# Cuzco Quechua language

Cuzco Quechua (Quechua: Qusqu qhichwa simi) is a dialect of Southern Quechua spoken in Cuzco and the Cuzco Region of Peru.
It is the Quechua variety used by the Academia Mayor de la Lengua Quechua in Cuzco, which also prefers the Spanish-based five-vowel alphabet. On the other hand, the official alphabet used by the ministry of education has only three vowels.

## Phonology

There is debate about whether Cuzco Quechua has five /a, e, i, o, u/ or three vowel phonemes: /a, ɪ, ʊ/. While historically Proto-Quechua clearly had just three vowel phonemes /*a, *ɪ, *ʊ/, and although some other Quechua varieties have an increased number of vowels as a result of phonological vowel length emergence or of monophthongization, the current debate about the Cuzco variety seems to be not phonological in matter but just orthographic.
| Phoneme | IPA Phonetic realizations | 3-vowel alphabet | 5-vowel alphabet |
| /a/ | [æ, a, ɑ] | a | a |
| /ɪ/ | [i, ɪ, e, ɛ] | i | i [i, ɪ], e [e, ɛ] |
| /ʊ/ | [u, ʊ, o, ɔ] | u | u [u, ʊ], o [o, ɔ] |
Consonants :
| | | Bilabial | Alveolar | Palatal | Velar | Uvular | Glottal |
| Stop | plain | p | t | t͡ʃ | k | q | |
| Stop | aspirated | pʰ | tʰ | t͡ʃʰ | kʰ | qʰ | |
| Stop | ejective | pʼ | tʼ | t͡ʃʼ | kʼ | qʼ | |
| Fricative | Fricative | | s | ʃ | x | χ | h |
| Nasal | Nasal | m | n | ɲ | | | |
| Approximant | plain | | | j | w | | |
| Approximant | lateral | | l | ʎ | | | |
| Flap | Flap | | ɾ | | | | |

## Grammar
### Pronouns

| | Cuzco Quechua | Northern Quechua | Ancash Quechua | English |
| 1º | noqa/ñoqa | ñuka | nuqa | I |
| 2º | qan | kan | qam | you |
| 3º | pay | pay | pay | he, she, it |
| 4º | noqanchis/ñoqanchis | ñukanchik (ñukapash kanpash) | nuqantsik | we (inclusive) |
| 5º | noqayku/ñoqayku | ñukanchik (shinapash mana kan/kikin) | nuqakuna | we (exclusive) |
| 6º | qankuna | qamkuna | qamkuna | you (plural) |
| 7º | paykuna | paykuna | paykuna | they |

### Nouns

Examples using the word wasi 'house' :
| Function | Function | Suffix | Example | Translation |
| Suffix indicating number | Plural | -kuna | wasikuna | houses |
| Possessive suffix | 1st person singular | -y | wasiy | my house |
| Possessive suffix | 2nd person singular | -yki | wasiyki | your house |
| Possessive suffix | 3rd person singular | -n | wasin | his/her/its house |
| Possessive suffix | 1st person plural (incl.) | -nchis | wasinchis | our house (incl.) |
| Possessive suffix | 1st person plural (excl.) | -y-ku | wasiyku | our house (excl.) |
| Possessive suffix | 2nd person plural | -yki-chis | wasiykichis | your (pl.) house |
| Possessive suffix | 3rd person plural | -n-ku | wasinku | their house |
| Suffixes indicating case | nominative | – | wasi | the house (subj.) |
| Suffixes indicating case | accusative | -(k)ta | wasita | the house (obj.) |
| Suffixes indicating case | instrumental | -wan | wasiwan | with the house, and the house |
| Suffixes indicating case | abessive | -naq | wasinaq | without the house |
| Suffixes indicating case | dative | -paq | wasipaq | to the house |
| Suffixes indicating case | genitive | -q/-pa | wasiq | of the house |
| Suffixes indicating case | causative | -rayku | wasirayku | because of the house |
| Suffixes indicating case | benefactive | -paq | wasipaq | for the house |
| Suffixes indicating case | locative | -pi | wasipi | at the house |
| Suffixes indicating case | directional | -man | wasiman | towards the house |
| Suffixes indicating case | inclusive | -piwan, puwan | wasipiwan, wasipuwan | including the house |
| Suffixes indicating case | terminative | -kama, -yaq | wasikama, wasiyaq | up to the house |
| Suffixes indicating case | transitive | -(rin)ta | wasinta | through the house |
| Suffixes indicating case | ablative | -manta, -piqta | wasimanta, wasipiqta | off/from the house |
| Suffixes indicating case | comitative | -(ni)ntin | wasintin | along with the house |
| Suffixes indicating case | immediate | -raq | wasiraq | first the house |
| Suffixes indicating case | intrative | -pura | wasipura | among the houses |
| Suffixes indicating case | exclusive | -lla(n) | wasilla(n) | only the house |
| Suffixes indicating case | comparative | -naw, -hina | wasinaw, wasihina | like the house |