Huasteca Nahuatl is a Nahuan language spoken by over a million people in the region of La Huasteca in Mexico, centered in the states of Hidalgo (Eastern) and San Luis Potosí (Western).[2]

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Huasteca Nahuatl
Native toMexico
RegionLa Huasteca (San Luis Potosí, Hidalgo, Puebla, Veracruz)
Native speakers
(Eastern: 410,000 cited 1991)[1]
Central: 200,000 (2000)[1]
Western: 400,000 (1991)[1]
Latin
Language codes
ISO 639-3Variously:
nhe  Eastern (Veracruz)
nch  Central
nhw  Western (Tamazunchale)
Glottologhuas1257
ELPWestern Huasteca Nahuatl
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Ethnologue divides Huasteca Nahuatl into three languages: Eastern, Central, and Western, as they judge that separate literature is required, but notes that there is 85% mutual intelligibility between Eastern and Western.[3]

XEANT-AM radio broadcasts in Huasteca Nahuatl.

Demographics

Huasteca Nahuatl is spoken in the following municipalities in the states of Hidalgo, Veracruz, and San Luis Potosí.[4]

Hidalgo (121,818 speakers)
  • Huejutla Reyes (56,377 speakers)
  • Huautla (18,444 speakers)
  • Yahualica (14,584 speakers)
  • Xochiatipan (12,990 speakers)
  • Atlapexco (12,445 speakers)
  • Jaltocan (6,978 speakers)
Veracruz (98,162 speakers)
  • Chicontepec (41,678 speakers)
  • Ixhuatlán de Madero (21,682 speakers)
  • Benito Juárez (11,793 speakers)
  • Ilamantlan (9,689 speakers)
  • Ixcatepec (6,949 speakers)
  • Zontecomatlán (6,371 speakers)
San Luis Potosí (108,471 speakers)
  • Tamazunchale (35,773 speakers)
  • Axtla de Terrazas (17,401 speakers)
  • Xilitla (16,646 speakers)
  • Matlapa (16,286 speakers)
  • Coxcatlan (12,300 speakers)
  • Chalchicuautla (10,065 speakers)

Phonology

The following description is that of Eastern Huasteca.

Vowels

More information Front, Back ...
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Consonants

More information Labial, Alveolar ...
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Orthography

Huasteca Nahuatl currently has several proposed orthographies, most prominent among them those of the Instituto de Docencia e Investigación Etnológica de Zacatecas (IDIEZ),[5] Mexican government publications, and the Summer Institute of Linguistics (SIL).[6]

IDIEZ
  • Their orthography is based on the evolution of Classical Nahuatl. It is somewhat of a deep orthography based on morphology since it aims to provide a unified system across regions.
  • uses ⟨ca⟩, ⟨que⟩, ⟨qui⟩, ⟨co⟩ for /k/
  • takes morphology into account
  • uses ⟨za⟩, ⟨ce⟩, ⟨ci⟩, ⟨zo⟩ for /s/
  • uses ⟨h⟩ for /h/
Mexican government publications
  • Is influenced by modern Spanish conventions and is a very surface-based orthography. It aims to provide easy literacy across regions but with a different writing system in each one.
  • uses ⟨k⟩ for /k/
  • does not take morphology into account
  • uses ⟨s⟩ for /s/
  • uses ⟨j⟩ for /h/
SIL
  • Somewhat based on modern Spanish conventions, mostly surface-based orthography as well but does not completely dispose of Classical Nahuatl conventions.
  • uses ⟨ca⟩, ⟨que⟩, ⟨qui⟩, ⟨co⟩ for /k/
  • does not take morphology into account
  • uses ⟨s⟩ for /s/
  • uses ⟨j⟩ for /h/

Sample text: 'a book about my location.'

  • IDIEZ: ce tlahcuilolli tleh campa niitztoc.
  • Government: se tlajkuiloli tlej kampa niitstok
  • SIL: se tlajcuiloli tlej campa niitztoc

Notes

References

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