Mark'aykita mast'arispan Tawantinsuyuta wiñachirganki: Quechua
To date, Quechua has spawned no television programming, no large newspaper, and little literature. In fact, the language is held in such low esteem that many speakers refuse to admit they speak it. Only systematic bigotry could have brought a powerful language so low.
Unlike Guaraní, Quechua enjoys no official status and is not widely spoken by non-aboriginals. Government support for it varies widely from nation to nation. Sadly, though Peru is the cradle of Quechua civilisation and home to the largest community of speakers, its government remains resolutely indifferent to their fate.
Fortunately, movements in Bolivia and Ecuador have brought growing bilingual education programmes on board, and the international popularity of Andean music has helped to enhance its prestige somewhat.Enter the Internet
However, Quechua speakers' greatest ally is the Internet. Quechua sites abound in cyberspace; Quechua Network and Paul Heggarty catalogue many of them. Overview sites include Serafin M. Coronel-Molina's CyberQuechua, Barry Brian Werger's site, and Zompist's Fun facts to know and tell about Quechua. The internal links on Paul Heggarty's excellent Quechua site don't work because their \'s should be /'s, but surfers can simply change these in their browser's address bar and proceed.
Ada and Russ Gibbons offer basic lessons, WAV files, and an audio course on CD or cassette, as well as jokes, poems, and Bible passages. For its part, Red Científica Peruana has fielded a 12-lesson course.
Other resources include online French-Quechua and Quechua-French dictionaries, and a database of Quechua literature. A page on Quechua toponyms provides insight into modern South America place names and an in-depth explanation of toponyms' value to scholars. Serafin M. Coronel-Molina's site includes a list of Quechua support organisations, while Heggerty's Quechua bibliography catalogues print authorities.
The world's still turning, and talking
Here's hoping that this ancient, evocative language will find new vigour in a new world, one that neither the Inka nor the conquistadores could have imagined.
Note to World Languages readers: This is my last column for Suite 101. Writing for you has been a rare privilege. Special thanks to those who have posted in World Language discussions or written interesting and supportive e mails.
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