Imbabura Kichwa phonology

Imbabura Kichwa (IK) is one of the most important indigenous languages of Ecuador. IK is the northermost Ecuadorean Kichwa variety. Although it has a very good number of speakers (around 150,000), IK is one of the less studied languages in linguistic terms. Ecuadorean Kichwa, and specifically Ecuadorean Highland Kichwa show that there is very little morphological variation within its sub-varieties. However, there are visible differences at the phonological level. Imbabura Kichwa shows this variation to be more prominent than in other varieties. These differences among Ecuadorean Kichwa sub-varieties haven’t been studied thoroughly. In this report, I will explain the phonological structure of Imbabura Kichwa. The main goal is to analyze and understand how the sounds are distributed throughout the language. To do so, I will describe the syllable structure and stress pattern of the language in addition to the phonemic realizations of IK. Allophonic variations and the rules explaining the environments in which they occur will also be covered. Knowing the phonological structure of this language is crucial for future studies on morphology, syntax and semantics.