Language Snapshots

Northern Pastaza Kichwa (Ecuador and Peru) – Language Snapshot

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Abstract

Northern Pastaza Kichwa is a Quechuan language spoken in the Pastaza province of Ecuador and the Loreto department of Peru. Speakers belong to multiple ethnic groups and live in cities as well as rural and remote rainforest communities. The presence of a Quechuan language in the north-western Amazon has incited much debate about the ethno-linguistic history of the area; however, more documentary and descriptive work of the language is needed to better understand its past. Description of the language thorough in certain topics but not detailed enough in others. While there are thousands of speakers, Northern Pastaza Kichwa is at great risk of becoming critically endangered in a short time due to a lack of intergenerational transmission.

Keywords: Northern Pastaza Kichwa, Quechuan language, Pastaza province, Ecuador, Loreto department of Peru, Bobonaza Quichua, Canelos Quichua, Pastaza Quichua

How to Cite:

Rice, A., (2020) “Northern Pastaza Kichwa (Ecuador and Peru) – Language Snapshot”, Language Documentation and Description 19, 181-196. doi: https://doi.org/10.25894/ldd78