Friends All Over
Did you hear about Luis Soto? He is a Peruvian sports announcer that’s broadcasts to native speakers of Quechua. According to the New York Times June 21st article: Quechua is an oral tradition that is written in Spanish transliteration and varies in different parts of the country and the continent. Soto, like most Quechua speakers, learned the language at home, not in a formal school setting. His soccer dictionary reflects only his experience and regional interpretation. Language experts from other parts of Peru, for example, say the words “ruyruku” and “haytana” have also been used to refer to a soccer ball. Soto has compiled a “soccer dictionary” of about 500 words since there are no words for the game of soccer. Instead of the typical metaphors and current day phrases used to describe plays, Soto uses terminology appropriate for his listening crowd. The article goes on : Soto captures the action on the field with references closer to his home in Cusco, Peru. When a...