Myths and truths about Quechua

Carlos Molina Vital

Pontificia Universidad Catolica del Peru
Rice University
Town of Maras, Urubamba Province. Email: cmolina@rice.edu
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. Our
emphasis)
 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
Areas of Andean Languages around 500 AD
• The Incas were an
Aymara speaking ethnic
group.
• During the government of
Tupac Yupanqui
Chinchay 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”.
 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 oclusives
absent 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 tree
PROTOQUECHUA
400 – 200 BC

WAYWASH WAMPUY
QUECHUA I 100 AD QUECHUA II

PACARAOS YUNGAY CHINCHAY

CENTRAL (Independent QUECHUA QUECHUA
branch) IIA IIB-C

NORTHEN (QIIB) SOUTHERN (QIIC)

WAYLAY ALTO PATIVILCA WANKAY CENTRAL NORTHERN
AMAZONAS
SAN MARTIN
CLASSICAL †
AYACUCHO
ALTO-MARAÑON
(ANCASH) ALTO HUALLAGA (JUNIN) (YAUYOS) (CAJAMARCA) LORETO
ECUADOR (KICHUA)
CUZCO-BOLIVIA
ARGENTINA
COLOMBIA (INGA)

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!

• 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 Å Qala
– Chupo Å chupu
– Choro Å churu
– Macana Å 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’antata
apamuchinkis.
• 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! Pakillaa!

Añay!!