Grammatical interference in quechua of bilingual speakers from colca valley

Abstract

This article documents the mechanisms used by bilingual speakers from the Colca Valley in their daily communication, and shows from evidence typical behaviors of bilinguals in the use of Quechua that is manifested in all levels of the language, mainly in the grammatical system. The permanent and intense contact of languages between Spanish and Quechua has been causing a series of changes in the immanent and transcendent structure of both languages. This conjunction of systems is manifested in a wide range of events that range from alternating codes to transfers or interferences, understood as any linguistic feature that is introduced in a language A by the interference of a language B, and must be understood as a phenomenon that does not deteriorate the structure of the languages involved, but rather as a kind of enrichment of the linguistic system. The hypothesis of our research determines that the grammatical interference in the bilingual speakers from Colca Valley and the distinguishing characteristics of Quechua are defined by the contact with Spanish and by the variations of age, sex and level of education.