Tepehuán language explained

Tepehuán language should not be confused with Tepehua languages.

Tepehuán
Nativename:O'otham
States:Mexico
Ethnicity:Tepehuán
Region:Chihuahua, Durango
Date:2020 census
Ref:[1]
Familycolor:Uto-Aztecan
Fam1:Uto-Aztecan
Fam2:Southern Uto-Aztecan
Fam3:Tepiman
Dia1:Tepecano
Lc1:ntp
Ld1:Northern Tepehuán
Lc2:stp
Ld2:Southeastern Tepehuán
Lc3:tla
Ld3:Southwestern Tepehuán
Lc4:tep
Ld4:Tepecano
Map:Lang Status 20-CR.svg
Map2:Lang Status 80-VU.svg
Glotto:tepe1281
Glottorefname:Tepehuan

Tepehuán (Tepehuano) is the name of three closely related languages of the Piman branch of the Uto-Aztecan language family, all spoken in northern Mexico. The language is called O'otham by its speakers.

Internal classification

Northern Tepehuán

Northern Tepehuán is spoken by about 10,000 people (2020 census)[1] in several settlements in Guadalupe y Calvo and Guachochi, Chihuahua, as well as in the north of Durango.[2]

Southern Tepehuán

Southern Tepehuán is spoken by about 45,000 people,[1] about equally divided into:

Southern Tepehuán coexists with the Mexicanero language; there is some intermarriage between the two ethnic groups, and a number of speakers are trilingual in Mexicanero, Tepehuán and Spanish.

Media

Tepehuán-language programming is carried by the CDI's radio stations XEJMN-AM, broadcasting from Jesús María, Nayarit, and XETAR, based in Guachochi, Chihuahua.

Morphology

Tepehuán is an agglutinative language, in which words use suffix complexes for a variety of purposes with several morphemes strung together.

Phonology

Northern Tepehuan

The following is representative of the Northern dialect of Tepehuan.[3]

Vowels

FrontCentralBack
Closepronounced as /link/pronounced as /link/pronounced as /link/
Midpronounced as /link/
Openpronounced as /link/

Consonants

LabialAlveolarPost-
alveolar
PalatalVelar
Plosivevoicelesspronounced as /link/pronounced as /link/pronounced as /link/pronounced as /link/
voicedpronounced as /link/pronounced as /link/pronounced as /link/pronounced as /link/
Affricatepronounced as /link/
Fricativepronounced as /link/pronounced as /link/pronounced as /link/pronounced as /link/
Nasalpronounced as /link/pronounced as /link/pronounced as /link/
Rhoticpronounced as /link/
Approximantpronounced as /link/
Nasal consonants /n, ɲ/ become pronounced as /link/ when preceding a velar consonant.

Southern Tepehuan

The following is representative of the Southeastern dialect of Tepehuan.[4]

Vowels

FrontBack
Closepronounced as /link/pronounced as /link/pronounced as /link/
Midpronounced as /link/pronounced as /link/
Openpronounced as /link/

Consonants

LabialAlveolarPost-
alveolar
PalatalVelarGlottal
Plosivevoicelesspronounced as /link/pronounced as /link/pronounced as /link/pronounced as /link/
voicedpronounced as /link/pronounced as /link/pronounced as /link/
Affricatevoicelesspronounced as /link/
voicedpronounced as /link/pronounced as /ɣ͡ʎ/
Fricativepronounced as /link/pronounced as /link/pronounced as /link/pronounced as /link/
Nasalpronounced as /link/pronounced as /link/pronounced as /link/
Rhoticpronounced as /link/
Approximant(pronounced as /link/)pronounced as /link/
/v/ is sometimes realized as pronounced as /link/ in word-final position. /l/ appears only in loanwords from Spanish.

Sample Tepehuan Text

Northern Tepehuan:

Gʌrooga aapipʌsmaacʌdʌ

tʌvaagɨʌrʌ daja, aatʌmʌ

ipʌlidɨ ɨʌoodami

gʌšiia duutuadagɨ.

Vai otoma aʌna

istuigaco gatʌaanʌda

agai aapi ʌʌgɨ tami

oidigɨ daama.

Vaidʌ ʌpʌduuna

pʌštumaasɨ aapɨ ipʌlidi

tami oidigi daama

poduucai isduucai

ʌpʌvueeyi tʌvaagiʌrʌ.

Gʌrsoiñañi tʌtai viaaca

aatʌmʌ cuaadagai

tʌšɨ ʌʌšɨ tʌgito sivɨ

vʌʌtarʌ.

Gʌroigʌldañɨ

gʌrsoimaascamiga

tʌsmaacʌdʌ ivueeyi

poduucai tʌsduucai

oigʌldi aatʌmʌ ʌgai

ismaacʌdʌ šoimaasi

gʌrvuiididi.

Maiti dagito

išʌDiaavora gʌraagiadan

taadacagi isiduñia

aatʌmʌ soimaasi.

Cʌʌ maatʌ aatʌmʌ

isaapi ʌrʌgʌʌ

baitʌc ʌaacamitʌvaagiʌrʌ

dai oidi daama

tomastuigaco,

dai aapi vaamioma viaa

guvucadagaɨ

tomastuigaco istomali

ʌmo ʌmai daɨ

isaliʌšɨ gʌaagai

ɨsvʌʌšɨ oodami gʌsiaa

duutuadagɨ

tomastuigaco.

Our father, which art

in heaven, hallowed be

thy name. Thy kingdom

come. Thy will be done

on earth as it is in

heaven. Give us this

day our daily bread.

And forgive us our

debts, as we forgive

our debtors. And lead

us not into temptation, :but deliver us from

evil. For thine is the

kingdom and the power

and the glory for ever

and ever. Amen.

Southeastern Tepehuan:

Utogga atemo tubaggue :dama Santu sicamoe

uggue ututugaraga

duviana uguiere api

odduna gutuguito

daraga tami dubar

dama tubggue.

Udguaddaga ud macane

schibi ud joigadane

ud seca doada raga

addu cate abemo

joigudu jut jaddune

maitague daguito soy

macire ud niuca

dacane api odduna.

Amen, Jesus.

Our father, which art

in heaven, hallowed be :thy name. Thy kingdom

come. Thy will be done :on earth as it is in

heaven. Give us this

day our daily bread.

And forgive us our

debts, as we forgive

our debtors. And lead

us not into temptation, :but deliver us from

evil. For thine is the :kingdom and the power

and the glory for ever :and ever. Amen.

Further reading

Notes and References

  1. http://cuentame.inegi.org.mx/hipertexto/todas_lenguas.htm Lenguas indígenas y hablantes de 3 años y más, 2020
  2. Web site: Catálogo de las Lenguas Indígenas Nacionales .
  3. Book: Bascom, Burton. Northern Tepehuan. Summer Institute of Linguistics. 1982. Studies in Uto-Aztecan grammar 3: Uto-Aztecan grammatical sketches. 267–393.
  4. Book: Willett, Thomas L.. A Reference Grammar of Southeastern Tepehuan. 1988.