Chontal, Highland Oaxaca

Primary tabs

ISO 639-3

Alternate Names

Chontal de Oaxaca Alto, Chontal de la Sierra de Oaxaca, Highland Chontal, Tequistlatec, Tsame

Autonym

Tsome

Population

2,200 (2000 INALI).

Location

Oaxaca state: San José Chiltepec, San Lucas Ixcatepec, and 15 towns west of Tehuantepec isthmus.

Language Maps

Language Status

6b (Threatened).

Classification

Dialects

Chontal de Oaxaca alto, Chontal de Oaxaca bajo.

Typology

VS, SV, or VO; medium long words, affixes; nontonal.

Language Use

Most speakers are over 40 years old. Also use Spanish [spa].

Language Development

Literacy rate in L1: 60%–100%. Literacy rate in L2: 75%–100%. Literature. Dictionary. Grammar. NT: 1991.

Language Resources

Writing

Latin script [Latn].

Other Comments

‘Tequistlateco’ has been used in publications, but true Tequistlateco was spoken in Tequisistlán town, and is now extinct.