Language Bibliography: A list of resources referencing the Zapotec
language and its features.
Black, C. A. (2000). Quiegolani zapotec syntax: A
principles and parameters account.
Dallas: SIL International and
The University of Texas at Arlington.
The introduction provides a basic background to Zapotec
languages: there are over
fifty Zapotec language varieties in the region of Oaxaca, Mexico
totaling about 500,000 speakers.
Speakers of any one variety number between 1,000 to over 100,000. The Zapotecan family, related to the larger
Otomanguean family, is divided into five geographic and linguistic groups:
northern, central, western, eastern, and southern. Quiegolani belongs to the southern group,
which I made the mistake of assuming that Isthmus Zapotec belonged to, as well
because of its southern geographic location.
According to Black, Isthmus Zapotec is a member of the eastern
group. (Geographically, it is east of
the Quiegolani area.) I chose to
reference this book because Black has included some data from Isthmus Zapotec
in her study: Isthmus Zapotec anaphora, distinguishing reflexive and
nonreflexive pronouns in accordance with Binding theory (p. 69); apparently, no
passive constructions in IZ (p. 73); questions and relative clauses—there is no
audible intonational difference in Zapotec between a question and a declaration
or an exclamation, markers are used to serve these functions (p. 125); negative
clitics—must be fronted in IZ, negative pronouns may co-occur with free negative
word ke ‘not’ (p. 161).
Britton, S. (2003). Zapotec-English English-Zapotec
(isthmus) concise dictionary. New
York:
Hippocrene Books, Inc.
This travel-size dictionary can easily fit into a purse or
backpack. Although the book is small,
the print is not and is easy to read.
Unfortunately, the down side to larger print is fewer entries. The book boasts more than 5,000 entries; however, this is a low number in terms of dictionary entries. To compare, my pocket American dictionary has over 40,000 entries for just one language (and yes, the print is tiny). Britton's dictionary, however, provides a background to the language, and includes a
valuable section on IZ orthography, pronunciation and grammar. This will be one of my primary references for
language study.
Camuc, F. (n.d.). Juchitán zapotec-memrise. Retrieved
from accessed on April 17, 2013
This
free, online language-learning course is a fun way to learn Isthmus Zapotec
(and other languages). It combines audio, pictures, and orthography for
quick vocabulary learning, and teaches the grammar of the language.
Córdova, F. J. D. (2000). Vocabulario castellano-zapoteco del año 2000: Homenaje al Dr.
Gustavo Toledo Morales. Tehuantepec, Oaxaca:
Taller de Lengua Zapoteca Fray Juan de Córdova.
Fernández de Miranda, M. T.
(1995). El protozapoteco: Edición a cargo de Michael J. Piper
y Doris A. Bartholomew. Mexico:
El Colegio de Mexico, Instituto Nacional de
Antropologia e Historia.
Linguistic lineage for Zapotec,
isthmus. In (2013). P. Lewis, G. Simons & C. Fennig (Eds.), Ethnologue:
Languages of the world (17th ed.). Dallas,
Texas: SIL International.
Retrieved from http://www.ethnologue.com/family/17-3832
Munro, P. (2003). Preserving the language of the Valley
Zapotecs: The orthography
question.
Retrieved from
The paper introduces the Zapotec people and their
language. The main idea, though, is to
examine the issue of orthography design and preserving the Valley Zapotec
language, which does not have a standard writing system. Without a written form, a language is more at
risk of endangerment or extinction. Aspects of its speakers’ culture, heritage,
and history are also at risk of being lost.
Furthermore, the lack of a writing system can minimize its speakers’
position within a society, limiting their opportunities for civic engagement,
and diminish their political identity. The
name “Zapotec” is the name of a language family in which Valley Zapotec,
according to Munro, is one of over fifty mutually unintelligible varieties. All Zapotec languages are Verb-Subject-Object
languages. Many, such as Valley Zapotec,
have a complex phonology, especially concerning vowels. Munro notes, however, that Isthmus Zapotec
has a simpler phonology, thus has had an easier time settling on an agreeable
orthography.
Pickett, V., & Black, C. (2001). Gramática popular del zapoteco del
istmo. (2nd ed.).
Tucson, Arizona: Instituto Lingüístico de Verano
A.C. Retrieved from
This is a complete online resource book for Isthmus Zapotec
grammar. It is written
in Spanish.
Zapotecan family. (2013). Retrieved from
Sullivan, C. (2011, December 22). The state of Zapotec
poetry: Can poetry save an
endangered culture?. World Literature Today, 86(1),
Retrieved from
Isthmus Zapotec poetry is characterized by its mesmerizing,
melodic sound, which is created through its syllabic quantity (or repetition) and
duration (varied by long and short vowels), stressed segments, and tonal
pitch. This tonal language has three
pitches that move from a low to a high tone.
In spoken IZ and in its poetry, “the stress does not necessarily
correspond to a high or ascendant tone, nor does it always take place on a long
syllable.” “Stress falls where tone
changes,” which can vary, thus resulting in a variety of rhythmic sounds.
Zapotec languages. (2013, April 04). Retrieved from
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