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The influence of Quichua loan words on the spoken Spanish of Quito, Ecuador

Abstract:

This thesis discusses the lexical influence of Quichua on the Spanish of non-Quichua speaking mestizos in Ecuador's capital, Quito. Among linguistic features analyzed are: genderization in Spanish of what mestizo Spanish speakers believe to be originally Quichua words (Quichua is a language that lacks grammatical gender); cross-linguistic compounding (a tendency toward linguistic hybridity consisting of compound nouns); and a presentation of very common Quichua words and expressions used daily, some of which have been adapted to the morphology of the Spanish language, Quichuaisms' quichuismos'. The same study of Quichua loan word usage in the Spanish of Quito shows interesting trends. Women use more Quichua loan words than men and older people more than younger. Those who have spent at least ten years in Quito, and/or have completed a minimum of a high school education but no more …