Zaniza Zapotec (Zapoteco de Santa María Zaniza) is an Oto-Manguean language of western Oaxaca, Mexico. It is one of several Zapotec languages called Papabuco. It has only 10% intelligibility with Texmelucan Zapotec, its closest important relative. (Speakers of the nearly extinct Elotepec Zapotec have 70% understanding of Zaniza, but it is not known if the reverse is true,[2] so this may be a question of familiarity.)

Zaniza Zapotec
(Santa María Zaniza)
Western Sola de Vega Zapotec
Papabuco
Native toMexico
RegionOaxaca
Native speakers
(770 cited 1990 census)[1]
Oto-Manguean
Language codes
ISO 639-3zpw
Glottologzani1235
ELPZaniza Zapotec

The language is spoken in Santa María Zaniza, Oaxaca.[3] As of 2003, the language had about 400 fluent speakers.[4] It is also spoken in Santiago Textitlán.[1]

Phonology edit

Zaniza Zapotec Consonants[5]
Labial Alveolar Retroflex Palatal Velar Glottal
plain lab. plain lab.
Nasal m n ɲ
Plosive/
Affricate
fortis p t ʧ k
lenis b d ʤ g
Fricative fortis f s ʂ ʃ h
lenis z ʐ ʒ
Rhotic ɾ
Lateral l ʎ
Glide w j

Zaniza Zapotec has five vowels /i, e, a, o, u/, phonemic vowel nasalization, and a distinction between modal and laryngealized vowels.[5]

Tone edit

Zaniza Zapotec words contrast low, mid, and high tones on stressed syllables. Unstressed syllables, apart from a few pronominal enclitics, do not bear contrastive tone.

References edit

  1. ^ a b Zaniza Zapotec at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
  2. ^ Egland, Bartholomew, & Cruz Ramos. 1983 [1978]. La inteligibilidad interdialectal en México: Resultados de algunos sondeos.[1]
  3. ^ Operstein, Natalie. "Spanish Loanwords and the Historical Phonology of Zaniza Zapotec" (PDF). Retrieved 2013-09-07. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  4. ^ "Graduate Student Profile - Natalie Operstein (Indo-European Studies)". UCLA Graduate Division. Retrieved 2013-09-18.
  5. ^ a b Natalie, Operstein (2015). Zaniza Zapotec. Muenchen. ISBN 9783862886593. OCLC 928993315.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)

External links edit