Linguistic diversity in South America: multi-disciplinary perspectives

In this talk I focus on the so-called (South-)American paradox which can be succinctly described as "how can it be that South America, the last continent to be populated, is so diverse linguistically?" I will discuss different perspectives that have contributed to the debate, and come to a more precise picture of the diversity patterns of South America. Finally, I will briefly present a research program that tries to tackle the question of linguistic diversity in the Upper Amazon area in western South America, which forms a microcosm of diversity, by combining perspectives from various disciplines.