Salasaca Quichua (ISO 639-3=qxl) is a Quechuan language, specifically of the
branch referred to as Quechua A (Parker 1963), as Quechua IIB (Torero 1974), or
the northern group (Landerman 1991); but see Landerman (1991) and Adelaar (2004)
regarding doubts with respect to the classification of the different varieties.
The variety described in this paper is spoken by approximately 12,000 people in
Ecuador. The Salasaca ‘parroquia’ (Spanish usage in
Ecuador of this word is for a non-religious administrative district), in Pelileo
canton, in Tungurahua province, is divided into eighteen communities and Quichua
is spoken in all of them. This variety is similar to that of others of the
region and is included in the Stark & Muysken (1977) dictionary.
Varieties of Quechua in this area do not have the more open allophones attested
farther south (such as in Peru), and for that reason the Ecuadorian varieties
are traditionally called ‘Quichua’ rather than
‘Quechua’.