Classification
Kichwa belongs to the Northern Quechua group of Quechua II, according to linguistHistory
The earliest grammatical description of Kichwa was written in the 17th century byFirst efforts for language standardization and bilingual education
A standardized language, with a unified orthography (, ), has been developed. It is similar to Chimborazo but lacks some of the phonological peculiarities of that dialect. According to linguist Arturo Muyulema, the first steps to teach Kichwa in public schools dates to the 1940s, when Dolores Cacuango founded several indigenous schools in Cayambe. Later, indigenous organizations initiated self-governed schools to provide education in Kichwa in the 1970s and 1980s (Muyulema 2011:234). Muyulema says that the creation of literary works such as ''Caimi Ñucanchic Shimuyu-Panca'', ''Ñucanchic Llactapac Shimi'', ''Ñucanchic Causaimanta Yachaicuna'', and ''Antisuyu-Punasuyu'' provided the catalysts for the standardization of Kichwa. This was initiated by DINEIB (National Board of Intercultural Bilingual Education). Afterward a new alphabet was created by ALKI (Kichwan Language Academy). It comprises 21 characters; including three vowels (a, i, u); two semi-vowels (w, y); and 16 consonants (ch, h, k, l, ll, m, n, ñ, p, r, s, sh, t, ts, z, zh), according to Muyulema's article "Presente y Futuro de la lengua Quichua desde la perspectiva de la experiencia vasca (Kichwa sisariy ñan)" (Muyulema 2011:234). Later, the bigger and much more comprehensive dictionary ''Kichwa Yachakukkunapa Shimiyuk Kamu'' was published in 2009 by the linguist Fabián Potosí, together with other scholars sponsored by the Ministry of Education of Ecuador.Dialects
The most widely spoken dialects are Chimborazo, Imbabura and Cañar Highland Quechua, with most of the speakers. The missionary organization FEDEPI (2006) lists eight dialects of Quechua in Ecuador, which it illustrates with "The men will come in two days." ''Ethnologue'' 16 (2009) lists nine, distinguishing Cañar from Loja Highland Quechua. Below are the comparisons, along with Standard (Ecuadorian) Kichwa and Standard (Southern) Quechua:Phonology
Consonants
In contrast to other regional varieties of Quechua, Kichwa does not distinguish between the original (Proto-Quechuan) and , which are both pronounced . and , theVowels
* can become lax as in free variation. * In the Chimborazo dialect, is heard as a central , and can also be heard as a back in lax form.Grammar
Kichwa in both Ecuador and Colombia has lost possessive and bidirectional suffixes (verbal suffixes indicating both subject and object), as well as the distinction between the exclusive and inclusive first person plural: *Instead of ''yayayku / taytayku'' ("Our Father", the Lord's Prayer) Kichwa people say ''ñukanchik yaya / ñukanchik tayta.'' *In Kichwa, you do not say ''suyayki'' ("I wait for you"), but ''kanta shuyani.''Syntax
Kichwa syntax has undergone some grammatical simplification compared toVocabulary
As in all Quechuan languages, the words for 'brother' and 'sister' differ depending on to whom they refer. There are four different words for siblings: ''ñaña'' (sister of a woman), ''turi'' (brother of a woman), ''pani'' (sister of a man), and ''wawki'' (brother of a man). A woman reading "Ñuka wawki Pedromi kan" would read aloud ''Ñuka turi Pedromi kan'' (if she referred to her brother). If Pedro has a brother Manuel and the sisters Sisa and Elena, their mother could refer to Pedro as ''Manuelpak wawki'' or ''Sisapaj turi'', and to Sisa as ''Manuelpak pani'' or as ''Elenapak ñaña''.Media
Music
A band from Ecuador, "Los Nin", which raps in Kichwa and Spanish, has toured internationally. The band hails from the town of Otavalo, which is known for its traditional music. The Ecuadorian band "Yarina", which sings in Kichwa and Spanish, won Best World Music Recording with their album "Nawi" in the 2005 Native American Music Awards. In the Ecuadorian diaspora, the radio station Kichwa Hatari works to revive use of the Kichwa language, music, and culture in the United States.References
Bibliography
* Ciucci, Luca & Pieter C. Muysken 2011. ''Hernando de Alcocer y la Breve declaración del Arte de la lengua del Ynga. El más antiguo manuscrito de quichua de Ecuador.'' Indiana 28: 359–393. * Conejo Muyulema, Arturo. “Presente y futuro de la lengua quichua desde la perspectiva de la experiencia vasca (Kichwa sisariy ñan)” Voces E Imagenes De Las Lenguas En Peligro. Ed. Marleen Haboud and Nicholas Ostler. 1st ed. Abya-Yala, 2014. 234-5.Further reading
* *External links
* https://quechuarealwords.byu.edu/ Quechua Real Words is a video dictionary of Amazonian Kichwa ideophones (performative, imitative utterances) constructed by Professor Janis Nuckolls of BYU.