Foreign Languages - University of Kansas

DICTIONARY INTRODUCTION
In the Andes, Kechwa did not have written form. Instead, Catholic
missionaries translated the Bible into Kechwa using the Spanish
alphabet according to ears trained by Spanish sounds and rules. As
more and more native Kechwas have achieved university degrees,
many have made efforts to reclaim our language, to make it our
own rather than ruled by conventions developed and imposed by
non-native speakers. An example is the recent assertion of Mayans
and Kechwas who have gone through the considerable trouble of
changing from Spanish, Christian names to indigenous names.
This dictionary is written for Kechwa speakers and non-Kechwa
speakers. Whoever wants to learn the language of the Inkas should
find it useful.
A native English speaker does not have to know Spanish in order
to learn Kechwa. We hope this dictionary will also be useful for
translators of academic works, for school teachers, for radio and
television producers, and for travelers who want to communicate
with the Kechwa speakers throughout the Andes. I want more
people to be exposed to Kechwa, learn it, and support its
preservation.
Ecuadorian Kechwa speakers use three vowels, a, i, and u. Some
Peruvian and Bolivian dialects have words pronounced with the
strong Spanish vowels e and o.
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