Is there a Central Andean Linguistic Area? A View from the Perspective of the “Minor” Languages

Abstract

In this article, I reconsider the evidence for a Central Andean linguistic area. I suggest that there is no evidence for a clear-cut linguistic area comprising the entire Central Andes narrowly defined, and that perceived homogeneity is partially due to an overemphasis on the largest and surviving Central Andean language families, Quechuan and Aymaran. I show that none of the other Central Andean languages known sufficiently well match their typological profile to a high degree. I make a contribution to a more adequate picture by discussing some typological aspects tentatively recoverable for the extinct and poorly documented languages of the North-Central Andes. These suggest that the North was the site of linguistic traits contrasting with those of Quechuan and Aymaran.