Midterm Progress Report

Primary objectives:  The following report illustrates my success in meeting many of my midterm goals.  I am happy with the progress I have made with my primary objectives: I memorized 8 lines of poetry rather than 10, but I consider this satisfactory since I can recite and write the poem from memory without hesitation.  I also know the meaning of each IZ word in the poem and some quirks regarding the English translation.  I am aware of all the IZ phonemes, but need to listen to the language much more to practice correct pronunciation, paying special attention to tone.  The sentence structure word order is VSO, but I have many times observed a subject pronoun at the start of a sentence, preceding the verb.  I still have a lot to learn about IZ grammar, but I am well on my way.  I know the articles of the language, and am building knowledge of the conjunctions. I can identify dependent and independent pronouns; I know that this language does not mark gender, not even in its pronouns.  Pronouns do indicate animate objects from inanimate, and humans from animals.  A grammatical feature that I particularly like is the distinction made between inclusive “we” and exclusive “we.”  I met my goal in writing four original sentences.  I think I could write many more, although, I am uncertain about the sentence structure and when to combine words, such as an adjective to a noun.  Writing original sentences with out the aid of reference materials in the target language provides a revealing assessment of one’s strengths and weaknesses with grammar and vocabulary.

Secondary objectives:  I have a basic, background knowledge of the origins of the Zapotec people and language.  Ruins of the ancient city Monte Alban have given archaeologist and linguists a glimpse into the pre-Columbian/pre-Cortés civilization dating back 2,500 years ago.  Zapotec hieroglyphics were determined to be the oldest writing system of Mesoamerica.  The Zapotec civilization ruled over the Oaxacan Valley, and at its peak, dominated other indigenous groups beyond its regional boundaries.  I will continue learning more about this ancient civilization in the coming weeks, especially about the different phases of Monte Alban and the story of its demise.  Although the ancient Zapotecs had a writing system, it was lost with the ancient civilization.  Since the arrival of the Spanish in 1522, indigenous languages became the language of second-class citizens.  Spanish became the dominant language in the isthmus, and   the restricted use of Isthmus Zapotec was confined within the walls of indigenous homes.  The writings of Zapotec poets from the late 19^th century onward fought for Zapotec culture, way of life, and language.  Zapotec poetry to this day is a powerful medium, projecting the voice of the Zapotec people throughout Mexico and around the world.  I look forward to speaking with at least one Isthmus Zapotec speaker to learn what this poetry means to him or her.        

	Midterm Progress Report for Isthmus Zapotec		May 3, 2013
	Primary Objectives	yes	no/level attained
1	Recite 10 lines of poetry		Memorized 8 lines-Bidxi ‘Frog’
2	Know all phonemes of the language and be able to produce most		Visually recognize IZ phonemes, same as English plus 7 different phonemes: dx [ʤ], x [ʒ], xh [ʃ], j [ħ] or [h̰] (unsure), ñ [ɲ], and different sounding r [r], [rr], [ɾ], (I even hear /r/ pronounced [l] sometimes; /r/ seems to have many allophones); can pronounce most IZ phonemes, trouble with /j/ and sound changes in certain environments
3	Recognize basic grammatical features: word order verbs nouns/subject objects articles prepositions other	yes yes	Not always VSO, still figuring out the exceptions Don’t always recognize nouns (subject or object) from other parts of speech; I do recognize all pronouns Need work on recognizing prepositions Can recognize some conjunctions, adverbs and adjectives
4	Write 4 original poetic lines or sentences	yes	1.  Nadxiieˈ saaluˈ. ‘I love your music.’ 2.  Zasirebe niza dxiña ca xti bani. ‘He will drink        the sweet water of life.’ 3.  Neegue la, xpi’cube’ ca  bixooñe tí xu ca. ‘Yesterday,  his       dog fled because of the tremor.’ 4.  Siadó la, naa re’ ti biadxi dxiña (before) ziaaˈ dxiiña.     ‘In the morning, I eat a sweet plum before I go to work.’ (Because I made up these sentences, the grammar may not be completely accurate.)
	Secondary Objectives	yes	no/level attained
1	Learn origins of Zapotec language and people: dates region language family dialects	yes	Culture is about 2500 years old; IZ people are native to the Oaxacan Valley, Monte Alban ancient city; first written language in Mesoamerica; Otomanguean language family—57 languages, dialects exist within language regions, Juchitán is an IZ dialect
2	Learn history of IZ language and people: dates region population notable people		IZ people call themselves Binnizá ‘People of the Cloud,’ and their language Diidxazá ‘language of the cloud’; Cortés arrived in 1522 bringing the Spanish language and culture to the Isthmus of Tehuantepec; 1981 local party (mostly indigenous) took control of the city of Juchitán de Zaragoza; estimates range from 75,000 to 200,000 IZ speakers; Friar Juan de Córdoba late 16th century wrote first IZ dictionary; Francisco de Burgoa late 17th century wrote first study on IZ culture
3	Learn origins of literary traditions and role of literature and poetry in IZ culture and society: literary traditions culture society notable people		Important modern literary tradition; late 19th century IZ poets wrote in indigenous language to defend culture; IZ poets founded “The New Society of Juchitán Students” and an IZ publication called “Neza”; cultural magazine called “Sliced Iguana” founded to defend IZ culture and politics (1975); some activist poets Enrique Liekens Cerqueda, Andrés Henestrosa, Pancho Nácar, Gabriel López Chiñas, Nazario Chacón Pineda, Víctor de la Cruz, Marcario Matus, Victor Terán
4	Learn about current IZ issues: language status migration politics education other		Mexican government relegated IZ language to dialect; known IZ community in New Jersey; elected local political party COCEI, socialist; problem with creating a unified writing system for all Zapotec languages
	Wishful-Thinking Objective	yes	no/level attained
1	Meet a native IZ speaker make contact with a native speaker or make arrangements to contact		Interviewed two native speakers of Valley Zapotec; waiting to hear back on arrangements to meet with an IZ native speaker and other Zapotec speakers