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The Quechua Language in the Andes Today: Between Statistics, the State, and Daily Life

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History and Language in the Andes

Part of the book series: Studies of the Americas ((STAM))

Abstract

This chapter offers a comparative examination of the situation of the Quechua language in Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia in the present day, taking into account the historical processes that have led to the similarities and differences to be observed. It is divided into three main sections:(i) a discussion of the statistics on numbers and distribution of speakers;(ii) a review of language policy in the three States, with particular reference to issues of language related identity politics and language rights; and(iii) an illustration of the ways in which processes of language contact have impacted upon the forms of the language as used in daily life, by means of a brief case study from each country. I then close with some critical reflection on the relationship between these three levels of analysis.

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Notes

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Authors
  1. Rosaleen Howard
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Linguistics Department, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany

    Paul Heggarty (Researcher) (Researcher)

  2. Department of History and the Department of Spanish, King’s College, London, UK

    Adrian J. Pearce

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© 2011 Paul Heggarty and Adrian J. Pearce

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Howard, R. (2011). The Quechua Language in the Andes Today: Between Statistics, the State, and Daily Life. In: Heggarty, P., Pearce, A.J. (eds) History and Language in the Andes. Studies of the Americas. Palgrave Macmillan, New York. https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230370579_9

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