Isthmus Nahuatl
Isthmus Nahuatl (Isthmus Nahuat; native name: mela'tájto̲l) is a Nahuatl dialect cluster spoken by about 30,000 people in Veracruz, Mexico. According to Ethnologue 16, the Cosoleacaque dialect is 84% intelligible with Pajapan, and 83% intelligible with Mecayapan.
| Isthmus Nahuatl | |
|---|---|
| mela'tájto̲l | |
| Native to | Mexico |
| Region | Veracruz, Tabasco |
Native speakers | (30,000 cited 1990–1994)[1] |
Uto-Aztecan
| |
| Latin | |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | Variously:nhk – Cosoleacaquenhx – Mecayapannhp – Pajapan |
| Glottolog | isth1245 |
Phonology
The following description is that of Mecayapan dialect.
Writing system
| A a | B b | C c | Ch ch | D d | E e | F f | G g | H h | I i | J j | K k | L l | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| /a/ | /b/ | /k/ | /tʃ/ | /d/ | /e/ | /ɡ/ | /i j/ | /h/ | /k/ | /l/ | |||
| M m | N n | O o | P p | Q q | R r | S s | T t | U u | V v | X x | Y y | Z z | ' |
| /m/ | /n/ | /o/ | /p/ | /k/ | /r/ | /s/ | /t/ | /w/ | /ʃ/ | /j/ | /ʔ/ |
H is used at the beginnings of words before u, and has no value of its own. C is used to represent /k/ before the vowels a and o, while qu is used before i and e.
An underline (a̲, e̲, i̱, o̲) is used to mark long vowels.
Stress on the second-last syllable of a word that does not end in l or r, and stress on the last syllable of a word that does end in l or r, is unmarked. All other stress patterns are marked with an acute accent on the stressed vowel (á, é, í, ó).
The letters f, k, v and z occur only in loanwords.
Grammar
This variety of Nahuatl has developed a distinction between inclusive and exclusive "we", which Classical Nahuatl and other modern forms of Nahuatl lack. The exclusive form is regularly derived from the first person singular ("I"), while the inclusive continues the suppletive first person plural of Classical Nahuatl.
| Classical | Isthmus-Mecayapan | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st person singular | niquīsa "I leave" | niqui̱sa "I leave" | 1st person singular |
| niqui̱saj "We (not you) leave" | 1st person plural exclusive | ||
| 1st person plural | tiquīsaj "We leave" | tiqui̱saj "We (including you) leave" | 1st person plural inclusive |
References
- Cosoleacaque at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015)
Mecayapan at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015)
Pajapan at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015)
Bibliography
- Wolgemuth, et al. 2000. Diccionario Náhuatl de los municipios Mecayapan y Tatahuicapan de Juárez, Veracruz.
- Wolgemuth, Carl. 2002. Gramática Náhuatl (melaʼtájto̱l) de los municipios de Mecayapan y tatahuicapan de Juárez, Veracruz (Segunda edición).
- Wolgemuth, Carl. 2007. Nahuatl grammar of the townships of Mecayapan and Tatahuicapan de Juárez, Veracruz. SIL International.
- García de León, Antonio (1976). Pajapan, un dialecto mexicano del Golfo (in Spanish). México, D.F.: INAH.
- Ando Koji. 2007. Gramática náhuatl de Pajapan, Universidad Veracruzana, Xalapa.
External links
- SIL Mexico — includes sound recordings