Investigating and preserving Quechua

MIT students studied the Indigenous language during a new Independent Activities Period course to gain exposure and understand the language's cultural and practical value. Soledad Chango, a native of Ecuador and a graduate student in MIT's Indigenous Language Initiative , began preparations for her Quechua course with a clear idea about its purpose. "Our language matters," she says. "It's worth studying and spreading." Quechua at MIT , a new two-week introductory class hosted by MIT Global Languages during the Institute's Independent Activities Period in January, introduced students to the basics of Kichwa, a Quechua variant that is the most widely spoken language in the Americas. The class, which featured an interactive approach, focused on oral and written skills, emphasizing tasks based on familiar contexts. "I prepared conversations that reflect cultural values," Chango emphasizes. Chango, a scholar of language acquisition, credited her advisor, MIT Linguistics professor Norvin Richards, and postdoc Cora Lesure with helping shape the course.