Ecuadorian Quechua and Quechuan classification

Abstract

According to the traditional Quechuan classification which has dominated Andean historical linguistics since the 1960s, the Ecuadorian Quechua group (Andean Quichua, Amazonian Quichua, Colombian Ingano, and lower Pastaza Inga in Peru) belongs to the “Quechua II” branch, supposedly including all northern and southern Quechuas, and to the “Quechua IIB” sub-branch, said to also include the Chachapoyas-Lamas Quechua group and the “coastal” Quechua documented by Domingo de Santo Tomás in the mid-16th century. This study evaluates the traditional classification of Ecuadorian Quechua and shows that it does not meet the basic standards of subgrouping based on shared innovations. Special attention is given to the historical status of contrastive complex stops, traditionally claimed to be an Aymara-influenced innovation in Cuzco Quechua, supposedly transferred to Ecuadorian Quechua through “superstrate” influence; instead, it is demonstrated that these sounds have correspondences across the Quechuan family, confirming them as retentions that are uninformative for classification. The study goes on to individually evaluate all proposed criteria for the traditional classification of Ecuadorian Quechua, finding that none hold up as shared innovations, leading to the conclusion that Ecuadorian Quechua is an independent branch of the Quechuan family. Historical records document how this branch originated in Ecuador when Quechua was first introduced by the Incas, then was adopted by the Spanish as a colonial standard, and then became fragmented into four modern languages, all within a period of about 500–600 years.