A key to understanding grammatical systems lies in discovering how they change over time. An excellent opportunity for examining such developments is offered by the Quechuan languages of the Andean region of central Peru. These languages exhibit elaborate tense-aspect-modality systems, the grammatical systems speakers use to specify distinctions of time and to frame personal viewpoint. The languages are all descended from a common parent language, but their tense-aspect-modality systems differ in intriguing ways. The modern systems can be seen to be the result of sequences of changes over time, some motivated solely by forces within each language, some sparked by contact with neighboring languages. With support from the National Science Foundation, and under the direction of Dr. Marianne Mithun, Mr. Daniel Hintz will investigate patterns of semantic and structural innovation across the Quechua dialect continuum in order to reconstruct the steps that led to the modern systems. The research will employ an innovative discourse-based reconstruction methodology based on grammatical constructions in connected speech. The methodology is designed to analyze grammatical change not just in individual markers, but also in the system as a whole. Beyond the account of grammatical categories in the making (i.e., what happened), the project will demonstrate how each innovation happened in terms of mechanisms of semantic change that move grammatical markers along pathways of development.
This research will benefit the Quechua language community, as well as scholars doing research on that community. The database of connected discourse collected during the course of the project will provide a rich empirical foundation for future work on a wide variety of topics in Andean linguistics and linguistic typology. Experience shows that language documentation can result in increased esteem for native language and culture, and the validation of traditional ethnic values for future generations of Quechua people.
