title: Totozoquean languages
text: # Totozoquean languages
  
  Totozoquean is a proposed language family of Mesoamerica, originally consisting of two well-established genetic groupings, Totonacan and Mixe–Zoque. The erstwhile isolate Chitimacha was later proposed to be a member. The closest relatives of Totozoquean may be the Huavean languages.
  
  ## Correspondences
  
  Comparative proto-Totozoquean reconstructions are proposed in Brown et al. (2011) for simple consonants and vowels. The consonant-inventory for proto-Totozoquean is similar to that reconstructed for proto-Totonacan (Arana Osnaya 1953), and the vowels are not unlike those proposed for proto-Mixe–Zoquean (Wichmann 1995). A parallel set of laryngealized but otherwise identical proto-Totozoquean vowels is reconstructed for proto-Totozoquean to account for the distribution of laryngealized vowels in the Totonac branch of the Totonacan family, though these left no known trace in proto-Mixe–Zoquean (Wichmann 1995) and there may be a more economical explanation. Vowel length is likewise an independent parameter reconstructed for proto-Totozoquean that does not seem to affect the correspondences, but in this case it is a feature inherited by both families.
  
  Some Totozoquean lexical correspondences have also been proposed by Davletshin (2016).
  
  ### Vowels
  
  Proto-Totozoquean (pTZ) is reconstructed with seven vowel qualities, all of which occur with long, laryngealized, and long laryngealized homologues. These reduce to a three-vowel system in proto-Totonacan (pT); length and laryngealization is retained. Proto-Mixe–Zoque (pMZ) loses laryngealization and neutralizes **ɨ~ə and **ɔ~o.
  
  | pTZ | pT | pMZ |
  | - | - | - |
  | **i | *i | *i |
  | **e | *i | *e |
  | **ɨ | *i | *ə |
  | **ə | *a | *ə |
  | **a | *a | *a |
  | **ɔ | *a | *o |
  | **o | *u | *o |
  | **u | *u | *u |
  
  ### Consonants
  
  Of the three consonants which do not appear in either daughter, **ty and **ny are poorly attested, whereas **ky is robust. Proto-Mixe–Zoque loses the laterals and gutturals, and neutralizes the alveolar–palato-alveolar distinction. Proto-Totonocan loses glottal stop and **y.
  
  | pTZ | pT | pMZ |
  | - | - | - |
  | **n | *n | *n |
  | **ny | *l | *n |
  | **l | *l | *y |
  | **ɬ | *ɬ | *y |
  | **ƛ | *ƛ | *y |
  | **y | *t | *y |
  | **t | *t | *t |
  | **ty | *č | *t |
  | **č | *č | *¢ |
  | **š | *š | *s |
  | **s | *s | *s |
  | pTZ | pT | pMZ |
  | **p | *p | *p |
  | **m | *m | *m |
  | **w | *w | *w |
  | **ky | *k | *k |
  | **k | *q | *k |
  | **q | *q | *ʔ |
  | **ʔ | *∅ | *ʔ |
  | **h | *∅ | *h |
  | **#h | *h | *h |
  | **x | *x | *h |
  