Kichwa language

Kichwa (Kichwa shimi, Runashimi, also Spanish Quichua) is a Quechuan language that
includes all Quechua varieties of Ecuador and Colombia (Inga), as well as extensions into
Peru. It has an estimated 1,000,000 speakers.
The most widely spoken dialects are Chimborazo Highland and Imbabura Highland Kichwa,
with 1,000,000 to 2,000,000 speakers. Cañar Highland Quecha has 100,000–200,000
speakers; the other dialects have from 10,000 to 20,000 speakers each. Kichwa belongs to
the Northern Quechua group of Quechua II, according to linguist Alfredo Torero.
Kichwa syntax has undergone some grammatical simplification compared to Southern
Quechua, perhaps because of partial creolization with the pre-Inca languages of Ecuador.
A standardized language, with a unified orthography (Kichwa Unificado, Shukyachiska
Kichwa), has been developed. It is similar to Chimborazo but lacks some of the
phonological peculiarities of that dialect.
The earliest grammatical description of Kichwa was written in the 17th century by Jesuit
priest Hernando de Alcocer.[3]

First efforts for language standardization and bilingual

education[edit]
According to linguist Arturo Muyulema, the first steps to teach Kichwa in public schools
dates to the 1940s, when Dolores Cacuango founded several indigenous schools
in Cayambe. Later, indigenous organizations initiated self-governed schools to provide
education in Kichwa in the 1970s and 1980s (Muyulema 2011:234).
Muyulema says that the creation of literary pieces such as "Caimi Ňucanchic Shimuyu-
Panca", "Ňucanchic Llactapac Shimi," "Ňucanchic Causaimanta Yachaicuna," and "
Antisuyu-Punasuyu" provided the catalysts for the standardization of Kichwa language.
This was initiated by DINEIB (National Board of Intercultural Bilingual Education).[4]
Afterward a new alphabet was created by ALKI (Kichwan Language Academy). It
comprises 20 characters; including three vowels (a, i, u); two semi-vowels (w, y); and 15
consonants (ch, h, k, l, ll, m, n, ñ, p, r, s, sh, t, ts, z), according to Muyulema's article
"Presente y Futuro de la lengua Quichua desde la perspectiva de la experiencia vasca
(Kichwa sisariy ňan)" (Muyulema 2011:234).
Later, the bigger and much more comprehensive dictionary Kichwa Yachakukkunapa
Shimiyuk Kamu was published in 2009 by the linguist Fabián Potosí, in conjunction with
other scholars sponsored by the Ministry of Education of Ecuador.