Mitla Zapotec, or Didxsaj,[2] is an Oto-Manguean language of Oaxaca, Mexico.
Mitla Zapotec | |
---|---|
(San Pablo Villa de Mitla) | |
Didxsaj | |
Pronunciation | [didʒˈsaʰ] |
Native to | Mexico |
Region | Mitla Valley, Oaxaca |
Native speakers | (20,000 cited 1983)[1] |
Language family | Oto-Manguean
|
Language codes | |
ISO 639-3 | zaw |
Glottolog | mitl1236 |
Guelavia Zapotec is reported to be 75% intelligible, but the reverse is apparently not the case.[1]
Mitla Zapotec has the following consonants:[3]
/f/ is rare in native words.
Vowels contrast in phonation, with a difference between modal phonation, breathy phonation, and creaky phonation. For example
Mitla Zapotec has little noun morphology. Pluralization is indicated by a plural proclitic /re=/, as in the following example
re=guejdx
[re=ge̤dʒ]
PL=village
re=guejdx
[re=ge̤dʒ]
PL=village
'villages'
Alienably possessed nouns have a prefix ʃ- (spelled ⟨x⟩ in the popular orthography), as in the following examples (cited first in practical orthography, then in IPA).[4]
x-cojb
[ʃ-ko̤b
POSS-dough
Maria
maria]
Maria
x-cojb Maria
[ʃ-ko̤b maria]
POSS-dough Maria
'Maria's dough'
x-cu'n=reni
[ʃ-kuʔn=ɾeni]
POSS-tortilla=3pl
x-cu'n=reni
[ʃ-kuʔn=ɾeni]
POSS-tortilla=3pl
'their tortillas'
Briggs analyses Mitla Zapotec as having six aspects, each of which has an ablative ('go and V') and non-ablative variant. They are
The following example shows the aspectual inflection of three verbs in Mitla Zapotec.[5]
habitual | unreal | continuative | potential | definite future | completive | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
/ɾ-baʰnː/ | /ni-baʰnː/ | /ka-baʰnː/ | /gi-baʰnː/ | /si-baʰnː/ | /bi-baʰnː/ | ' wake up' |
/ɾ-aʰdʒ/ | /nj-aʰdʒ/ | /kaj-aʰdʒ/ | /g-adʒ/[6] | /s-aʰdʒ/ | /guʰdʒ/ | ' get wet' |
/ɾ-uʰn/ | /nj-uʰn/ | /kaj-uʰn/ | /g-uʰn/ | /s-uʰn/ | /b-eʰn/ | ' do, make' |
Person marking is shown with a set of post-verbal clitics, which are used for both subjects and objects[7]
singular | plural | ||
---|---|---|---|
1st person | =ǽ | =nú | |
2nd person | =lu | =tú | |
3rd person | ordinary | =ni | =reni |
respect | =bá | ||
male to male | =xí |
The following examples show examples of verbs with aspect and person marking
Gu-kwaʔts=ǽ=lu
POT-hide=1sg=2sg
Gu-kwaʔts=ǽ=lu
POT-hide=1sg=2sg
'I am going to hide you.'
Ba-saʔN=ǽ=tú
COMPL-leave=1sg=2pl
Ba-saʔN=ǽ=tú
COMPL-leave=1sg=2pl
'I left you (pl).'
The most basic word order is VSO. However, SVO also occurs, especially with a topicalized subject.
Zä
go
nigui=re
man=this
Zä nigui=re
go man=this
'This man went away'
Narä
I
r-hui=ä́
HAB-see=1sg
la'tu
2pl
Narä r-hui=ä́ la'tu
I HAB-see=1sg 2pl
'I see you (pl).'
R-ahp
HAB-have
byûz
child
llîbr
book
R-ahp byûz llîbr
HAB-have child book
'The child has a book'
Zapotec language(s) | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Northern |
| ||||||||
Southern |
| ||||||||
Central |
| ||||||||
Other |
Oto-Manguean languages | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Western |
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Eastern |
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
lists |
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Italics indicate extinct languages |