Amuzgo language

The dialect presented in the following chart is Upper Eastern, as spoken in San Pedro Amuzgos as analyzed by Smith & Tapia (2002).

The following chart is based on Coronado Nazario et al. (2009) for the variety of Southern Amuzgo spoken in Huixtepec. The phonetic facts are very similar to that of other varieties, but the analysis is different.

In this analysis, the nasals and central approximants have distinctive allophones that depend on whether or not they precede a nasalized vowel. The approximant {{IPA|/w/}}, which is {{IPA|[b]}} before oral vowels or consonants in Huixtepec, is {{IPA|[m]}} before nasalized vowels. The approximant {{IPA|/j/}} is likewise nasalized before nasalized vowels, and {{IPA|[j]}} elsewhere. The nasals are pronounced with an oral non-nasal release when they precede an oral vowel, and as such sound like {{IPA|[nd]}} in that context. Various other important details about the phonetics of Amuzgo are not presented in a simplified chart such as the one shown above.

Amuzgo distinguishes seven vowels with respect to quality. In all the documented dialects, all but the two close vowels may be nasalized. Some descriptions claim that Amuzgo also has ballistic syllables, a possible type of supra-glottal phonation. Ballistic syllables are also a feature of the phonology of another Oto-Manguean branch, Chinantec.

Amuzgo has three basic tones: high, mid, and low. But it also has several combinations of tones on single syllables. The contour high-low is a common one. The following words are apparently distinguished only by tone in Huixtepec: /ha/ 'sour' (low), /ha/ (mid) 'I', /ha/ (high-low) 'we (exclusive)', and /ha/ (high) 'we (inclusive)'. See also the set: /ta/ 'hill' (low), /ta/ 'thick' (mid), /ta/ ' father (vocative)' (high-low), /ta/ 'slice' (high).Coronado et al. (2009).

Nouns are pluralized by a prefix. The common plural prefix is n-. Compare {{IPA|/thã/}} 'skin', {{IPA|/n-thã/}} 'skins' (Northern and Southern Amuzgo). Typically the consonant {{IPA|/ts/}} drops when the noun is pluralized: {{IPA|/tsʔɔ/}} 'hand', {{IPA|/l-ʔɔ/}} 'hands' (Northern Amuzgo), {{IPA|/n-ʔɔ/}} 'hands' (Southern Amuzgo).

Animate nouns (most animals and insects, plus some other nouns) carry the classifier prefix {{IPA|/ka/}}. This classifier precedes the inflected noun, as in {{IPA|/ka-tsueʔ/}} 'dog', {{IPA|/ka-l-ueʔ/}} 'dogs' (Northern Amuzgo), {{IPA|/ka-n-ueʔ/}} 'dogs' (Southern Amuzgo).

Amuzgo has been proposed to be an active–stative language.Smith & Tapia 2002 Like many other Otomanguean languages, it distinguishes between first person inclusive plural and first person exclusive plural pronouns.

Amuzgo-language programming is carried by the CDI's radio station XEJAM, based in Santiago Jamiltepec, Oaxaca, and by the community radio station Radio Ñomndaa[http://lapalabradelagua.org] in Xochistlahuaca-Suljaa'.

