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Oaxaca Chontal (Tequistlateco, Huamelua)
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.
Sponsored Links
Oaxacan Chontal Vocabulary
Our list of vocabulary words in the Highland Chontal language, with comparison to words in other Hokan languages.
Map of Meso-American Tribes
Map showing the areas in Mexico where Chontal is spoken.
Highland Chontal Sound Archives
Recordings of spoken Onondaga,
Wampanoag, and
Highland Chontal, as well as native music from various tribes.
Jley Nipingi Je'e Chontal:
Words and sentences in the Oaxaca Chontal language.
Tequistlatecan Language Family:
Overview of the Chontal language from the Summer Institute of Linguistics.
Genesis in Oaxaca Chontal
Language Museum: Oaxaca Highland Chontal:
Sierra Chontal Prayers:
Bible passages in the Chontal language.
Highland Oaxaca Chontal
Lowland Oaxaca Chontal
Demographic information about Chontal from the Ethnologue of Languages.
Highland Chontal Language Tree
Lowland Chontal Language Tree:
Theories about Abenaki's language relationships compiled by Linguist List.
Highland Chontal Language Structures
Huamelultec Oaxaca Chontal Language Structures:
Abenaki linguistic profiles and academic bibliographies.
Dictionary of Chontal to Spanish-English
Trilingual Highland Chontal dictionary for sale online.
The Chontal Language (Dialect of Tequixistlan)
Chontal linguistics book for sale online.
Chontal de Oaxaca
Information about the Oaxaca Chontal language in Spanish.
Huamelultec Oaxaca Chontal Language Structures:
Book on the Sierra Chontal tribe for sale. (Amazon affiliate link)
Tequistlatec Tribe:
Articles on the history and traditions of the Tequistlatec Chontal.
Additional Resources, Links, and References
Highland Chontal:
Lowland Chontal:
Bibliography of Oaxaca Chontal language resources from the Endangered Languages Project.
Los Chontales de Oaxaca (Tequistlateecos):
Lengua Chontal:
Information about the Chontal people and their language in Spanish.

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