Sierra Otomi Explained

Sierra Otomi
Also Known As:Highland Otomi
Nativename:Yųhų (otm)
Ñųhų (otx, otn)
States:Mexico
Region:Puebla, Veracruz, Hidalgo
Speakers:72,000
Date:1990–2007
Ref:e18
Familycolor:American
Fam1:Oto-Manguean
Fam2:Oto-Pamean
Fam3:Otomian
Fam4:Eastern
Agency:Secretaría de Educación Pública
Lc1:otm
Ld1:Eastern Highland
Lc2:otx
Ld2:Texcatepec
Lc3:otn
Ld3:Tenango
Notice:IPA
Glotto:east2556
Glottoname:Eastern Highland
Glottorefname:Eastern Highland Otomi
Glotto2:texc1235
Glottoname2:Texcatepec
Glottorefname2:Texcatepec Otomi
Glotto3:tena1241
Glottoname3:Tenango
Glottorefname3:Tenango Otomi

Sierra Otomi Highland Otomi (Otomi de la Sierra) is a dialect cluster of the Otomi language spoken in Mexico by ca. 70,000 people in the highlands of Eastern Hidalgo, Western Veracruz and Northern Puebla. The speakers themselves call the language Yųhų (Eastern Highland) or Ñųhų (Texcatepec and Tenango).[1] Lastra 2001 classifies it as an Eastern Otomi language together with Ixtenco Otomi, Tilapa Otomi, and Acazulco Otomi. The three varieties of Sierra Otomi—Eastern Highland, Texcatepec, and Tenango—are above 70% lexically similar; the Eastern Highland dialects are above 80%, and will be considered here.

Distribution

Municipalities with significant Sierra Otomi populations include the following (Dow 2005:236). Many of these municipalities also have Tepehua, Totonac, and Nahuatl speakers.

Hidalgo
Puebla
Veracruz

Phonology

The phonemic inventory given below is based on the particular phonology of the Otomi de la Sierra dialect as documented by Voigtlander and Echegoyen (1985), phonemic inventories of other dialects vary slightly from that of Otomi de la Sierra.

Consonants

BilabialDentalAlveolarPalatalVelarGlottal
Nasalpronounced as /ink/pronounced as /ink/
Plosivepronounced as /ink/pronounced as /ink/pronounced as /ink/pronounced as /ink/pronounced as /ink/pronounced as /ink/pronounced as /ink/
Affricatepronounced as /ink/pronounced as /ink/
Fricativepronounced as /ink/pronounced as /ink/pronounced as /ink/pronounced as /ink/pronounced as /ink/
Flappronounced as /ink/
Semivowelpronounced as /ink/pronounced as /ink/

Vowels

FrontCentralBack
oral nasaloral nasaloral nasal
Closepronounced as /ink/ pronounced as /ink/pronounced as /ink/pronounced as /ink/pronounced as /ink/
Open-midpronounced as /ink/pronounced as /ink/pronounced as /ink/
Midpronounced as /ink/pronounced as /ink/pronounced as /ink/
Openpronounced as /ink/pronounced as /ink/

Orthography

Alphabet

Other letters

Tones

Tones are usually not marked.

Notes

  1. Lastra 2006 p 57, Wright Carr 2005
  2. Web site: Sierra Otomi language . Omniglot . 31 August 2021.

References