Ocuiltec language explained

Ocuiltec
Also Known As:	Tlahuica, pjyɇkakjó
States:	Mexico
Region:	State of Mexico
Ethnicity:	Matlatzinca (Tlahuica)
Speakers:	100
Date:	2011
Ref:	e25
Speakers2:	2,238 (2020)^[1]
Familycolor:	American
Fam1:	Oto-Manguean
Fam2:	Oto-Pame
Fam3:	Matlatzincan
Iso3:	ocu
Glotto:	atzi1235
Glottorefname:	Atzingo Matlatzinca
Elp:	4913
Elpname:	Ocuiltec

Ocuiltec, also known as Tlahuica and Atzingo Matlatzinca, is a moribund language of Central Mexico closely related to Matlatzinca and Pirinda.^[2]

Ocuiltec is spoken primarily in the municipality of Ocuilan in the villages Cinco Caminos, Colonia Doctor Gustavo Baz, El Capulín, El Totoc (San José Totoc), Lomas de Teocaltzingo (Loma de Tecalzingo), Ocuilán de Artéaga, San Juan Atzingo, Santa Lucía, Santa Martha, and Santa María Nativitas.^[1] It may have been spoken in the adjacent area of Morelos, though Matlatzinca could have also existed in it.

Due to the extremely small speaking population and the unfavourable age structure, Ocuiltec is highly endangered. In the 2000 census, only 26 persons under the age of 20 were registered as speakers of Ocuiltec.

Phonology

Consonants

	Bilabial	Alveolar	Palatal	Velar		Glottal
	Bilabial	Alveolar	Palatal	plain	lab.	Glottal
Nasal	pronounced as /ink/	pronounced as /ink/	(pronounced as /link/)	(pronounced as /link/)
Plosive	pronounced as /ink/	pronounced as /ink/		pronounced as /ink/	pronounced as /link/	pronounced as /ink/
Affricate		pronounced as /ink/	pronounced as /ink/
Fricative	pronounced as /link/	pronounced as /ink/	pronounced as /ink/			pronounced as /ink/
Rhotic		pronounced as /ink/
Approximant		pronounced as /ink/	pronounced as /ink/	pronounced as /link/

/n/ is heard as velar [ŋ] when before velar stops.
Sounds /m, n, (ɲ), l, j, w/ all become voiceless [m̥, n̥, (ɲ̊), l̥, j̊, w̥] when in groups with /h/.
Stop sounds /p, t, t͡s, t͡ʃ, k, kʷ/ are voiced as [b, d, d͡z, d͡ʒ, ɡ, ɡʷ] when following nasals.
/l/ may be heard as voiceless [l̥] in word-final or syllable-final positions.
/w/ may be heard as a labialized fricative [ɣʷ] in intervocalic positions.
Sounds /p, (b), m/ may also be heard as labialized [pʷ, (bʷ), mʷ] when preceding /ɨ/.
Sounds /t, (d), l, n/ may tend to palatalize as [tʲ, (dʲ), lʲ, nʲ~ɲ] when before high vowels /i, ɨ, u/.
Other sounds such as /f, r/, are heard from Spanish loanwords.

Vowels

			Back
Close	pronounced as /ink/	pronounced as /ink/	pronounced as /ink/
Mid	pronounced as /ink/	pronounced as /ink/	pronounced as /ink/
Open		pronounced as /ink/

/i/ is heard as [ɪ] in closed syllables.
Vowels may also be heard as nasalized [Ṽ] when preceding nasal consonants.^[3]

Notes and References

http://cuentame.inegi.org.mx/hipertexto/todas_lenguas.htm Lenguas indígenas y hablantes de 3 años y más, 2020
Muntzel. M. C. 2003. The structure of Ocuilteco. PhD. University of Michigan. Ann Arbor.
Book: Muntzel, Martha C. . Tlahuica de San Juan Atzingo, Ocuilan, Estado de México . Nestor . Natividad González . México: El Colegio de México . 2017.