Cuitlatec language
Extinct language isolate of Mexico
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Cuitlatec, or Cuitlateco, is an extinct language isolate of Mexico, formerly spoken by an indigenous people known as Cuitlatec.
Classification
Cuitlatec has not been convincingly classified as belonging to any language family. It is believed to be a language isolate. In their controversial classification of the indigenous languages of the Americas, Greenberg and Ruhlen include Cuitlatec in an expanded Chibchan language family (Macro-Chibchan), along with a variety of other Mesoamerican and South American languages.[1] Escalante Hernández suggests a possible relation to the Uto-Aztecan languages.[2]
Geographic distribution
Cuitlatec was spoken in the state of Guerrero. In the 16th century, the Relaciones geográficas recorded Cuitlatec spoken in Ajuchitlán and Tetela del Rio, while it was also known to be spoken along much of the Costa Grande.[3] By the 1930s, Cuitlatec was spoken only in San Miguel Totolapan. The last speaker of the language, Juana Can, is believed to have died in the 1960s.[2] In 1979, only two elderly women, Florentina Celso and Apolonia Robles, were able to remember about fifty words of the language.[4]
Phonology
Consonants
- The sounds /f/, /s/, /r/, and /ɾ/ are found in loan words from Spanish.
Vowels
Grammar
Sentences generally follow SVO word order. Adjectives precede the nouns they modify.
Vocabulary
| Cuitlatec | English |
|---|---|
| aʔnelgái | Cuitlatec people |
| uhpɨnéʔlu | Cuitlatec language |
| aikimɨ | hello |
| šelopɨlʔmɨ | thanks |
| aškɨli | man |
| ɬɨnóʔo | woman, wife |
| cɨʔɨ | children |
| iwililúmɨ | river |
| úmɨ | water |
| ahpúʔɬɨ | sun |
| tuɬíʔi | moon, month |
| kúʔli | land |
| ɬa | house |
| ihšɨɬɨ | sky |
| iʔkɨʔɨ | tomb |
| iʔyɨʔléɬɨ | door |
Trees
| Cuitlatec | Common name | Scientific name |
|---|---|---|
| citakáʔli | Sweet acacia, Cascalote | Vachellia farnesiana, Caesalpinia coriaria |
| éhci | Capire | Sideroxylon cartilagineum |
| nempáʔa | Monkeypod tree, Camachile | Pithecellobium dulce |
| ɨncipéʔɬu | Charamasca | Tanacetum annuum |
| puɬɨʔmelpɨmɨ | Nanche, hogberry | Byrsonima crassifolia |
| ɬɨmšíli; šemɨʔšilí | Tololote | Andira inermis |
| šiɬiʔá | Tepemesquite | Lysiloma divaricatum |
| wíhci | Chupandia | Cyrtocarpa procera |
| yóʔo | White leadtree | Leucaena leucocephala |
| mɨnɨmɨli | Gliricidia | Gliricidia sepium'' |
Placenames
| Cuitlatec | English |
|---|---|
| šamigéli | San Miguel Totolapan |
| šišmɨwɨ | Ajuchitlán |
| pulkúʔwɨ | Mexico City |
Body Parts
| Cuitlatec | English |
|---|---|
| kwérpu | body |
| íhcɨ | arm |
| ɨmté | head |
| úli | hair |
| kúʔbe | neck |
| šuwéʔe | nose |
| šúhpe | mouth |
| kahcíʔdi | ears |
| ihpɨléla | stomach |
| puɬké | back |
| álmɨ | heart |
| ehtɨʔi | tongue |
| díšci | leg |
| iškélɨ | foot |
| dehpɨlkoyó | ankle |
| ihtalói | waist |
| dašíʔi | knee |
| dašilapɨ | elbow |
| gɨléwɨ | face |
| enhkeyáta | the whole face |
Numerals
| Cuitlatec | Numbers |
|---|---|
| tɨʔɨ, tɨwɨlɨ, téʔɬi | 1 |
| káɬɨ | 2 |
| kalíɬɨ | 3 |
| páɬa | 4 |
| puwáɬɨ | 5 |
| dašíɬa | 6 |
| wɨšíɬɨ | 7 |
| puhtalíɬa | 8 |
| nɨɬɨ | 9 |
| šɨɬɨ | 10 |
| pɨli | 11 |
| méɬi | 20 |
| kɨɬmɨli | 30 |
| kaltɨwɨlméɬi | 40 |
| puhmé | 100 |
