Alana DeLoge co-authored two chapters on Quechua language instruction

Alana DeLoge, teaching assistant professor in University of Pittsburgh Kenneth P. Dietrich School of Arts and Science’s Department of Linguistics, has co-authored two chapters on the instruction of Quechua, the most widely spoken Indigenous language of the Americas today.

The first book, “The Cambridge Handbook of Multilingual Education” (Cambridge University Press), covers a broad range of topics necessary to understand the concept of multilingual education and its implementation. Intended as a resource for language programs educators globally, the book presents case studies, theory and approaches relevant across local and global contexts. DeLoge worked with co-authors Carlos Molina-Vital, Marilyn Manley and Américo Mendoza-Mori to contribute a chapter on the Quechua Innovation and Teaching Initiative (QINTI), a collaborative project of language teaching, advocacy and activism which she co-directs.

The second book, “Quechua Language Instruction and Assessment Across the Americas: Challenges and Solutions” (Routledge), examines current obstacles facing Quechua language teaching and assessment within the U.S., Ecuador, Bolivia and Peru, and offers practical solutions for building higher-quality, culturally grounded classroom experiences for students and instructors. DeLoge worked with co-authors Marilyn S. Manley and Carlos Molina-Vital to contribute to a section of the book that looks at authenticity vs. standardization in Quechua learning materials.

The contributions in this volume are a response to UNESCO’s proclamation of 2022-2032 as the International Decade of Indigenous Languages. “To share our experiences and learn from other examples in these volumes are of tremendous value for all to be able to move the field forward,” said DeLoge (A&S ’07G, SPH ’12G, A&S ’21G). “Further, that Quechua has been recognized, valued and has space in these academic contexts is in itself an act of reclamation.”

Bridging her cross-disciplinary background, DeLoge’s research focuses on sociolinguistics and the vitality of Quechua as a global language. She is currently faculty in the Less-Commonly-Taught Languages Center in the Dietrich School’s Department of Linguistics. There, she has created teaching materials for six semesters of Quechua language courses, including a Quechua culture course (QUECH 1615) that is taught in English and can be used to satisfy several general education requirements. In addition, DeLoge has developed a Quechua minor; has led the Pitt in Bolivia study abroad program in Cochabamba, Bolivia; and has worked to bring numerous Fulbright Foreign Language Teaching Assistants to Pitt’s Quechua program. She is also a co-director of the Quechua Innovation and Teaching Initiative (QINTI), a collaborative project of language teaching, advocacy, and activism, housed at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.