Silacayoapan is one of the more extensive Mixtec languages. It is spoken by 150,000 people in Puebla and across the border in Guerrero, as well as by emigrants to the United States.
Dialects
Egland & Bartholomew found six dialects (with > âÂÂ80% internal intelligibility) which had about 70% mutual intelligibility with each other:
- Metlatónoc (Metlatónoc, San Rafael, Tlacoachistlahuaca, Cochoapa), Alcozauca (Alcozauca, Xochapa, Petlacalancingo)
- Portezuelo (Santos Reyes Yucuná, Guadalupe Portezuelo, San Simón Zahuatlán)
- Coicoyán (San MartÃÂn Peras Cuatzoquitengo, RÃÂo Frijol, Santa Cruz Yucucani, San José Yoxocaño, Malvabisco, Rancho Limón, RÃÂo Aguacate, Boca de Mamey)
- (varieties within âÂÂ75% of Silacayoapan proper)
- Juxtlahuaca (San Sebastián Tecomaxtlahuaca, San Miguel Tlacotepec, Santos Reyes Tepejillo, Santa MarÃÂa Tindú, San MartÃÂn Duraznos)
- Alacatlatzala (Alacatlatzala, Cahuatache, Tenaztalcingo, Jilotepec, Zacatipa, Tototepec, Cuba Libre, San Isidro Labrador, Quiahuitlatlatzala, Xonacatlán, Tepecocatlán, Cuautipa, Ocuapa, Potoichan)
- Silacayoapan
- Silacayoapan proper (Santo Domingo Tonalá, San Jorge Nuchita)
- Tezoatlán (Yucuquimi de Ocampo, San Andrés YutatÃÂo, Yucuñuti de Benito Juárez, San Juan Diquiyú, San Marcos de Garzón, San MartÃÂn del RÃÂo, Santa Catarina Yotandú, San Isidro de Zaragoza, San ValentÃÂn de Gomez)
- (other towns) Ixpantepec Nieves, Santiago Tamazola, Atenango, San Miguel Ahuehuetitlán
Ethnologue counts (Santa MarÃÂa) Yucunicoco Mixtec with Juxtlahuaca Mixtec. However, Egland & Bartholomew found it to have only 50% intelligible with Juxtlahuaca. Comprehension of Mixtepec is 85%, but in the other direction only 45%.
Phonology
Consonants
Vowels
Further reading
References
Sources
External links