Zoogocho Zapotec

There are a total of five vowels in San Bartolomé Zoogocho Zapotec.[5] The /u/ sound is used in loanwords.[5] Phonation types include: VV, VhV, V'. VV stands for double vowels that produce a creaky voice, vowels which include an h in between them produce a breathy sounds such as in the word yáhà, and vowels such as V' are checked vowels. [5]

Tones include high, mid, low, rising and falling. [5] Lower tonal qualities are seen more commonly in breathy tones, while checked vowels have a higher tone quality. [5] Although it's common for breathy to have a lower tones and checked vowels commonly have higher tones, this is considered a distinct phenomenon and tone can't be predicted based on phonation types. [5]

Example: yáhà'weapon’

In Zoogocho Zapotec, stress is most commonly found on the penultimate syllable of a stem. [5] Stress is not found in words that are made of more than one root, in this situation, the stress(accent) will fall on the second root. [5]

Example: Niihe 'nixtamal' ; Yeten 'the tortilla'

(C)CV(V)(C)(C), there are no restrictions on phonation type on the vowels in this type of syllable set up. [5]

A few sounds also occur in loanwords from Spanish: /f/, /ɾ/, /r/, /ɲ/, /x/, /rr/[r], /ñ/[ɳ], and /j/ [x]. [5]

Nominal means to be categorized in a group of nouns and adjectives, the morphology occurs in a noun phrase.  

[5](1)      x-migw=a’

           poss-friend=1sg

           ‘my friend’

  (2)      x-kuzh             lalo

           poss-pig          lalo

           ‘Lalo’s pig’

  (3)      xtaobe’

           x-dao=be’

           poss-corn.tassel=3inf

           ‘his corn tassel’

Possession is indicated by placing the possessor or possessive pronoun after the item possessed (Inherent possession is the items being possessed) which is marked prenominally with prefix x- , the possessed nominal then is developed by a pronominal clitic or noun phrase. [5]

Or noun phrase is pronounced like an affix. Clitics play a syntactic role at the phrase level.

No tense in this language. Zoogocho Zapotec relies on 'temporal particles' za, ba, na, gxe, or neghe.

Events that are still occurring, occurred, or will occur over a period of time. The continuative aspect of the examples is dx- .

  (13)    dx-e-ban-e’                yogo   zhaha                        

           cont-freq-wake=3f      every   day

           ‘She wakes up every day.’

  (14)    bi dx-aog        zxoana

           what cont-eat Juan

           ‘What is Juan eating?’[5]

The completive aspect is usually marked as b-, gw-, gud-, or g-. This aspect reflects the completion of the event occurred.

  (18)    b-e-ban=e’                                

           comp-freq-wake=3f

           ‘She used to wake up.’

  (19)    ga       gud-ao=be’                 yet

           where  comp-eat=3inf           tortilla

           ‘Where did he eat the tortilla?’[5]

The potential aspect refers to an event that has not yet happened or an event that has not been specified. This aspect is marked by gu- or gw-.

(22)     gw-e-ban=e’

           pot-freq-wake=3f

           ‘She will wake up.’

  (23)    dx-bez=a’                   w-aow bidao yeth

           cont-hope=1sg            pot-eat child tortilla

           ‘I hope the kid eats the tortilla.”        

   (24)   bate’    y-egh=o’         nis

           when pot-drink=2s   water

           ‘When are you going to drink water?’[5]

The stative aspect is referred to as the prefix n- or by nothing at all. This aspect has multiple uses, such as, expressing the states and conditions and habitual meaning.

(28)     m-ban=a’

stat-live=1sg

‘I am alive.’

(29)    kuzh la            n-dxe=be’                   ke?

           pig   focus       stat-carry=3sginf        no

           ‘He’s carrying a pig, right?’

(30)     nake gud-itgh=le                     kate     n-ak=le           bidao=na’

           how comp-play=2pl                when   stat-be=2pl      child=det

           ‘How did you all use to play when you were children?’

(31)     Maria n-ak-dx=e’                 benhe  zxen   ka       xoan

            Maria hab-be-more=3f          person large    than     Juan

           ‘Maria is larger than Juan.’[5]

a, b, ch, chh, d, e, f, g, i, j, k, l, ll, lh, m, n, nh, o, p, r, rh, s, sh, t, u, w, x, xh, y, z. [5]

[5]

Zoogocho Zapotech uses Verb Subject Object sentence structure. It is possible to use Object Verb Subject, and Subject Verb Object but they only occur in special situations.

Adjective-Noun Order: The ordering of adjectives and nouns.

When asked to cite adjectives in isolations native speakers will invariably put da the inanimate classifier in front of the adjective.

Da is used as an inanimate classifier, bi is a classifier for small things and be is an animate classifier. These three classifiers can be used in sentences when agreeing with the head noun. The reason behind the conditioning for this remains undetermined.

Not always present in plural noun phrases, and plurality is either recovered from context or from verbal marking. Ka is used to mark a plural noun

Demonstratives follow their nouns, and either appear by themselves as in or with a classifier as in.

The determiner is a clitic which has three main variants; one which occurs following a non-nasal consonant as in is =en’, one which occurs with words ending in n or nh is =na’, as in , and, finally, the one which occurs after a vowel is =n  or =na’ in free variation as in . Determiners occur at the end of a noun phrase.

• Sonnenschein, Aaron Huey (2005). A descriptive grammar of San Bartolomé Zoogocho Zapotec. Munich: Lincom Europa. ISBN 9783895868030.