Quechua De Huarás, En Español E Inglés: Glosario

This glossary has been prepared in order to leave a record of the Quechua spoken by the people of Huarás and surrounding areas in the mid-20th century. Huarás, capital of the Region (Department) of Ancash, Peru, has a distinct form of Quechua. That dialect was endangered due to a massive earthquake on May 31, 1970. Tens of thousands of people died, and the city was destroyed. Many of the survivors left the area. Once rebuilt, Huarás was repopulated with people new to the area who use Spanish or a different dialect to communicate. Since then, technological influences such as the Internet also reinforce the use of Spanish, to the detriment of the local Quechua.

Born in Huarás, I was raised in a bilingual environment, Spanish and Quechua. Although I left the area to attend the university, I could always feel at home upon returning, until that earthquake. Since then it seems strange to return to an unfamiliar city, due to people, language and environment. I hope this glossary will help the newer generations better understand, not only their grandparents and ancestors, but the culture from which they come. Language and culture are intimately tied, and much more than words is lost when a language dies.

The Inca Empire (Tahuantinsuyo) was invaded by Spain in 1532. At that time Quechua was spoken, never written, throughout the Inca civilization, with many dialects. Since then, the Spanish language has been imposed, but in Huarás never did it replace Quechua to the extent that it did in 1970. This glossary contains words, several verb forms, and phrases. It is written with the expectation that it may help to preserve the inherited Quechua, so that Huarás may remain bilingual. It is written for huarasinos, the people of Huarás. If others find it useful, better yet.

The glossary is in Quechua. To facilitate access to the Quechua, indices in Spanish and in English are included.

M. Mosquera

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