title: Mitla Zapotec
text: # Mitla Zapotec
  
  Mitla Zapotec, or Didxsaj, is an Oto-Manguean language of Oaxaca, Mexico.
  
  Guelavia Zapotec is reported to be 75% intelligible, but the reverse is apparently not the case.
  
  ## Phonetics, phonology, and orthography
  
  Mitla Zapotec has the following consonants:
  
  * Fortis: p, t, k, $k^w,$ s, ʃ, m:, n:, l:
  * Lenis: b, d, g, $g^w,$ z, ʒ, m, n, l
  * Neutral: ɾ [flap r], r [trill r], f, x, ʔ, h, w, y.
  
  /f/ is rare in native words.
  
  * Mitla Zapotec has six vowels: /a, æ, e, i, o, u/. The vowel /æ/ is written ⟨ä⟩ in the practical orthography.
  
  Vowels contrast in phonation, with a difference between modal phonation, breathy phonation, and creaky phonation. For example
  
  * gihts [gi̤ts] 'paper'
  * be'ts [bḛts] 'louse'
  
  ## Noun morphology
  
  Mitla Zapotec has little noun morphology. Pluralization is indicated by a plural proclitic /re=/, as in the following example
  
  re=guejdx
  
  [re=ge̤dʒ]
  
  PL=village
  
  re=guejdx
  
  [re=ge̤dʒ]
  
  PL=village
  
  'villages'
  
  Alienably possessed nouns have a prefix ʃ- (spelled ⟨x⟩ in the popular orthography), as in the following examples (cited first in practical orthography, then in IPA).
  
  x-cojb
  
  [ʃ-ko̤b
  
  POSS-dough
  
  Maria
  
  maria]
  
  Maria
  
  x-cojb Maria
  
  [ʃ-ko̤b maria]
  
  POSS-dough Maria
  
  'Maria's dough'
  
  x-cu'n=reni
  
  [ʃ-kuʔn=ɾeni]
  
  POSS-tortilla=3pl
  
  x-cu'n=reni
  
  [ʃ-kuʔn=ɾeni]
  
  POSS-tortilla=3pl
  
  'their tortillas'
  
  ## Verb morphology
  
  ### Aspectual morphology
  
  Briggs analyses Mitla Zapotec as having six aspects, each of which has an ablative ('go and V') and non-ablative variant. They are
  
  * continuative, e.g., ka' 'to take' ka-ká'-ni 'he continually takes'
  * habitual, e.g., wi 'to see' r-wi-ni 'he habitually sees'
  * completive, e.g., sloh 'to begin' gu-sloh-ni 'he began'
  * potential, e.g., sæu 'to close' gu-su-ni-ni 'he is going to close it'
  * unfulfilled, e.g., llux 'to finish' nu-llûx-ni 'he didn't finish'
  * incomplete, e.g., re 'to invite' zu-re-ni 'he will invite'
  
  The following example shows the aspectual inflection of three verbs in Mitla Zapotec.
  
  | habitual | unreal | continuative | potential | definite future | completive | |
  | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
  | /ɾ-baʰnː/ | /ni-baʰnː/ | /ka-baʰnː/ | /gi-baʰnː/ | /si-baʰnː/ | /bi-baʰnː/ | ' wake up' |
  | /ɾ-aʰdʒ/ | /nj-aʰdʒ/ | /kaj-aʰdʒ/ | /g-adʒ/ | /s-aʰdʒ/ | /guʰdʒ/ | ' get wet' |
  | /ɾ-uʰn/ | /nj-uʰn/ | /kaj-uʰn/ | /g-uʰn/ | /s-uʰn/ | /b-eʰn/ | ' do, make' |
  
  ### Person marking
  
  Person marking is shown with a set of post-verbal clitics, which are used for both subjects and objects
  
  | | | singular | plural |
  | - | - | - | - |
  | 1st person | 1st person | =ǽ | =nú |
  | 2nd person | 2nd person | =lu | =tú |
  | 3rd person | ordinary | =ni | =reni |
  | 3rd person | respect | =bá | =reni |
  | 3rd person | male to male | =xí | =reni |
  
  The following examples show examples of verbs with aspect and person marking
  
  Gu-kwaʔts=ǽ=lu
  
  POT-hide=1sg=2sg
  
  Gu-kwaʔts=ǽ=lu
  
  POT-hide=1sg=2sg
  
  'I am going to hide you.'
  
  Ba-saʔN=ǽ=tú
  
  COMPL-leave=1sg=2pl
  
  Ba-saʔN=ǽ=tú
  
  COMPL-leave=1sg=2pl
  
  'I left you (pl).'
  
  ## Syntax
  
  The most basic word order is VSO. However, SVO also occurs, especially with a topicalized subject.
  
  Zä
  
  go
  
  nigui=re
  
  man=this
  
  Zä nigui=re
  
  go man=this
  
  'This man went away'
  
  Narä
  
  I
  
  r-hui=ä́
  
  HAB-see=1sg
  
  la'tu
  
  2pl
  
  Narä r-hui=ä́ la'tu
  
  I HAB-see=1sg 2pl
  
  'I see you (pl).'
  
  R-ahp
  
  HAB-have
  
  byûz
  
  child
  
  llîbr
  
  book
  
  R-ahp byûz llîbr
  
  HAB-have child book
  
  'The child has a book'
  
  