Kichwa language

Kichwa is a Quechuan language that includes all Quechua varieties of Ecuador and Colombia, as well as extensions into Peru. It has an estimated half million speakers.

Classification

Kichwa, along with Lamas and Chachapoyas, make up the Northern Quechua group of Quechua II, according to linguist Alfredo Torero.

History

The earliest grammatical description of Kichwa was written in the 17th century by Jesuit priest Hernando de Alcocer.

First 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 Conejo 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 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.
Afterward a new alphabet was created by ALKI. It comprises 21 characters; including three vowels ; two semi-vowels ; and 16 consonants.
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 lists eight dialects of Quechua in Ecuador, which it illustrates with "The men will come in two days." Ethnologue 16 lists nine, distinguishing Cañar from Loja Highland Quechua. Below are the comparisons, along with Standard Kichwa and Standard Quechua:

Dialect	ISO code	Speakers per SIL	Orthography + Pronunciation
Imbabura		300,000
Calderón		25,000
Salasaca		15,000
Chimborazo		1,000,000
Cañar–Loja		qxr: 100,000 qxl: 15,000
Tena Lowland		5,000
Napo Lowland		4,000 Ecu. & 8,000 Peru
Northern Pastaza		4,000 Ecu. & 2,000 Peru
Standard Kichwa			Chay karikunaka ishkay punllallapimi shamunka.
Southern Quechua

Phonology

Consonants

In contrast to other regional varieties of Quechua, Kichwa does not distinguish between the original and, which are both pronounced. and, the allophones of the vowels and near, do not exist. Kiru can mean both "tooth" and "wood", and killa can mean both "moon" and "lazy".

only occurs rarely phonemically, and is mostly an allophone of.
Affricate sounds, are often voiced after nasal sounds as.
is often heard as before a front vowel.
Sounds, are heard in free variation as fricatives. A combination can be heard as.
is heard as before a velar consonant.
can be heard as fricatives before a voiceless obstruent, and before a voiced obstruent.
Vowels
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, as well as the distinction between the exclusive and inclusive first person plural:

Instead of yayayku / taytayku Kichwa people say ñukanchik yaya / ñukanchik tayta.
In Kichwa, you do not say suyayki, but ''kanta shuyani.''
Syntax

Kichwa syntax has undergone some grammatical simplification compared to Southern Quechua, perhaps because of partial creolization with the pre-Inca languages of Ecuador.

Vocabulary

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, turi, pani, and wawki. A woman reading "Ñuka wawki Pedromi kan" would read aloud Ñuka turi Pedromi kan. 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.