| Mazatecan | |
|---|---|
| Geographic distribution: |
Oaxaca, Mexico |
| Genetic classification: |
Oto-Manguean Popolocan Mazatecan |
| Subdivisions: |
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The Mazatecan languages are a closely related group of indigenous Mesoamerican languages spoken in the northern part of the state of Oaxaca in southern Mexico, and in some communities in the states of Puebla and Veracruz. They are classified, linguistically, as a division of the Popolocan family of the Oto-Manguean language family. They are called Mazatec in English, Mazateco in Spanish. Under the "Law of Linguistic Rights" they are recognized as "national languages" along with the other indigenous languages of Mexico and Spanish.
Like other Oto-manguean languages, the Mazatecan languages are tonal. Because tone is so important in the phonology of the language, these languages are particularly well suited to be whistled.
The name Mazateco is an exonym and comes from Nahuatl, meaning "deer people". The Mazatec people refer to themselves in their own language(s) as Ha shuta Enima (or other variants), meaning approximately "workers of the mountains, humble people of custom".[1]
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The ISO 639-3 standard enumerates eight Mazatecan languages. They are named after the villages they are spoken in:
Studies of mutual intelligibility between certain Mazatec-speaking communities revealed that some understand as little as 35% with others,[2] so that literacy programs must recognize local standards. The Huautla–Ayautla, Mazatlán, and Eloxochitlán varieties are all relatively close, with Jalapa–Ixcatlán being somewhat more distant. Chiquihuitlán is divergent, and Soyaltepec the most distinct Mazatec language of all. In 2005 there were 206,559 speakers of Mazatecan languages according to INEGI. Approximately 80% of these speakers know and use Spanish for some purposes. However, many Mazatec children know little or no Spanish when they enter school.
Mazatecan-language programming is carried by the CDI's radio station XEOJN, based in San Lucas Ojitlán, Oaxaca.