public_comment: "The question of how to distinguish between entities that are dialects of a single language vs. those that are separate languages is particularly serious in the case of Quechuan languages and dialects, and much work remains to be done. Though it is well-known and very clear that there are a number of distinct languages in the Quechuan complex, some very distinct, the tendency to consider them all merely dialects of “Quechua” persists in many circles. (Cerrón-Palomino 1987). Cerrón-Palomino (1987) classifies Aprurí as one of 5 Quechua "languages" in the Central subbranch of the Yungay (Quechua IIA) branch of Peripheral Quechua (Huampuy/Quechua II).
Ethnologue (2016) considers Apurí a dialect of Yauyos Quechua [qux], whose dialects it gives as: Apurí, Azángaro-Huangáscar-Chocos (Huangáscar), Cacra-Hongos, Huancaya-Vitis, Laraos, Madean-Viñac (Madeán), San Pedro de Huacarpana, Tana-Lincha (Lincha), Tomás-Alis (Alis). It says of Yauyos Quechua [qux]: "Not 1 language -- a cover term for a highly differentiated linguistic area with many 1-village varieties. A member of macrolanguage Quechua [que]." It gives as Yauyos Quechua's location as: Lima Region, Yauyos province; Ica Region, north Chincha province; Huancavelica Region, northeast Castrovirreyna province.
",
public_comment: "Ethnologue lists Apurí among 9 varieties of "Yauyos Quechua", whose total number of speakers is given as 6,500. This gives an average of about 720 speakers per variety.",