Zoque languages

Zoque
O'de püt
EthnicityZoques
Geographic
distribution
Chiapas, Oaxaca, Tabasco
Native speakers
110,000 "Zoque" and "Sierra Popoluca" (2020 census)[1]
Linguistic classificationMixe–Zoquean
  • Zoque
Subdivisions
Language codes
Glottologzoqu1261
Locations (green) where Zoquean languages are spoken

The Zoque (/ˈsk/)[2] languages form a primary branch of the Mixe–Zoquean language family indigenous to southern Mexico by the Zoque people.

Central (Copainalá) Zoque-language programming is carried by the CDI's radio station XECOPA, broadcasting from Copainalá, Chiapas.

There are over 100,000 speakers of Zoque languages. 74,000 people reported their language to be "Zoque" in a 2020 census, and an additional 36,000 reported their language to be Sierra Popoluca. Most of the remaining 8,400 "Popoluca" speakers are presumably also Zoque.[1]

Languages

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Zoquean languages fall in three groups:

Justeson and Kaufman also classify Epi-Olmec as a Zoquean language,[3][4][5] although this claim is disputed by Andrew Robinson.[6]

Demographics

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List of ISO 639-3 codes and demographic information of Mixean languages from Ethnologue (22nd edition):[7]

Language ISO 639-3 code State Municipalities and towns Dialects Speakers Date/Source Alternate names
Zoque, Rayón zor Chiapas state Rayón and Tapilula 2,100 1990 census Zoque de Rayón
Zoque, Copainalá zoc Chiapas state Copainalá Ocotepec, Ostuacán (Ostuacan Zoque). 83% intelligibility of Francisco León [zos] (most similar). 10,000 1990 census Zoque de Copainalá
Zoque, Francisco León zos Chiapas, Tabasco, Veracruz, and Oaxaca states 1. northwest Mezcalapa Chiapas: into Tabasco, Veracruz-Llave, and Oaxaca, mainly near Grijalva River, Sayula area
2. southern Mezcalapa Chiapas: Grijalva River near Angostura Reservoir
3. eastern Mezcalapa Chiapas and Tabasco states: area surrounding northwest Guatemala tip, west bank of San Antonio River and Laguna de Naja
4. west central Mezcalapa Chiapas: upper reaches of Grijalva River
Chapultenango, San Pedro Yaspac 20,000 1990 census Santa Magdalena Zoque, Zoque de Francisco León
Popoluca, Highland poi Veracruz state Amamaloya, Barosa, Buena Vista, Col Benito Juárez, Cuilonia, El Aguacate, Estrivera, Guadalupe Victoria, Horno de Cal, Kilómetro Diez, La Florida, La Magdalena, Las Palmas, Soteapan; Bay of Campeche, area inland between Lake Catemaco and San Juan point, towards Hueyapan and Acayucan 26,000 2000 INALI Popoluca, Popoluca de la Sierra
Popoluca, Texistepec poq Veracruz state Texistepec area east of Oluta 1 2011 UNSD Texistepec
Zoque, Tabasco zoq Tabasco state Jalpa de Méndez municipality: Ayapa 12 2016, J. Rangel Ayapanec, Zoque de Ayapanec, Zoque de Tabasco, numte oote
Zoque, Chimalapa zoh Oaxaca state San Miguel Chimalapa and Santa María Chimalapa 4,500 1990 census San Miguel Chimalapa Zoque

References

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  1. ^ a b Lenguas indígenas y hablantes de 3 años y más, 2020 INEGI. Censo de Población y Vivienda 2020.
  2. ^ Laurie Bauer, 2007, The Linguistics Student's Handbook, Edinburgh
  3. ^ Justeson, John S., and Terrence Kaufman (1993), "A Decipherment of Epi-Olmec Hieroglyphic Writing" in Science, Vol. 259, 19 March 1993, pp. 1703–11.
  4. ^ Justeson, John S., and Terrence Kaufman (1997) "A Newly Discovered Column in the Hieroglyphic Text on La Mojarra Stela 1: a Test of the Epi-Olmec Decipherment", Science, Vol. 277, 11 July 1997, pp. 207–10.
  5. ^ Justeson, John S., and Terrence Kaufman (2001) Epi-Olmec Hieroglyphic Writing and Texts.
  6. ^ Robinson, Andrew (2008) Lost Languages: The Enigma of the World's Undeciphered Scripts, Thames & Hudson, ISBN 978-0-500-51453-5.
  7. ^ Eberhard, David M.; Simons, Gary F.; Fennig, Charles D., eds. (2019). "Mexico languages". Ethnologue: Languages of the World (22nd ed.). Dallas: SIL International.
  • Wichmann, Søren, 1995. The Relationship Among the Mixe–Zoquean Languages of Mexico. University of Utah Press. Salt Lake City. ISBN 0-87480-487-6

Recordings

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See also

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