Dictionaries, Vocabularies, and Grammars of Andean Indigenous Languages

Citation

Dedenbach-Salazar Saenz S (2008) Dictionaries, Vocabularies, and Grammars of Andean Indigenous Languages. In: Pillsbury J (ed.) Guide to Documentary Sources for Andean Studies, 1530-1900: Volume 1. Norman, Oklahoma: University of Oklahoma Press (Published in Collaboration with the Center for Advanced Study in the Visual Arts, National Gallery of Art), pp. 235-264. http://www.oupress.com/bookdetail.asp?isbn=978-0-8061-3817-6

Abstract
This essay presents linguistic materials which were produced in the colonial era in the Andes in the context of Christianization to assist priests learning the indigenous languages. Considering that descriptive linguistics in general and the description of languages other than Latin and Greek in particular had only just started to develop in Europe, the missionaries’ achievement was pioneering. The dictionaries and grammars are described in the following way: a short biography of the author, a review of the editions of each work with information on its availability, its contents, its linguistic characteristics, and its potential for use in Andean studies. The languages materials presented include Quechua, Aymara, Mapuche or Araucano, Cholon, Muchic or Yunga, and Muisca.

Keywords
dictionaries (colonial Andes); grammars (colonial Andes); missionary linguistics; Andes (16th – 18th centuries); Andean indigenous languages; Indians of South America Andes Region Languages; Language and languages Religious aspects Catholic Church; Quechua language History

People

Dr Sabine Dedenbach-Salazar Saenz

Honorary Senior Lecturer, Literature and Languages - Division