Guerrero Amuzgo language (original) (raw)

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Amuzgo language of Mexico

The Guerrero Amuzgo language is an Amuzgo language spoken in southwest Guerrero state in Mexico.[1]

Statistics and history

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There are 23,000 speakers, 10,000 that are monolingual. It is also known as Nomndaa or Ñomndaa.[1] It belongs to the Oto-Manguean language family and the Amuzgoan subfamily.[1] The use of the language is widespread and it is learned as a second language by Spanish and Nahuatl speakers living with the Guerrero speakers.[1]

There is a positive cultural affinity toward the tongue and it is used in business, religion, and taught bilingually with Spanish until 6th grade.[1] 10% of adults and 15% of children are literate in Amuzgo Guerrero.[1] There are media such as videos, a dictionary and radio broadcasts in the language that propagate its use.[1]

Oral/Nasal vowels

| | Front | Central | Back | | | | | | ------------------------------------------------------ | ------------------------------------------------ | --------------------------------------- | ----- | ---- | ----- | -- | | oral | nasal | oral | nasal | oral | nasal | | | Close | i | ĩ | | | u | ũ | | Close-mid | e | ẽ | | | o | õ | | Open-mid | æ | æ̃ | | | ɔ | ɔ̃ | | Open | a | ã | | | | |

Laryngealized vowels

| | Front | Central | Back | | | | | | ------------------------------------------------------ | ------------------------------------------------ | --------------------------------------- | ----- | ---- | ----- | --- | | oral | nasal | oral | nasal | oral | nasal | | | Close | ḭ | ḭ̃ | | | ṵ | ṵ̃ | | Close-mid | ḛ | ḛ̃ | | | o̰ | õ̰ | | Open-mid | æ̰ | æ̰̃ | | | ɔ̰ | ɔ̰̃ | | Open | a̰ | ã̰ | | | | |

• Sounds /æ, æ̃, æ̰, æ̰̃/ can also fluctuate to more mid sounds [ɛ, ɛ̃, ɛ̰, ɛ̰̃].

| | Labial | Alveolar | Post- alveolar | Velar | Glottal | | | | | -------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------- | ---- | -- | - | | central | labial | | | | | | | | Nasal | m | n | ɲ | | | | | | Plosive | voiceless | (p) | t | tʲ | k kʲ | kʷ | ʔ | | prenasal | (ᵐb) | ⁿd | ⁿdʲ | ᵑɡ | ᵑɡʷ | | | | Affricate | | ts | tʃ | | | | | | Fricative | β | s | ʃ | | | h | | | Lateral | | l | | | | | | | Rhotic | tap | | ɾ | | | | | | trill | | (r) | | | | | | | Approximant | w | | j | | | | |

Sounds [p, ᵐb, r] only appear in a few words.[2]

1. ^ a b c d e f g h Guerrero Amuzgo at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022)
2. ^ de Jesús García, Ivan (2019). Fonología del Amuzgo de Cochoapa, Guerrero. México: CIESAS.{{[cite book](/wiki/Template:Cite%5Fbook "Template:Cite book")}}: CS1 maint: publisher location (link)