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[edit | edit source]
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[edit | edit source]
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[edit | edit source]
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[edit | edit source]
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[edit | edit source]
Quechua syntax is topic-prominent, and it features topic–comment structure.
Vocabulary[edit | edit source]
Quechua has a rich vocabulary, especially when it comes to the natural world. Many words in Quechua are onomatopoeic.
Writing system[edit | edit source]
The Quechua languages have been written using the Latin script since the Spanish conquest.
See also[edit | edit source]
References[edit | edit source]
External links[edit | edit source]
Quechua Resources | |
---|---|
|
Search WikiMD
Ad.Tired of being Overweight? Try W8MD's physician weight loss program.
Semaglutide (Ozempic / Wegovy and Tirzepatide (Mounjaro / Zepbound) available.
Advertise on WikiMD
WikiMD's Wellness Encyclopedia |
Let Food Be Thy Medicine Medicine Thy Food - Hippocrates |
Translate this page: - East Asian
中文,
日本,
한국어,
South Asian
हिन्दी,
தமிழ்,
తెలుగు,
Urdu,
ಕನ್ನಡ,
Southeast Asian
Indonesian,
Vietnamese,
Thai,
မြန်မာဘာသာ,
বাংলা
European
español,
Deutsch,
français,
Greek,
português do Brasil,
polski,
română,
русский,
Nederlands,
norsk,
svenska,
suomi,
Italian
Middle Eastern & African
عربى,
Turkish,
Persian,
Hebrew,
Afrikaans,
isiZulu,
Kiswahili,
Other
Bulgarian,
Hungarian,
Czech,
Swedish,
മലയാളം,
मराठी,
ਪੰਜਾਬੀ,
ગુજરાતી,
Portuguese,
Ukrainian
WikiMD is not a substitute for professional medical advice. See full disclaimer.
Credits:Most images are courtesy of Wikimedia commons, and templates Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY SA or similar.
Contributors: Prab R. Tumpati, MD