Choápam Zapotec

Choápam Zapotec (Zapoteco de Choápam; in Veracruz Zapoteco de San Juan Comaltepec) is a Zapotec language of Oaxaca, Mexico. Historical accounts suggest that Zapotec people arrived in the area of Choapam only a generation or two before the Spanish conquest, conquering what was previously Mixe territory.

Phonology

Consonants

• [x] occurs as an allophone of [k]
• [r] has the voiceless allophone [ṛ] when in a nasal segment (e.g. rná¹baˀ² [ṛnábaˀ] (I ask))
• The pronunciation of [r] is variable, sometimes pronounced as apico-alveolar and with one to several flaps, with one being the most common.

Vowels

[i], [e], [ɛ], [o], [u], [a]

The vowels [i], [u], [a], [e] and [ɛ] are nasalised when followed by 'n' at the end of a word.

Tones

Choapam Zapotec has three pitches, or tones, which are high, mid, and low, indicated respectively by [³] (superscript 3), [²] (superscript 2), and [¹] (superscript 1), written after each syllable.

References