Salasaca Quichua (ISO 639-3=qxl) is a Quechuan language, specifically of thebranch referred to as Quechua A (Parker 1963), as Quechua IIB (Torero 1974), orthe 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 inEcuador. The Salasaca ‘parroquia’ (Spanish usage inEcuador of this word is for a non-religious administrative district), in Pelileocanton, in Tungurahua province, is divided into eighteen communities and Quichuais spoken in all of them. This variety is similar to that of others of theregion and is included in the Stark & Muysken (1977) dictionary.Varieties of Quechua in this area do not have the more open allophones attestedfarther south (such as in Peru), and for that reason the Ecuadorian varietiesare traditionally called ‘Quichua’ rather than‘Quechua’.
