Proto-Mixe–Zoquean language
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| Proto-Mixe–Zoquean | |
|---|---|
| Proto-Mixe–Zoque | |
| (partial reconstruction) | |
| Reconstruction of | Mixe–Zoquean languages |
| Era | ca. 2000–1200 BCE |
Proto-Mixe–Zoquean or Proto-Mixe–Zoque is a language that language scholars and Mesoamerican historians believe was spoken on the Isthmus of Tehuantepec during the Initial Formative Period (c. 2000–1200 BCE).[1] Wichmann (1995) has reconstructed nearly 600 Proto-Mixe–Zoquean lexical items.[2]
Ethnic marker
[edit]Olmec influence on neighboring groups and cultures and those who followed them suggest that they shared a similar language, or were rooted in a similar language.[3] In later Mesoamerican languages, evidence of loan words suggests that the Olmecs influenced both material culture and the language. Many words borrowed by these early civilizations indicate a shared vocabulary of Mesoamerican cultigens (beans, squash, tomatoes, and maize) and food preparation.[4] Mesoamerican speakers had a sophisticated culture for their time.
Phonology
[edit]| Front | Central | Back | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Close | *i *iː | *ɨ *ɨː | *u *uː |
| Mid | *e *eː | *o *oː | |
| Open | *a *aː |
*ɨ *ɨː has also been reconstructed *ə *əː.
| Bilabial | Alveolar | Alveolo-palatal | Velar | Glottal | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stop | *p | *t | *t͡s | *k | *ʔ |
| Fricative | *s | *h | |||
| Nasal | *m | *n | |||
| Approximant | *w | (l) | *j |
Syllables
[edit]A vowel could be short or long, and the nucleus of a syllable could be a short or long vowel or followed by /ʔ/ or /h/.[5]
Mixe–Zoquean languages are characterized by complex syllabic nuclei made up of combinations of vowels together with the glottal stop and /h/ in the proto-language. Complex syllable-final consonant clusters are also typical in the daughter languages and can be reconstructed for the proto-language.
Proto-Mixe–Zoquean syllable nuclei could be either:
- V – short vowel
- V' – short vowel with glottal stop
- VV – long vowel
- V'V – long vowel with medial glottal stop
- VV' – long vowel with final glottal stop
- Vh – short vowel with h
Mixe–Zoque language
[edit]Archaeologists call this culture Mokaya, which means 'people of the corn' in the contemporary Mixe–Zoque languages.[6] Archaeological evidence indicates that the Mixe–Zoque language was spoken across the isthmus, therefore sharing its roots in this Olmec language tradition, and a common ancestor, the proto-Mixe–Zoque.[7]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]
- ^ Campbell, Lyle; Kaufman, Terrence (1976). "A Linguistic Look at the Olmecs". American Antiquity. 41 (1): 80–89. doi:10.2307/279044. JSTOR 279044. S2CID 162230234.
- ^ Wichmann, Søren (1995). The Relationship Among the Mixe–Zoquean Languages of Mexico. Salt Lake City: University of Utah Press. ISBN 978-0-87480-487-4.
- ^ Campbell, Lyle; Kaufman, Terrence (1976). "A Linguistic Look at the Olmecs". American Antiquity 41 (1): 80-89.
- ^ Evans, Susan Toby 2008 Ancient Mexico and Central America: Archaeology and Culture History, second edition. London: Thames & Hudson Ltd.
- ^ Elson, Benjamin F. (1992). "Reconstructing Mixe-Zoque". Summer Institute of Linguistics (107): 577–592.
- ^ Evans, Susan Toby 2008 Ancient Mexico and Central America: Archaeology and Culture History, second edition. London: Thames & Hudson Ltd.
- ^ Evans, Susan Toby 2008 Ancient Mexico and Central America: Archaeology and Culture History, second edition. London: Thames & Hudson Ltd.
- Evans, Susan Toby (2008). Ancient Mexico and Central America: Archaeology and Culture History (2nd ed.). London: Thames & Hudson. ISBN 978-0-500-28440-7.