Quechua
August 21, 2008
It is often considered to be the language of the Incas, invented by them and spread across the Andes. The truth is that this family of languages is much older, far more diverse and far more interesting than you imagined.
Quechua is spoken in many Andean countries, but it does not sound the same everywhere you go. Quechua in one country, or even in another region, can be quite distinct due to huge differences in the grammar and pronunciation. It would, for example, be difficult for someone in Northern Argentina to communicate with someone in Ecuador – even if some words they use are almost the same.
Today Quechua is considered to be a group of at least seven languages with about 46 distinct dialects between them. But it wasn’t always like that. Just as Latin in Europe became Spanish, Portuguese, Galician, Catalan, French, Italian, Romanian among others, over the past centuries Quechua too has adapted and changed – something that happens in all languages. Just like Latin, at one time in the past there would have been a single Original Quechua from which the modern varieties evolved, and just like Latin, no region or country speaks it today.
Many people assume that the Quechua spoken in Cusco is the correct or proper form and those who speak Huaylas Ancash Quechua, Huaylla Wanca Quechua, Northern Conchucos Ancash Quechua, Southern Conchucos Ancash Quechua, Ecuadorian Quichua, Yunkay Quechua South Bolivian, Ayacucho Quechua, and Puno Quechua, to name but a few, speak an impure or incorrect form.
The truth is, no-one now speaks original Quechua. Quechua speakers in Cusco speak as much Original Quechua and Italians speak Latin. Perhaps more interesting is that the language does not even come from the Cusco region, and the Incas didn’t invent the language and didn’t even use it in their early history.
According to Inca myths and legends, their people come from the Lake Titicaca area, while according to archaeological evidence, Inca architects employed similar craftsmanship to the people of Bolivia’s Tihuanaco civilisation. This is not a Quechua-speaking region.
Linguists tell us that the Quechua language can be aged by examining the changes to the language in different regions and approximating how long they would take to change in this way. This tells us that Quechua, much like Latin, has spent almost two thousands years diverging – long before the time of the Incas.
So, when did Quechua spread to where it is spoken now? How did it spread there and where did Original Quechua come from?
Find out at this excellent Quechua resource.
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Debo decir que yo soy de los que pensaba que el quechua era prácticamente igual en todas partes. Muy interesante el artículo Stuart. Siempre he pensado en estudiar Quechua pero nunca me he decidido completamente a hacerlo. Pero sigo considerando la posibilidad.
Saludos.
Cuando hablo el castellano fluentemente, quizás puedo estudiar quechua. Pero si, me sorprendió también cuando la descubrí.
The true name of the Quechua language is Runasimi or ‘people speaking’ but Quechua is also used widely. The Quechua people live not only in the Andean region, but all around the world because of migrations forced by poverty and racism. I wrote about this in my blog:
http://peruanista.blogspot.com/2008/07/la-nacionalidad-quechua-en-el-mundo.html
Quechua ( Qhichwa or Runa Simi ) was the official language of the Inca empire of Tawantinsuyu. It was spoken from the south of Colombia all the way to Chile. Many people were bilingual and educated persons had to learn the standard Quechua language.
Quechua is known by one name although the various dialects differ a lot, because there once existed this one standard Quechua, a variety that resembled the Quechua language of the Huarochiri text. The Incas adopted this language as a state language because is was already in use in many parts of their empire. Quechua was the language of Pachakamaq, Chincha and spoken as a trade language in Ecuador.
During the colonial peruvian time, a new standard variety arose: the so-called ‘language of the Incas’ or Cusco variety ( Cuzco Simi ). This variety was spoken by Incas, nobility and hispanic colonials, was a different Quechua than the standard Quechua of Tawantinsuyu. The language was spoken in Inkasuyu, a region that lies in southern Peru and Andean Bolivia.
The Inca Quechua was spoken by Tupac Amaru II and after his defeat it became attacked by the Spanish administration, part of a policy to abolise Inca pride and heritage.
Quechua remained the main language of the peruvian andes for a long time, spoken throughout ethnic groups, also by white peruvians in the andes as a mother tongue. A negative attitude towards Quechua began when Andean people went immigrating to the capital city of Lima. Today Quechua is considered to be part of the original Peruvian identity.
Academic knowledge about Quechua and other Andean languages:
http://www.brunel.ac.uk/4042/entertext2.2/itier.pdf
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