Proto-Totonacan language

Proto-Totonacan or Proto-Totonac-Tepehua (abbreviated PTn or PTT) is the hypothetical common ancestor of the Totonacan languages of Mexico. It was first reconstructed using comparative methods in 1953 by Evangelina Arana Osnaya. Some linguists have proposed a link between the Totonacan and Mixe–Zoque language families; therefore making Proto-Totonacan a sister language of Proto-Mixe–Zoque and descendant of Proto-Totozoquean.

Phonology

Consonants

• MacKay and Trechsel (2018) add ejective stops and affricates.
• Davletshin (2008) and Brown et al. (2011) add /ʔ/ and /h/. MacKay and Trechsel (2018) accept /ʔ/ but reject /h/.

Vowels

• Brown et al. (2011) accept this vowel inventory.
• MacKay and Trechsel (2018) reject laryngealized vowels in Proto-Totonacan. They argue that laryngealized vowels in the Totonac languages are too infrequent and erratic after fricatives and sonorants to support their reconstruction.

Lexicon

The following Proto-Totonac-Tepehua reconstructions are from MacKay and Trechsel (2018).

See also

• Totonacan languages
• Totozoquean languages

Notes

References