{{reflist}}

• {{Cite journal |last=Bauernschmidt |first=Amy |year=1965 |title=Amuzgo syllable dynamics |journal=Language |volume=41 |issue=3 |pages=471–483|doi=10.2307/411789 |jstor=411789 }}
• {{Cite book |last=Campbell |first=Lyle |author-link=Lyle Campbell |title=American Indian languages: the historical linguistics of Native America |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=1997}}
• {{Cite book |last1=Coronado Nazario |first1=Hilario M. |title=Ilustraciones fonéticas de lenguas amerindias |last2=Coronado Nolasco |first2=Ebenecer |last3=de la Cruz Morales |first3=Pánfilo |last4=Hilario Juárez |first4=Maurilio |last5=Marlett |first5=Stephen A. |publisher=SIL International y Universidad Ricardo Palma |year=2009 |editor-last=Marlett |editor-first=Stephen A. |location=Lima |chapter=Amuzgo del sur (Huixtepec) |chapter-url=http://lengamer.org/publicaciones/trabajos/amuzgo_huixtepec_afi.pdf |lang=es}}
• {{Cite thesis |last=Cuevas Suárez |first=Susana |title=Fonología generativa del amuzgo de San Pedro Amuzgos, Oaxaca |degree=Licenciatura |publisher=Escuela Nacional de Antropología e Historia |year=1977 |location=Mexico City |lang=es}}
• {{Cite book |last=Cuevas Suárez |first=Susana |title=Fonología generativa del amuzgo |publisher=Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia |year=1985 |location=Mexico City}}
• {{Cite book |last=Cuevas Suárez |first=Susana |title=La imaginación y la inteligencia en el lenguaje: Homenaje a Roman Jakobson |publisher=Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia |year=1996 |editor-last=Cuevas Suárez |editor-first=Susana |location=Mexico City |chapter=Fonología funcional-generativa de una lengua otomangue |editor-last2=Haidar |editor-first2=Julieta}}
• {{Cite book |last1=Egland |first1=Steven |title=La inteligibilidad interdialectal en México: Resultados de algunos sondeos |last2=Bartholomew |first2=Doris |author-link2=Doris Bartholomew |last3=Cruz Ramos |first3=Saúl |publisher=Instituto Lingüístico de Verano |year=1983 |location=México, D.F.}}
• {{Cite conference |last=Herrera Zendejas |first=Esther |year=2000 |title=Descripción fonética del amuzgo de Xochistlahuaca, Guerrero |location=Hermosillo |publisher=Universidad de Sonora |volume=2 |pages=97–116 |editor-first1=María del Carmen |editor-last1=Morúa Leyva |editor-first2=Gerardo |editor-last2=López Cruz |book-title=Memorias del V Encuentro Internacional de Lingüística en el Noroeste |lang=es}}
• {{Cite journal |last=Longacre |first=Robert E. |year=1961 |title=Swadesh's Macro-Mixtecan hypothesis |journal=International Journal of American Linguistics |volume=27 |pages=9–29|doi=10.1086/464599 }}
• {{Cite book |last=Longacre |first=Robert E. |title=Summa anthropologica: En homenaje a Roberto J. Weitlaner |publisher=Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia |year=1966a |editor-last=Pompa y Pompa |editor-first=Antonio |location=Mexico |pages=541–560 |chapter=The linguistic affinities of Amuzgo}}
• {{Cite journal |last=Longacre |first=Robert E. |year=1966b |title=On linguistic affinities of Amuzgo |journal=International Journal of American Linguistics |volume=32 |pages=46–49|doi=10.1086/464878 }}
• {{Cite journal |last1=Longacre |first1=Robert E. |last2=Millon |first2=René |year=1961 |title=Proto-Mixtecan and Proto-Amuzgo-Mixtecan vocabularies: a preliminary cultural analysis |journal=Anthropological Linguistics |volume=3 |issue=4 |pages=1–44}}
• {{Cite book |last1=Smith |first1=Thomas C. |title=Del Cora al Maya Yucateco: estudios lingüisticos sobre algunas lenguas indigenas mexicanas |last2=Tapia |first2=Fermin |publisher=UNAM |year=2002 |editor-last=Levy |editor-first=Paulette |location=Mexico City |chapter=Amuzgo como lengua activa}}
• {{Cite book |title=Diccionario Amuzgo de San Pedro Amuzgos Oaxaca |publisher=Instituto Lingüístico de Verano |year=2000 |editor-last=Stewart |editor-first=Cloyd |location=Coyoacán, D.F. |editor-last2=Stewart |editor-first2=Ruth D.}}
• {{Cite book |last=Tapia García |first=L. Fermín |title=Diccionario amuzgo-español: El amuzgo de San Pedro Amuzgos, Oaxaca |publisher=Plaza y Valdés Editores |year=1999 |location=Mexico City}}
• {{Cite book |last=Tapia García |first=Fermín |title=Diccionario amuzgo-español |publisher=Centro de Investigaciones y Estudios Superiores en Antropología Social (CIESAS) |year=2000 |location=Mexico City}}
• {{Cite web |title=Estadística básica de la población hablante de lenguas indígenas nacionales 2015 |url=https://site.inali.gob.mx/Micrositios/estadistica_basica/estadisticas2015/V_familia_oto_mangue.html |access-date=2019-10-26 |website=site.inali.gob.mx}}

• [http://www.language-museum.com/encyclopedia/a/amuzgo.php Sample of Amuzgo writing]
• [http://www.native-languages.org/amuzgo.htm Amuzgo on Native Languages of the Americas]

{{Oto-Manguean languages}}

{{Indigenous people of Oaxaca}}

{{Languages of Mexico}}

{{wiktionary|Amuzgo}}

Category:Mesoamerican languages

Category:Indigenous languages of Mexico

Category:Oto-Manguean languages

Category:Endangered Oto-Manguean languages