Cajamarca–Cañaris Quechua

Cajamarca–Cañaris Quechua (locally called Kichwa or Runashimi, like other Quechua varieties) is a branch of Quechua spoken in northern Peru, consisting primarily of Cajamarca Quechua (Kashamarka, also known as Linwa), and Lambayeque Quechua (also known as Ferreñafe, Inkawasi-Kañaris Quechua), spoken in the Cajamarca and Lambayeque regions near the towns of Cajamarca and Cañaris. Cajamarca and Lambayeque Quechua share 94% lexical similarity^[1] and are mutually intelligible. Adelaar (2004) includes the dialect of Lincha District, far to the south on the border of the Lima and Huancavelica regions.

Cajamarca–Cañaris Quechua
Cajamarca–Lambayeque Quechua
Kichwa, Runashimi
Native to	Peru
Native speakers	(50,000 cited 1998–2003)[1] plus a few hundred to few thousand Lincha
Language family	Quechua Quechua II? Northern Peruvian Cajamarca–Cañaris Quechua
Dialects	Ferreñafe (Cañaris) Cajamarca Lincha
Language codes
ISO 639-3	Variously: qvc – Cajamarca Quechua quf – Lambayeque Quechua qux – (partial) Lincha Quechua
Glottolog	caja1238  Cajamarca lamb1276  Lambayeque tana1291  Tana-Lincha
ELP	Lincha Quechua

Cajamarca–Cañaris Quechua is divergent from other varieties; although traditionally classified as a member of Quechua II-A,^[2] some (Adelaar) believe it to be a primary branch of Quechua II, and others (Landerman, Taylor, Heggarty) analyze it as not straightforwardly classifiable within the traditional QI vs. QII schema at all, and thus potentially a primary branch of its own. Félix Quesada published the first grammar and dictionary in 1976.

According to the UNESCO World Atlas of Languages in Danger, Cajamarca Quechua is severely endangered.^[3]