WAYWASH WAMPUY
QUECHUA I 100 AD QUECHUA II
1300 AD
Myth # 4: The Incas took Quechua
to other regions
• This one is TRUE
– But partially…
– Quechua in Bolivia is work of the Incas. Minimal dialectal variation
between Cuzco-Puno-Cochabamba.
– The case of Ecuadorian Kichua
• “Cuando los incas llegaron al centro y norte del Perú, y al Ecuador, el
quechua ya era hablado en la mayoría de esas áreas.” (Parker 1972: 115)
• “En el caso del QII es más fácil identificar dialectos. La mayor fragmentación
parece ocurrir en Ecuador, donde, en mi opinión, el proceso de creolización
con otras lenguas indígenas es la causa de la diversidad.” (Parker 1972:
115)
• How was the colonization process in South America?
– Few Spaniards, lots of natives.
– Quechua, as the “General language of the Inca”was reinforced and
spread. But only for a short time…
• The XVI century expansion of Quechua is work of Spanish
bureaucrats and priests.
Myth # 5: Quechua is like English
• Pretty woman = Sumaq warmi.
– But that’s all there is…
• I am hungry
• Ñuqa -ta yarqha –wa –n -mi.
I ACC hunger 1OBJ 3SG.PRES EV
• It resembles more Turkish, Japanese, and
other agglutinative languages.
Myth # 6: Quechua is a primitive
language
• “When it comes to
linguistic form, Plato
walks with the
Macedonian
swineherd, Confucius
with the head-hunting
savage of Assam.”
Edward Sapir.
Machu Pikchu (“Old peak”).
Built around 1450 AD.
Basics of Quechua
grammar
• Agglutinative: exclusive use of suffixes to indicate
most grammatical distinctions.
– Comí (I ate) Æ mikhu –rqa -ni
• SOV word order
– MariyaS aychataO mikhushanV.
• Nouns have (generally) no gender.
– Yachachiq (teacher)
– Qhari allqu / china allqu Fray Domingo de Santo Tomás
Author of the first Quechua Grammar (1560)
• Nine Cases:
– Nominative and accusative: allqu runata qhamsarqan. (“The dog bit the person”)
– Genitive and dative: Pedroq wallpanta Mariyapaq rantirqani. (“I bought Pedro’s
chiken for Maria”)
• Evidentials, topic, elipsis of be in the third person:
– Tayta Wayllaqawaqa karpintirum (“Mr. Huallacahua is a carpenter”).
– Qanqa karpintirum kanki. (“You are a carpenter”)
• Transitions: rikuwanki 'you see me’, maqayki (‘I hit you’).
• Particles: alli –lla –n –chu? Vs. alli –n –chu?
A comparison between Quechua
dialects
• Ancash
– Tsaymi qamkunaqa kaynaw mañakuyaanayki:
Sieluchaw kaykaq Dios Yayallaakuna, hutillayki allapa respetuwan alabashqa katsun.
• Huanca
– Chay ora mañakulqankiman kaynawmi:
Hanay pachaçhaw kaq Tayta Diosniillá, qamllamá altuman hulqushqa kanki.
• Cajamarca
– Chayri kayshina Tayta Dyusman mañakuyllapa:
Taytanchiq Dyusitu syilupi kaq, qamllam ancha santu, mana nima uchayuqchu kangi.
Chaymi ancha balin, yumbay runa, warmi qamtalla alabashunanllapa.
• San Martin
– Chayrayku kashna oraychi:
A Tata Dios, kanmi kanki altu sielupi kawsak Tataynikuna. Munanisapa tukuy runakuna
rimanankunapa kan sukaman alli rurak kanaykita.
• Ayacucho
– Qamkunaqa kaynata mañakuychik:
Hanaq pachapi Taytayku, sutiyki yupaychasqa kachun,
• Cuzco-Collao:
– Chayrayku qankunaqa, kay hinata mañakuychis:
Yayayku hanaq pachapi kaq, sutiyki yupaychasqa kachun.
• Ecuador
– Shinamandami cashna nishpa mañana canguichi:
Jahua pachapi tiyajuj ñucanchi Taitalla, tucuicuna candaca ninanda alicachijpi tiyajuchunmi
mañanchi.
Myth # 7: Quechua comes from the
sounds of nature
• Some words with
onomatopoeic origins:
– Thunder: ruqhuququy,
raqhaqaqay.
– Shivering: Khatatatay.
• But every language does that!!
– Everyday life alone is way
more complex to be
expressed just in that way.
• “Exotic” nature of indigenous
languages is related to a more
“natural” contact with nature.
– That is non-scientific, popular
way of thinking.
Myth # 8: Quechua is a “dialect”
and not a “language”
• “A language is a dialect with
an army and a navy”
(Attributed to Max Weinreich)
• Literature as the distinction
between “language and
dialects”.
– “Odyssey” and “Illiad” were
non written for centuries. Does
that make them less great
literature”?
• A language is a vocabulary
and a grammar actively
shared and modified by a
community to deal with their
daily life.
– Everything else is either
linguistic classification (QI,
QIIA-B-C, for instance), or just
pure ignorance…
Literature in / about Quechua
Myth # 9: Quechua is hard to learn!
Diospagrasunkichis! Pakillaa!
Añay!!