The Quechuan languages are a family of related languages in South America. Current distribution of Human Language Families Most languages are known to belong to language families. ... South America South America is a continent crossed by the equator, with most of its area in the Southern Hemisphere. ...

It has between two and 46 members, depending on how one counts languages and dialects. All of them can be called varieties of Quechua; the best-known variety is the dialect of Cuzco, an early variety of which was the official language of the Inca empire. Quechua (Standard Quechua, Runasimi Language of People) is an Native American language of South America. ... Cusco is a dialect of the Quechua language. ... A view of Machu Picchu, the Lost City of the Incas, now an archaeological site. ...

Quechuan languages, especially that of the south, share a large amount of vocabulary with Aymara, and the languages have often been grouped together as Quechumaran. This proposal is controversial, however; the shared vocabulary may be better explained as intensive borrowing due to long-term contact. The Aymara are a native ethnic group in the Andes region of South America; about 2. ...

Subdivisions

This macrolanguage is subdivided as follows:

• Quechua I or Quechua B or Central Quechua or Waywash, spoken in Peru's central highlands and coast.
  • The most widely spoken varieties are Huaylas Ancash, Huaylla Wanca, Northern Conchucos Ancash, and Southern Conchucos Ancash.
• Quechua II or Quechua A or Peripheral Quechua or Wanp'una, divided into
  • Yunkay Quechua or Quechua II A, spoken in the northern mountains of Peru; the most widely spoken dialect is Cajamarca.
  • Northern Quechua or Quechua II B, spoken in Ecuador, northern Peru, and Colombia
    • The most widely spoken varieties are Chimborazo Highland Quichua and Imbabura Highland Quichua.
  • Southern Quechua or Quechua II C, spoken in Bolivia, southern Peru, Chile, and Argentina.
    • The most widely spoken varieties are South Bolivian, Cuzco, Ayacucho, and Puno.

The most diverse dialects are found in the Quechua I area, which is therefore believed to be the homeland of the language family - not, as was once assumed, the Cuzco area. However, the Incas spread Quechua far beyond their homeland.

Samples

A sampling of words in several Quechuan dialects:

External link

• Ethnologue classification for Quechuan