Language


Quechua

 

The Inca was a tribe in South America that was very smart and unique compared to other tribes around the globe. They were unique because of their language. The Incas had a mother tongue and it was known as the Quechua. The word, ‘Quechua’, was referred as the temperate valley. Many archaeologists have discovered that the Quechua language was a language that was spread throughout the whole west side of South America near Peru. Archaeologists also found out that the Incas were located in the Peruvian Highlands. The Quechua language was spoken in many different ways then and even now but they have the same origin.

 

 

Quechua was an extraordinary language. This was mainly because of the way it had functioned. The Incan language was mostly used in their capital city, Cuzco, which was known as the main area of the Incan tribe. Quechua was nothing compared to the English language or Spanish language. The Inca really stressed in certain parts of their conversations. Quechua consisted of three vowels phonemes. This shows that the Quechua functioned with very limited grammar. These vowels phonemes were very exact. These vowels were a, i, and u. The Quechua only used seven pronouns. These were used two times for first person plural. There are two categories, inclusive and exclusive. Inclusive consisted of when the speaker wants to use ‘we’ to the person he/she is speaking. Exclusive is used when the addresser is excluded from the sentence. The language also included some precise Spanish words that really helped them in being in touch with each other.         

Map: The Inca Empire 

 

Quechua was very distinctive language. As I mentioned before, they were very accurate in their language. The only imperfection that the Inca language had was that it did not have a written language. This would have really affected many of the Inca citizens. Quechua was under a certain procedure of only oral communication. The oral communication was mainly to maintain their culture. The community would have had trouble communicating and showing what they were talking about, but the Inca handled very wisely. They split their education into vocational and formalized education. They had also made quipus to understand better. The Inca had basically dealt with this situation and made it easier for themselves by using their skills in thinking and in making.

 

 

The Inca were a tribe that lasted for a long time, but this was not for long. This was because the Spanish Conquistador, Francisco Pizarro, had come with 180 men to conquer. At this time, the Incans outnumbered the Spanish by 250,000 men. Pizarro had started to kill many of the soldiers. Pandemonium had struck. After the Spanish had taken over, they started to implement very strict rules. Some of these rules forced the Incans to convert to Christianity and go to church. This upset and angered them. The Quechua was also affected because the Spanish had really shattered the sprit of the language. It now had to be written in Roman alphabet. The Incans were very much affected by how their language perished because of the Spanish conquest, but even now the language, Quechua, still lives on in South America!

  

Quechua was a very special language. It was fascinating because of its unique functioning. The vowels and pronouns were very precise. Although Quechua did not have a written system, it was well structured. Even after the Spanish conquest, Quechua was still operating secretly. Now, in the 21st century, it is still alive in South America. The people who speak this language are creative and very interesting. Quechua was a unique and appealing language the Inca spoke.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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