Chachapoyas Quechua

Quechua Chachapoyas ( Chachapuya runa shimi , Kichwa ) - a variant of Quechua , which is spoken in the south of the department of Amasonas (provinces of Chachapoyas and Luya ).

Chachapoyas Quechua arose as a result of the penetration of Kechu-speaking immigrants into the area in the era of the Inca Empire . It belongs to the Chinchai group of Quechuan languages Quechua II-B , occupying a special position due to its phonetic features. Unlike other Chinchai dialects, the original retroflex ch [ĉ] was preserved in it. A distinctive feature of this idiom is also the contraction of words. In addition, ay is replaced by a long e and aw by a long o . Verbal stress falls on the first syllable, which is considered as a result of contraction. Owing to these characteristics, the Chachapoyas Quechua occupies an intermediate position between the San Martino Quechua (Quechua II-B), which is its closest relative, and the Kahamarka-Ferrenyafe dialect (Quechua II-A).

Chachapoyas Quechua is clearly losing ground to Spanish , although in 2003 there were still 100 to 300 people who spoke only Quechua, out of 7,000 speakers of this dialect. Most of the older generation communicate on it. Only in the Conila area (Luya province), children still speak Quechua. ^[2]