Chontal of Oaxaca is a
Hokan language not to be confused with the
Mayan language
Chontal of Tabasco, to which it bears no similarity other than a similar
name bestowed upon both by the Aztecs (chontalli just means "foreigner" in the Nahuatl language.)
Oaxacan Chontal has two dialects, Lowland (Huamelua) Chontal and Highland (Tequistlatec or Sierra) Chontal.
Lowland and Highland Chontal are so distinct from one another than native speakers cannot understand each other well without a translator,
and so most linguists consider them distinct languages. Taken together, the two Oaxaca Chontal languages are spoken by more than 4000
people in Mexico today.
American Indian cultures
Jley Nipingi Je'e Chontal:
Language Museum: Oaxaca Highland Chontal: 
Indian Names
