Myths and truths about Quechua

Carlos Molina VitalPontificia Universidad Catolica del Peru

Rice UniversityEmail: cmolina@rice.eduTown of Maras, Urubamba Province.

Cuzco region

What do we know about Quechua?

What do we want to know?

Myth # 1: Quechua is one language.

• If not, then what it is?• A LANGUAGE FAMILY.• Work by Gary Parker (1963) and Alfredo Torero

(1964) organized the dialectal variation of the Quechua family.– El punto importante que nunca sería suficientemente

subrayado es que el QI y el QII difieren tanto entre sí que no tendría sentido considerarlos como la misma lengua, cualesquiera sean nuestros criterios para definidos. (Gary Parker 1972: 114. Ouremphasis)

First view at the variation

• Basic division: – QI (Central)– QII (Periphereal).

A more detailed look…

Myth # 2: “Quechua was the language of the Incas”

• When was Quechua born?– Approx. 2000 years ago.– The Incas started as a regional state in 1200 AD.

• Crucial Pre-Incan centers of Quechua expansion– Caral (Lima). 2600 BC - 2000 BC. Paleoquechua– Chavin (Ancash) 900 BC – 200 BC Protoquechua –

Fragmentation of QI.– Pachacamac 800 AD and Chincha 1000 AD

(Southern Lima). Expansion of QII.

The Inca expansion

• Killke: Cuzco as a “city-state” in 1200 AD.

• Pachakutiq: First imperial expansion in aprox. 1440

• Spaniards conquered the Inca Empire in 1532.

A variety of Aymara: the language of the (original) Incas

• The Incas were an Aymara speaking ethnic group.

• During the government of Tupac YupanquiChinchay Quechua was a Lingua Franca used for comerce through the entire peruvian territory up to Ecuador.

• Chinchay Quechua (IIC) is established as “The General Language of the Inca”.

Areas of Andean Languages around 500 AD

Myth # 3: The “original” and “legitimate” Quechua is from Cuzco

• Do I really need to explain why this is false after all we have seen?– QI has the highest level of

fragmentation, and it has aprox. the same area as the very homogeneous QIIB

– Cuzco Quechua is the most aymarized Quechua variety!

• Series of ejectives oclusivesabsent in protoquechua:

– Qallu: tongue– Qhallu: ear / sprig– Q’allu: slice

• Use of qipay (before) for future and qayna (after) for the past.

• Use of unu for water, instead of yaku.

Map of the region of Lima

The Quechua family treePROTOQUECHUA

WAYWASHQUECHUA I

WAMPUYQUECHUA II

CENTRALPACARAOS

(Independent branch)

WAYLAY(ANCASH)

ALTO PATIVILCAALTO-MARAÑONALTO HUALLAGA

WANKAY(JUNIN)

YUNGAYQUECHUA

IIA

CHINCHAYQUECHUA

IIB-C

CENTRAL(YAUYOS)

NORTHERN(CAJAMARCA)

NORTHEN (QIIB)AMAZONAS

SAN MARTINLORETO

ECUADOR (KICHUA)COLOMBIA (INGA)

SOUTHERN (QIIC)CLASSICAL †AYACUCHO

CUZCO-BOLIVIAARGENTINA

400 – 200 BC

100 AD

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 creolizacióncon 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) mikhu –rqa -ni• SOV word order

– MariyaS aychataO mikhushanV.• Nouns have (generally) no gender.

– Yachachiq (teacher)– Qhari allqu / china allqu

• 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?

Fray Domingo de Santo Tomás

Author of the first Quechua Grammar (1560)

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 runakunarimanankunapa 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 tiyajuchunmimañanchi.

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!

• Not very much:– No irregular verbs– Only three vowels– Clear division between

morphemes• Hard if we consider that:

– Agglutination can get heavy:• Tarpu –rpari –kipa –rqu –ysi –chi –sqa –yki –puni.

• Certainly I will make them help you plant again. – Grammatical structure is sometimes “exotic”:

• Juan –pa runa riqsi –sqa –n –wan rima –rqa –ni.

• I spoke with the person that Juan knows.

Myth # 10: Quechua hasn’t exerted much influence

• In English: poncho, puma, jerky, quinine, quinoa,• "Give me something for lagniappe." • What about Peruvian Spanish?

– Calato Qala– Chupo chupu– Choro churu– Macana maka –na– Había sido policía su hijo de la María, pues = Mariyaq wawanqa pulisiya

kasqanmi.• Maria’s son happened to be a policeman.

– Dizque vas a hacer traer el pan con tu hermano = Wayqiykiwan t’antataapamuchinkis.

• They say that you will have your brother bring the bread.– Cómpramelo mi ovejita = Uwihachay ranti –pu –wa -y.

• Buy me my little sheep.

THANK YOU!

Diospagrasunkichis!

Añay!!

Pakillaa!