Quichua, Tena Lowland

Print

Primary tabs

A language of Ecuador

ISO 639-3
quw
Alternate Names
Napo Kichwa, Quichua de Tena, Quichua del Oriente, Quijo, Quixo, Tena Kichwa, Yumbo
Autonym
Runa Shimi
User Population

20,000 (1999 SIL), decreasing. Total Quichua in Ecuador: 408,000 (Crevels 2012).

Location

Napo province; Orellana province: Loreto canton; Pastaza province: north border. Eastern jungle.

Language Maps
Language Status

6b (Threatened).

Classification
Quechuan, Peripheral Quechua, Chinchay, Northern Chinchay
Dialects

None known. Napo [qvo], Pastaza [qvz] and Tena [quw] Quichua understand each other’s spoken language, but not written texts. A member of macrolanguage Quechua [que].

Typology

SOV; 22 consonants and 3 vowels.

Language Use

Some young people, all adults. Most also use Spanish [spa] (Grzech 2016). Used as L2 by Waorani [auc].

Language Development

Children learn to read and write in standard Ecuadorian Quichua, which is referred to as ‘Quichua Unificado’, Unified Quichua. Dictionary. NT: 1972.

Language Resources
OLAC resources in and about Quichua, Tena Lowland
Writing

Latin script [Latn].

Other Comments

Notable differences in vocabulary, pronunciation, and grammar. Traditional religion, Christian.