Quechuan languages

Quechua, also called Runa simi meaning "people's language," is a group of indigenous languages that started in central Peru and spread through the Andes mountains. It comes from an ancient ancestor called "Proto-Quechua" and is the most widely spoken language family from before European arrival in the Americas. Today, about 8 to 10 million people speak Quechua.

Quechua grew very popular long before the Incas ruled a huge empire. Even after the Spanish came, they allowed people to keep using Quechua. Because of this, many people in Peru still speak Quechua as their main language. In Ecuador, a version called Kichwa is the second most spoken language after Spanish.

This language has a rich history and is very important to the cultures and identities of many people in South America.

History

Main article: Classical Quechua

Quechua likely began in central Peru and may have been used by ancient cultures like the Chavín and Wari. Before the Inca Empire grew, many people in the Andes already spoke different forms of Quechua. The Inca used Quechua as their official language, which helped it spread even more.

After the Spanish conquest of Peru, Quechua kept being used by local people and even by Spanish rulers and church leaders. Missionaries wrote books in Quechua to teach people about their faith. Later, colonial leaders stopped using Quechua in official places, which made the language less common in cities. But in rural areas, many still spoke Quechua. Today, about 7 million people across South America still use Quechua, making it the most spoken indigenous language family in the Americas. Recently, Quechua has seen a revival with universities teaching it and communities working to keep the language alive.

Current status

In 1975, Peru became the first country to recognize Quechua as an official language. Later, Ecuador and Bolivia also gave Quechua official status. Despite this, Quechua faces challenges because there are not many books or written materials in the language. However, efforts are being made to teach Quechua in schools along with Spanish in Peru, Bolivia, and Ecuador. Some people still prefer Spanish for their children, hoping it will help them succeed.

Quechua and Spanish often mix together, with many words from each language used in the other. For example, in parts of Bolivia, Quechua words are commonly used even by people who mainly speak Spanish. Quechua has also influenced other languages in the Americas, like Mapuche. Radio stations in Peru also broadcast news and programs in Quechua.

Number of speakers

It is hard to know exactly how many people speak Quechua because different sources give different numbers. Some estimates say there are around 10 million speakers, while others are lower. The number can vary a lot depending on where you look and when the data was collected. For example:

• Argentina: 900,000 (1971)
• Bolivia: 2,100,000 (2001 census); 2,800,000 South Bolivian (1987)
• Chile: few, if any; 8,200 in ethnic group (2002 census)
• Colombia: 4,402 to 16,000
• Ecuador: 2,300,000 (Adelaar 1991)
• Peru: 3,800,000 (2017 census); 3,500,000 to 4,400,000 (Adelaar 2000)

Many Quechua speakers also live outside their home countries, so the total number is still unknown.

Classification

Quechua is a family of languages spoken by many people in the Andes mountains, mainly in Peru, but also in Bolivia, Ecuador, Colombia, Argentina, and other nearby areas. There are two main groups: Quechua I (central) and Quechua II (peripheral). Quechua I is spoken in the central highlands of Peru and has many different forms. Quechua II is split into three parts: Northern (spoken in Ecuador and Colombia), North Peruvian (scattered in Peru), and Southern (spoken from southern Peru through Bolivia and into Argentina).

The Southern group is the most common and has the most speakers. People who speak different forms of Quechua can often understand each other, but sometimes they cannot, especially if they are from far apart. This is why experts call Quechua a language family and not just one language. The many different forms of Quechua make it a rich and diverse group of languages.

Vocabulary

Quechua has taken in many words from Spanish, such as piru meaning "but," bwenu meaning "good," and iskwila meaning "school." Many Quechua words have also found their way into English and French through Spanish. Examples include coca, condor, guano, jerky, llama, and poncho.

In Bolivia, Quechua words are used a lot, even by people who don’t speak Quechua as their first language. Words like wawa for "baby" and misi for "cat" are common. The language has also influenced how people speak Spanish in the area.

Phonology

In the Quechua language, especially in Cusco Quechua, North Bolivian Quechua, and South Bolivian Quechua, some sounds are made with a strong puff of air, which is called a glottalized consonant. These special sounds are also found in some types of Kichwa spoken in Ecuador. The way words sound can change a little between different areas where Quechua is spoken.

In most Quechua dialects, the stress, or the stronger part of a word, is placed on the second-to-last syllable. However, in some areas like Chachapoyas Quechua, the stress starts right at the beginning of the word. Sometimes, when words lose their last sound, the stress might end up on the final syllable in other varieties.

Orthography

Main article: Quechua alphabet

Further information: Southern Quechua § Standard Quechua

Quechua has been written with the Roman alphabet since the time of the Spanish conquest of Peru. However, not many Quechua speakers use writing because there isn't much printed material in the language.

Until the 1900s, Quechua writing used Spanish letters. In 1975, Peru created a new way to write Quechua. This new system uses different letters to better show the sounds of the language. For example, some sounds are written with "w" instead of "hu," and special letters show different kinds of sounds made in the throat.

Today, there are still debates about the best way to write Quechua. Some people think the old way is easier, while others believe the new way matches the language's sounds better. Writers also sometimes use Spanish words in their writing, changing them to fit Quechua or leaving them as they are.

Grammar

Quechua is an agglutinating language, which means words are formed by adding many small parts called suffixes to a basic root. These suffixes change the meaning in many ways. Quechua sentences usually follow the order of subject, object, then verb.

Quechua has special ways to show if the speaker knows something from direct experience, a guess, or something they heard from someone else. This helps make communication very clear and precise in the language.

Literature

Many interesting stories and poems in Quechua were written down using Latin letters after Europeans arrived in South America. These writings often share traditions and beliefs from before that time. One famous book from around 1598 is called the Huarochirí Manuscript, which tells myths and religious ideas from the Huarochirí valley. It is sometimes called "an Andean Bible" and is similar to the Popol Vuh from nearby regions.

During the time after Europeans came, many plays were written in Quechua. Some of these plays tell about the Inca leaders, while others discuss religious ideas brought from Europe. Well-known plays include Ollantay and stories about the life of Atahualpa. Writers like Juan de Espinosa Medrano created several plays in Quechua. Poets such as Juan Wallparrimachi also wrote beautiful poems in Quechua during this time, even taking part in the Bolivian War of Independence.

In the 1600s, church leaders in Lima created books to teach Christian beliefs. These included a special book called a catechism written in three languages: Spanish, Quechua, and Aymara. More books like this were made over the next few years. There is also a version of the Bible written in Quechua.

Later, in the 1800s and especially the 1900s, more books, poems, and stories were written in Quechua. Many of these were traditional tales passed down by mouth. A writer named Johnny Payne helped share some Quechua stories by translating them into Spanish and English.

One interesting example is a Quechua version of the famous story Don Quixote, written by Demetrio Túpac Yupanqui.

Media

A news broadcast in Quechua called "Ñuqanchik" started in Peru in 2016, meaning "all of us."

Many musicians from the Andes write and sing in Quechua and other native languages. Some well-known groups include Los Kjarkas, Savia Andina, and Uchpa. There are also bloggers and a podcast in Quechua. The 1961 Peruvian film Kukuli was the first movie spoken in Quechua. In the 1977 film Star Wars, an alien character speaks a simple version of Quechua. The game Overwatch 2 includes a Peruvian character with some lines in Quechua, and the show Pluribus features another Peruvian character speaking Quechua in its first season finale.