Lowland Peruvian Quechua, or Chachapoyas–Lamas Quechua, are

Quechuan languages Quechua (, ; ), usually called ("people's language") in Quechuan languages, is an indigenous language family spoken by the Quechua peoples, primarily living in the Peruvian Andes. Derived from a common ancestral language, it is the most widely ...

spoken in the lowlands of northern

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal , national_motto = "Fi ...

. The two principal varieties are: *

Lamas Quechua Lamas or San Martín Quechua (''Lamista, Llakwash Runashimi'') is a variety of Quechua languages, Quechua spoken in the provinces of Lamas Province, Lamas in the Peruvian region of San Martin Region, San Martin and in some villages on the river H ...

, or San Martín Quechua (''Lamista, Llakwash Runashimi''), spoken in

Lamas Province The Lamas Province is one of ten provinces of the San Martín Region in northern Peru. Political division The province is divided into eleven districts, which are: *Lamas *Alonso de Alvarado Alonso de Alvarado Montaya González de Cevallos ...

of San Martín Region, as well as in some villages on the

Huallaga River The Huallaga River is a tributary of the Marañón River, part of the Amazon Basin. Old names for this river include ''Guallaga'' and ''Rio de los Motilones''. The Huallaga is born on the slopes of the Andes in central Peru and joins the Marañón ...

in the

Ucayali Region Ucayali () is an inland department and region of Peru. Located in the Amazon rainforest, its name is derived from the Ucayali River. Its capital is the city of Pucallpa. It is the second largest department in Peru, after Loreto. Geography ...

by some 15,000 people *

Chachapoyas Quechua Chachapoyas or Amazonas Quechua is a variety of Quechua spoken in the provinces of Chachapoyas and Luya in the Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol ...

or Amazonas Quechua, spoken in

Chachapoyas Province Chachapoyas is a province of the Amazonas Region, Peru. The province of Chachapoyas was a part of the department of Trujillo (according to the supreme decree of February 12, 1821) being its capital the city of Chachapoyas. After the departme ...

and

Luya Province Luya is located in the south and west part of the department of Amazonas in Peru. Its territory, which partly is ceja de selva, is crossed by branches of the Cordillera Central (namely the Cordillera Blanca) and the Oriental of the Andes, bei ...

in the

Amazonas Region Amazonas () is a department and region in northern Peru bordered by Ecuador on the north and west, Cajamarca on the west, La Libertad on the south, and Loreto and San Martín on the east. Its capital is the city of Chachapoyas. With a lands ...

by some 7000 people Few children are learning Chachapoyas Quechua. Conila is said to be the last village where children are able to speak it. Lowland Peruvian Quechua is similar in pronunciation to some of the Ecuadorian

Kichwa language Kichwa (, , also Spanish ) is a Quechuan language that includes all Quechua varieties of Ecuador and Colombia (''Inga''), as well as extensions into Peru. It has an estimated half million speakers. The most widely spoken dialects are Chimborazo ...

varieties. It is much more conservative, however, in its morphology. For example, it has retained the inclusive/exclusive distinction for "we", which has been lost in all of the Ecuadorian Quechuan languages.

References

Bibliography

* Gerald Taylor, 2006. ''Diccionario Quechua Chachapoyas-Lamas (– Castellano)'' * Marinerell Park, Nancy Weber, Víctor Cenepo S. 1975. ''Diccionario Quechua de San Martín – Castellano y vice versa''. Ministerio de educación del Perú Languages of Peru Quechuan languages {{na-lang-stub