draft manuscript - Linguistics - University of California, Berkeley
draft manuscript - Linguistics - University of California, Berkeley
draft manuscript - Linguistics - University of California, Berkeley
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...él en persona les enseñaba la lengua general del Inga con tanto empeño y aplicación,<br />
que llegó á conseguir en poco tiempo que toda la gente moza se gobernase en aquella<br />
lengua, no sólo tocante al catecismo, pero aun en el trato de unos con otros. Daba<br />
gracias al cielo de haber conseguido este señalado triunfo en un pueblo donde la lengua<br />
del Inga facilitaba la instrucción, tan dificil hasta entonces por la variedad de lenguas<br />
de tantas naciones.<br />
(ibid.: 472-473) 336<br />
The more general Jesuit reliance on Quechua is also suggested by Chantre y Herrera’s (1901:637)<br />
description <strong>of</strong> the general conduct <strong>of</strong> masses in the Maynas missions as carried out ‘en la lengua<br />
inga, ó en la particular de la nación’, and the fact that when the Jesuits introduced Western musical<br />
traditions in the missions, the songs were composed in Quechua (ibid.: 651, 654).<br />
The active promotion <strong>of</strong> Quechua by the Jesuits is also suggested by the observation by Paul<br />
Marcoy regarding a group <strong>of</strong> Kokamas that he encountered in 1847 a little upriver <strong>of</strong> São Paulo<br />
de Olivença, whom he remarked spoke Quechua ‘which had been taught their grandfathers by the<br />
missionaries’ (Marcoy 1873: vol. IV, 397) a clear reference to the Jesuits <strong>of</strong> the 18th century.<br />
And <strong>of</strong> course, the role <strong>of</strong> Quechua as a lengua general entailed that learning <strong>of</strong> this indigenous<br />
language was a priority for all Maynas Jesuits. Guillaume D’Être (b. 1669 Douai, France – d. 1745<br />
Quito), 337 for example, wrote regarding his early language learning:<br />
Llegué a esta misión en el año 1706 y mi primer cuidado fue el de aprender la lengua<br />
del Inga, que es general de todas estas naciones.<br />
(D’Être [1731]1942:31, emphasis in original) 338<br />
Despite efforts to promote Quechua as a lengua general, it does not appear that widespread<br />
bilingualism in Quechua was common in the communities in which the Jesuits were involved. Rather,<br />
as the following observation <strong>of</strong> D’Être’s suggests, a relatively small number <strong>of</strong> bilingual individuals<br />
played a key mediating role.<br />
Siendo la lengua común de los que habitan las dos riberas de este gran río, tiene, no<br />
obstante, cada pueblo su lengua particular, y solamente en cada nación se hallan algunos<br />
que entienden y hablan la lengua dominante.<br />
(D’Être [1731]1942:31) 339<br />
336 Translation(ours):<br />
...he personally taught them the lengua general <strong>of</strong> the Inga with such determination and effort that in<br />
short order he succeeded in having the common people [i.e. indigenous people] handle their affairs in<br />
that language, not only with respect to the catechism, but even in interactions between themselves.<br />
He gave thanks to heaven for this striking triumph in a settlement where the langauge <strong>of</strong> the Inga<br />
aided instruction, so difficult until then because <strong>of</strong> the variety <strong>of</strong> languages <strong>of</strong> so many peoples.<br />
337 (Jouanen 1943:730)<br />
338 Translation (ours):<br />
I arrived at this mission in the year 1706 and my first duty was to learn the Quechua language, which<br />
is widespread throughout all these nations.<br />
339 Translation (ours):<br />
Even with the language being common to those who inhabit the two banks <strong>of</strong> this great river [presum-<br />
125