Mitla Zapotec

Mitla Zapotec, or Didxsaj,^[2] is an Oto-Manguean language of Oaxaca, Mexico.

Mitla Zapotec
(San Pablo Villa de Mitla)
Didxsaj
Pronunciation	[didʒˈsaʰ]
Native to	Mexico
Region	Mitla Valley, Oaxaca
Native speakers	(20,000 cited 1983)[1]
Language family	Oto-Manguean Zapotecan Zapotec Central Mitla Zapotec
Language codes
ISO 639-3	zaw
Glottolog	mitl1236

Guelavia Zapotec is reported to be 75% intelligible, but the reverse is apparently not the case.^[1]

Phonetics, phonology, and orthography

Mitla Zapotec has the following consonants:^[3]

• Fortis: p, t, k, k^w, s, ʃ, m:, n:, l:
• Lenis: b, d, g, g^w, z, ʒ, m, n, l
• Neutral: ɾ [flap r], r [trill r], f, x, ʔ, h, w, y.

/f/ is rare in native words.

• Mitla Zapotec has six vowels: /a, æ, e, i, o, u/. The vowel /æ/ is written ⟨ä⟩ in the practical orthography.

Vowels contrast in phonation, with a difference between modal phonation, breathy phonation, and creaky phonation. For example

• gihts [gi̤ts] 'paper'
• be'ts [bḛts] 'louse'

Noun morphology

Mitla Zapotec has little noun morphology. Pluralization is indicated by a plural proclitic /re=/, as in the following example

re=guejdx

[re=ge̤dʒ]

PL=village

re=guejdx

[re=ge̤dʒ]

PL=village

'villages'

Alienably possessed nouns have a prefix ʃ- (spelled ⟨x⟩ in the popular orthography), as in the following examples (cited first in practical orthography, then in IPA).^[4]

x-cojb

[ʃ-ko̤b

POSS-dough

Maria

maria]

Maria

x-cojb Maria

[ʃ-ko̤b maria]

POSS-dough Maria

'Maria's dough'

x-cu'n=reni

[ʃ-kuʔn=ɾeni]

POSS-tortilla=3pl

x-cu'n=reni

[ʃ-kuʔn=ɾeni]

POSS-tortilla=3pl

'their tortillas'

Verb morphology

Aspectual morphology

Briggs analyses Mitla Zapotec as having six aspects, each of which has an ablative ('go and V') and non-ablative variant. They are

1. continuative, e.g., ka' 'to take' ka-ká'-ni 'he continually takes'
2. habitual, e.g., wi 'to see' r-wi-ni 'he habitually sees'
3. completive, e.g., sloh 'to begin' gu-sloh-ni 'he began'
4. potential, e.g., sæu 'to close' gu-su-ni-ni 'he is going to close it'
5. unfulfilled, e.g., llux 'to finish' nu-llûx-ni 'he didn't finish'
6. incomplete, e.g., re 'to invite' zu-re-ni 'he will invite'

The following example shows the aspectual inflection of three verbs in Mitla Zapotec.^[5]

habitual	unreal	continuative	potential	definite future	completive
/ɾ-baʰnː/	/ni-baʰnː/	/ka-baʰnː/	/gi-baʰnː/	/si-baʰnː/	/bi-baʰnː/	' wake up'
/ɾ-aʰdʒ/	/nj-aʰdʒ/	/kaj-aʰdʒ/	/g-adʒ/[6]	/s-aʰdʒ/	/guʰdʒ/	' get wet'
/ɾ-uʰn/	/nj-uʰn/	/kaj-uʰn/	/g-uʰn/	/s-uʰn/	/b-eʰn/	' do, make'

Person marking

Person marking is shown with a set of post-verbal clitics, which are used for both subjects and objects^[7]

		singular	plural
1st person		=ǽ	=nú
2nd person		=lu	=tú
3rd person	ordinary	=ni	=reni
	respect	=bá
	male to male	=xí

The following examples show examples of verbs with aspect and person marking

Gu-kwaʔts=ǽ=lu

POT-hide=1sg=2sg

Gu-kwaʔts=ǽ=lu

POT-hide=1sg=2sg

'I am going to hide you.'

Ba-saʔN=ǽ=tú

COMPL-leave=1sg=2pl

Ba-saʔN=ǽ=tú

COMPL-leave=1sg=2pl

'I left you (pl).'

Syntax

The most basic word order is VSO. However, SVO also occurs, especially with a topicalized subject.

Zä

go

nigui=re

man=this

Zä nigui=re

go man=this

'This man went away'

Narä

I

r-hui=ä́

HAB-see=1sg

la'tu

2pl

Narä r-hui=ä́ la'tu

I HAB-see=1sg 2pl

'I see you (pl).'

R-ahp

HAB-have

byûz

child

llîbr

book

R-ahp byûz llîbr

HAB-have child book

'The child has a book'