Zapotecan languages

Zapotecan
Sapotekan
Geographic
distribution
Oaxaca, Mexico
Linguistic classificationOto-Manguean
  • Eastern Oto-Mangue
    • Popolocan–Zapotecan
      • Zapotecan
Subdivisions
Language codes
Glottologzapo1436

The Zapotecan languages are a group of related Oto-Manguean languages which descend from the common Proto-Zapotecan language spoken by the Zapotec people during the era of the dominance of Monte Albán.

Classification

The Zapotecan languages are usually divided into two branches; the Zapotec languages and the Chatino languages. Minor variants, including Solteco Zapotec and Papabuco, are considered by some authors to be divergent Zapotec languages. Based on analysis of the pronominal systems and other innovations, the following relationship has been proposed:[1][2]

Zapotecan

Glottochronological estimates place the time of diversification of Proto-Zapotecan to 24 centuries ago;[3] that is to say, about a millennium more than the time of diversification for Zapotec itself.

Since the 19th century, a relationship between the Zapotecan languages and the Mixtecan languages within Oto-Manguean has been recognized; these two sub-families would form an Eastern branch of Oto-Manguean.

Lexical comparison

The following table shows the pronominal subjects en Proto-Zapotec, Chatino, Papabuco, and Proto-Zapotecan:

GLOSS Proto-Zapotec Chatino Papabuco[4] Proto-Zapotecan[5][6]
1S *naʔ ʔnyãã43 ã *naʔ
2S *luʔ(i)
*nuʔ
ʔĩĩ21 ru *luʔ
*nuʔ
3S.HUM *pi
3S.AN *ma(ni)
3S.IN *ni
1P.IN *na ʔnyãã23 na *
1P.EX *tyiʔu
*ya
ʔwa43 *
2P *wa ʔwã32 *
3P

The numerals have the following tentative reconstruction:

one two three four five six seven eight nine ten
Proto-Zapotec *tobi *tjop- *tson- *tap- *gayoʔ *šopa *ga'tsi *šonoʔ *gaʔ *tsi
Highland Chatino[7] ska23 tukwa32 snã32 hakwa23 ki'yu32 skwa32 kati21 snũ23 kaa2 tii2
Proto-Zapotecan *tukw- *tsna- *takw- *kayuʔ *skwa *ka'ti *snu *kaʔ *tii

Referencess

Notes

  1. ^ Operstein 2003, p. 16.
  2. ^ Campbell & Cruz 2010, p. 3.
  3. ^ "Languages of the World". Encyclopædia Britannica (15 ed.).
  4. ^ Pride & Pride 1997, p. 110-113.
  5. ^ Rendón 1971.
  6. ^ Operstein 2003.
  7. ^ Pride & Pride 1997, p. 155.

Citations

  • Campbell, Eric; Cruz, Emiliana (2010). "El sistema numérico del proto-chatino". Las memorias del Congreso de Idiomas Indígenas de Latinoamérica-IV (in Spanish).
  • Operstein, Natalie (2003). "Personal pronouns in Zapotec and Zapotecan". International Journal of American Linguistics. 69 (2). The University of Chicago Press: 154–185. doi:10.1086/379683.
  • Pride, Leslie; Pride, Kitty (1997). "Chatino en la zona alta". In COLMEX (ed.). Archivo de lenguas indígenas de México (in Spanish). ISBN 968-12-0701-7.
  • Rendón, Juan José (1971). "Relaciones externas del llamado idioma papabuco". Anales de Antropología (in Spanish). 8: 213–231.
  • Lenguas Zapotecas

Further reading