Language diffusion and state agency

Abstract

Abstract Research on the social history of Andean languages has traditionally de-emphasized the role of states in language spread processes. This chapter deals with the spread of the Quechuan family in Inca and colonial times. It first reconstructs the communicative functions performed by different Quechuan varieties in the Inca empire and carves out the factors that determined the formation of koine varieties and their rapid diffusion. It then shows how the colonial regime drastically intensified the centrifugal dynamics that have been exerted on Andean communities since the Inca era, making the Spanish economic sphere (cities, mines, and haciendas) the focus of a new expansion and vernacularization of Quechuan speech. Finally, it compares the historical-linguistic evolution of the northern and southern Central Andes in colonial times.

Cite this

César Itier (2024). Language diffusion and state agency. https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780198849926.003.0025

@article{csar2024language,
  title  = {Language diffusion and state agency},
  author = {Itier, César},
  year   = {2024},
  doi    = {10.1093/oso/9780198849926.003.0025}
}

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