Quechua

Quechua (Quechuan: Runa Simi) is a native South American language family spoken primarily in the Andes, derived from a common ancestral language. It is the most widely spoken language family of the indigenous peoples of the Americas, with a total of probably some 8–10 million speakers.

History

Quechua had already expanded across wide ranges of the central Andes long before the expansion of the Inca Empire. The Inca were one among many peoples in present-day Peru who already spoke forms of Quechua. In the Cusco region, Quechua was influenced by local languages such as Aymara. Hence, there is a divergence of Quechua dialects in the region.

Dialects

There are many dialects of Quechua, which can be grouped into certain categories. Some of these dialects include:

• Central Quechua
• Peripheral Quechua
• Southern Quechua
• Wanka Quechua

Phonology

Quechua has three vowels: /i/, /a/, /u/, but the sequence /ji/ is often realized as [e]. Quechua also has a complex set of phonological rules that affect the final vowel of a word.

Morphology

Quechua is an agglutinative language, where words are built up from basic roots followed by several suffixes. The language structure is subject–object–verb.

Syntax

Quechua syntax is topic-prominent, and it features topic–comment structure.

Vocabulary

Quechua has a rich vocabulary, especially when it comes to the natural world. Many words in Quechua are onomatopoeic.

Writing system

The Quechua languages have been written using the Latin script since the Spanish conquest.

See also

• Quechuan languages
• Inca Empire
• Andes

References

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External links

• Quechua Network UK
• Quechua School

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