Reflect on how knowing a language’s history can help you learn the language.
I think this is very important to know, especially if the target language had a history of colonialism. In particular, Quechua existed before the Spaniards came to Latin America and since the Quechua were people as seen as barbarians, many of them were enslaved. In Quechua, there is no word for God, but rather a word that is mixed with Spanish and Quechua, Diospa. The “Dios” in the word stands for God in Spanish and the –pa at the end makes the word Quechua.
Learning the language’s history can not only help you learn more history about a country or continent, but also help you understand the current situation of a culture or nation through the effects of its history.
To what family does your language belong? What sounds, words, or structures exemplify periods of contact with other cultures?
Quechua belongs to the Quechuan languages. I included a word above that exemplifies how the Spanish conquest and their desire to impose Catholicism affected Quechua.
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