The Oto-Manguean language stock ( stock is a group of related languages or language families) of Mesoamerica is thought to have originated from a single ancestral language some 10,000 years  ago. As groups of speakers of the common ancestral language began to settle in different regions of Mexico, and lost contact with each other, their languages began to diverge. In succeeding centuries, these groups split in turn, producing an even greater divergence in their languages. Today, according to Ethnologue, the Oto-Manguean stock consists of 174 languages, which makes it the largest language stock in Mexico.
The genetic relationship of many of the languages which are today known as Oto-Manguean languages has been recognized for as far back as 1860's. The inclusion of families that are now considered to be part of this stock has come slowly over the years as a result of considerable research.  Status
Oto-Manguean languages are spoken in Mexico by some 717,000 people. Most of the languages are endangered, being replaced by Spanish. The decline is exacerbated by the fact that many of these language have not been written. Even in the case of languages that have a writing system, literacy rates in the native languages are extremely low.
| Amuzgoan Family (3 languages/dialects) |
29,000 speakers |
The Amuzgoan languages form one of the smallest families of the Oto-Manguean stock.
Sound system
Like other Oto-Manguean languages, Amuzgo is tonal, which means that a change in pitch can change word meaning. Vowels can be nasalized, and there is a contrast between ballistic (louder with rapid fade of intensity) and controlled (softer but with more sustained intensity) syllables.
Grammar
The language is agglutinative, with prefixes and suffixes attached to roots, especially verbs. The normal word order is Verb-Subject-Object. Possessors follow the nouns they possess.
Status
Amuzgo t is spoken as a first and as a second language. It is used in local administration, commerce, radio programs, and religious practice by speakers of all ages. There are bilingual Spanish-Amuzgoan schools grades 1-6. Speakers have a positive attitude towards their language. People tend not to leave the area.
|
| Chinantecan Family (14 languages/dialects) |
91,000 speakers |
The region where Chinantecan languages are spoken is mountainous. This made contact between language communities difficult. As a result of isolation, most of the languages are mutually unintelligible. Chinantec is the dominant language of the region.
Sound system
Like other Oto-Manguean languages, Chinantec is tonal, which means that a change in pitch can change word meaning. The tone on the verb marks its person, number, and tense/aspect. There are few consonant clusters, and words tend not to have final consonants.
Grammar
Chinantec is agglutinative, with prefixes and suffixes attached to roots, especially to verbs. They combine with tone to produce a dozen forms for each verb. Verbs of motion are marked not only for direction with respect to the speaker ("go" vs. "come"), but also by direction with respect to a person's home. The normal word order is Verb-Subject-Object. Possessors follow the noun possessed. Modifiers follow nouns. There are few true prepositions.
Status
Chinantec is used in local administration, commerce, preschool, radio programs, and religious practice by speakers of all ages. Speakers have a pPositive attitude towards their language. Written language is used to record customs, traditions, history. The language is losing speakers since people leave the area for jobs. |
|
Cuicatec (1) |
10,000 |
Mixtec (53) |
405,000 |
Trique (3) |
23,000 |
The Mixtecan language family is one of the largest and most diverse families in the Oto-Manguean stock. It includes three groups of languages spoken most in the state of Oaxaca. Of the three languages, Mixtec has the most varieties. It appears that each town has its own variety which is slightly different from the neighboring towns. The farther apart the town, the less mutually intelligible the varieties. It is difficult to establish the number of Mixtec varieties. Ethnologue lists 53.
Sound system
Like other Oto-Manguean languages, Mixtecan languages are tonal, which means that a change in pitch can change word meaning. The tones are so important that they are represented in the orthographies of many Mixtecan languages. The number of tones varies from language to language. Trique is thought to have five tones.
Grammar
Mixtecan languages are agglutinative, with prefixes and suffixes attached to roots, especially to verbs. They combine with tone to produce a dozen forms for each verb. The normal word order is Verb-Subject-Object. Numerals precede the nouns they modify, but possessors and other modifiers follow the noun possessed/modified.
Status
Mixtecan languages are used in primary and secondary schools. Speakers have a positive attitude towards their language, and monolingual parents pass Mixtec on to children. Speakers in towns know some Spanish, but those in rural areas are mostly monolingual. |
Oto-Pamean Family |
Chichimec (1) |
200 |
Matlatzincan |
1,200 |
Mazahua |
55,000 |
Otomi (6) |
223,000 |
Pamean (3) |
10,000 |
Oto-Pamean is a relatively small language family in the Oto-Manguean stock.
Sound system
Like other Oto-Manguean languages, Oto-Pamean languages tonal, which means that a change in pitch can change word meaning. The number of tones varies from language to language.
Grammar
Oto-Pamean languages are agglutinative, with prefixes and suffixes attached to roots, especially to verbs. The normal word order is Verb-Subject-Object. Numerals precede the nouns they modify, but possessors and other modifiers follow the noun possessed/modified.
Status
The Otopamean family includes a 5 languages, of which Chichimec and Matlatzincan are almost extinct because most or all speakers are older adults who do not teach the languages to their children. About half of the people work in Mexico City or elsewhere most of the time where they have to use Spanish. Otomi has the largest number of speakers. |
|
Chocholtec (1) |
700 |
Popoloca |
25,000 |
Ixcatec |
100 |
Mazatec (8) |
174,500 |
Chocholtec and Ixcatec are close to extinction.
Popoloca is used in local administration, commerce, religious services, and education. There is a strong pride in culture and language. Most women over 50 are functionally monolingual in Popoloca. Most men also speak elementary Spanish.
Mazatec is used in local administration, commerce, religious practice, and elementary schools. Speakers feel that Mazatec fulfills local needs, but they consider Spanish to be more prestigious. |
|
Chatino (6) |
38,000 |
Zapotec (58) |
423,000 |
The Zapotecan language family is one of the largest families in the Oto-Manguean stock in terms of the number of speakers. It also has the most varieties than any other family. Ethnologue lists 58 distinct varieties for Zapotec.
Sound system
Like other Oto-Manguean languages, Zapotecan languages are tonal, which means that a change in pitch can change word meaning. Tone is not marked in the writing system. All Zapotecan languages have a fortis/lenis (strong/weak) distinction in their consonant systems. Fortis consonants are longer than the lenis ones. Fortis consonants are voiceless (/p/, /t/, /k/), while lenis consonants are voiced (/b/, /d/, /g/). Fortis consonants are represented in orthography by double or underlined letters. Zapotecan vowels have laryngeal modifications (see Zapotec on this website).
Grammar
The normal word order in Zapotec, as in all Oto-Manguean languages, is Verb-Subject-Object. Numerals precede the nouns they modify, but other modifiers and possessors follow them.
Status
Chatino is used in local administration, commerce, religious services, some in elementary and secondary education by speakers of all ages. People have a positive attitude towards their language.
Most of the Zapotec speakers are proficient in Spanish, there are still many who speak only their native Zapotec. In some areas, Zapotec is used orally in local administration, commerce, literature, and religious services (e.g., Zapotec Amatlan). In other areas, the language is on the brink of extinction (e.g., Zapotec Asunción Mixtepec). Many people speak more than one variety of Zapotec. |
|
Introduction
Structure
Vocabulary
Writing
Resources
