketing and tourism purposes.

Iguazú is the spelling adopted by the Spanish-speaking world, from Spain to Mexico, from Argentina to Venezuela and Cuba. The exception is Paraguay. In the frontier area, Iguazú is associated with Argentina.

The spelling adopted in Paraguay is Yguazú when referring to the Falls or to the city of Foz do Iguaçu. Otherwise, Guarani-langage dictionaries in Paraguay have adopted the Yguasu (single-s) spelling. Iguassu has also been written as Ihguasu by such big name as the Swiss-born scientist Mosè Giacomo Bertoni (locally known as Moisés Santiago Bertoni. Since Paraguay is a bilingual country, words in Guarani retain the Guarani pronunciation.

Unlike all the other pronunciations of the different spellings, the Guarani pronunciation of the “Y” is definitely different from any other sound on Earth and is the appropriate spelling for our purposes. It is advisable that you do not miss the opportunity to listen to the Guarani pronunciation of the “Y” in Yguazú which, among many other thngs, means water. As soon as I develop the technology I will create a link to the Guarani pronunciation (Wait!)

Finally, comes the completely non-official spellings (thanks God) that is adopted in this book: Y-Guassu (Y-Guaçu or Y-Guazú) The new thing here is the hyphenated “Y” present in all forms. This means that we retain the original sound of the Guarani pronunciation. The hyphen is there to indicate that the word is more than a word. It is a phrase, a mantra. The “Y” sacred pronunciation is kept. The “guassu” ending can change according to preference of culture, language or grammar, without afecting the sacred sound. Y-Guassu stands for everything Y-GUASSU represents, not only the falls or the river, rainbow or water, tourism and livelihood for many, but the complete cosmovision that this book tries to highlight and that includes you as a conscious visitor.