IgrewupinCanadaandintheUnitedStates.Iwasalwaysinterestedinlanguages.IntheplaceswhereIlived,manylanguagesarespokenallthetime.Ilovelanguages,soIbecamea linguisticanthropologist.That’sapersonwhostudieslanguages.I’minterestedinhowlanguagesareusedandhowthey change.

WhenIwasincollege,Ihadanidea.Wouldn’titbeinterestingtodiscoveranewlanguage?Iknow.Itsoundscrazy.Yet,it’s possible.

Languagesdon’tstaythesame.Overtime,theychange.Sometimesanewversioniscreatedthatisnotlikeanyotherspokenlanguage.Tofindit,youmustbeattherightplaceattherighttime.IdecidedtolookinPeru,inSouthAmerica.InthePunoregionofPeru,peoplespeaktwo indigenouslanguages.That’salanguagethatisnativetoaplace.Puno’slanguagesareQuechuaand Aymara.

Learn a little Quechua or Aymara.Try these useful words and phrases:

Quechua:

Imanaylla kashanki?

(i-ma-naa-ya ka-shan-kee)

Aymara:

Kamisaraki

(ka-mee-sa-ra-kee)

English:

Howare you?

PunooverlooksLakeTiticaca,thelargestlakeinthe Andes.

LivingtheHighLife

Iwonderedif,overtime,QuechuaandAymaramighthavecombinedintosomethingnew.Totestmyidea,Ipackedmynotebooks,myaudiorecorder,anda microphone.

Ittookmeawhiletoadjusttomynewsurroundings.ThecommunitiesinPunoarewayabovesealevel.It’ssohighyoucanfeeltheeffectsonyourbody.Atfirst,Icouldfeelmyselfbreathingfasterandfeelingdizzy.Later,Ifeltsickandhada headache.

coca tea

Aymara:

Walikiwa

(wa-li-kee-wa)

Quechua:

Allinmi

(al-yeen-mee)

English:

Iam good.

Ihadaltitudesickness!So,Idrankalocalteamadefromcocaleaves.Soon,Ifeltbetter.Beinghighintheskyalsomeanslessozoneintheair.Lessozonemeanslessprotectionfromthesun’sultravioletrays.Here,peoplenevergooutwithouttheirsun hats.

Mountainsloomoverthis market.

07/06/2024 07:26:55