quechua the language of the incas the inca empire contained different tribes who spoke different...
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QuechuaThe language of the Incas
The Inca empire contained different tribes who spoke
different languages, but the most widely spoken was Quechua, which became the official language of the
Incas. It is still spoken today by over 8 million people. In Peru, about 1/3 of the people speak
Quechua.
QuechuaThe language of the Incas
Since the Spanish took over in the Inca territories, the main language of most of this territory is español, but the Spanish language in these areas, especially in Peru has adopted
hundreds of Quechua words.
Even some English words actually came from Quechua words.
For example, the Incas ate a lot of papas.
That’s the origin of the Spanish word
for
patata
And of the English wordfor
potato
Another Quechua word that came into the English language
is also a type of comida. Kinwa is a
very healthy grain that is used in many
cereals today. Do you know what is is called
in English?
It’s called
quinoaHas anyone ever heard of it?
Los Inca had a word
in Quechua, ch’arki meaning dried.
This is the origin of an English word meaning dried meat. Can
anyone guess the word?
It’s JERKY!!Anyone care for some beef
Jerky??
There is yet another comida word that comes the Inca language…
rimay
Hint: It is a type of bean and it is also the name of the capital city of Peru.
Can anyone guess?
Did you guess…
lima (bean)?
Another word you may know that comes from Quechua is pampa which meant flat.
Now we use pampas in Spanish and English to describe the flatlands in
Argentina.
Los incas used the word wakcha for a poor person. That is the origin of the Spanish and English word gaucho. Has anyone
heard this word?
There are a lot of animal words that come from Quechua.
Los incas used this animal to carry heavy loads.
Hint: it is written the same in Quechua, español and English, but pronounced differently.
You should know we are talking
about ….
LLAMA
Two animals that are similar to the llama, the incas used for
their wool. They are also Quechua words that became English
ones.
Los incas called the first one….
wik’uña
That’s the origin of
the Spanish and English words
vicuña
The second, the Incas called
allpaka
That’s the origin for the Spanish and
English words
alpaca
The name of a type of big gato also comes from Quechua.
Hint: It is not a lion, tiger,
cheetah, jaguar or leopard
It is a …
puma
There is yet another animal word that we got from Quechua.
It is a big flying animal that the Inca called
kuntur.
That’s the origin of the Spanish word
for
cóndor
And of the English wordfor
condor
Preguntas de discusión
• Can you remember some of the Quechua (Inca language) words that became Spanish or English words?
• Why do you think these Quechua words survived and others did not?
Melissa Eve WarhaftigÁngel Lozada
King Juan Carlos I of Spain CenterNew York University
2002
Developed with support from the Coca-Cola Foundationand an anonymous foundation.