Oto-Manguean is the largest indigenous language family of Mexico by number of member languages, comprising branches such as Otomian, Zapotecan and Mixtecan. Its languages are spoken mainly in central and southern Mexico, including the states of Oaxaca, Puebla and Hidalgo, and many of them, including Zapotec and Mixtec, are tonal.
Facts
RegionMexico, with the now-extinct Manguean branch historically reaching south to Nicaragua and Costa Rica 1 Proto-Language StatusOto-Manguean is widely viewed as a proven family, with internal diversity comparable to Indo-European; the Proto-Oto-Manguean language is estimated to have been spoken before 2000 BCE. 1 Partially Attested
Speaker CountConfirmed: the family's two largest branches, Zapotecan and Mixtecan, together have almost 1.5 million speakers. Open: the family total across all branches (Oto-Pamean, Chinantecan, Tlapanec-Mangue, Popolocan) is not summed in this source. Connections
Associated With
Developed tagmemic theory through fieldwork on Mixtec and other Oto-Manguean languages of Mexico while working with the Summer Institute of Linguistics.
In the Other Atlases
Sources
1. Wikipedia: Oto-Manguean Languages
Wikimedia FoundationLead section, first paragraph
All of the Oto-Manguean languages that are now spoken are indigenous to Mexico, but the Manguean branch of the family, which is now extinct, was spoken as far south as Nicaragua and Costa Rica.
Lead section, fourth paragraph
the Proto-Oto-Manguean language is estimated to have been spoken sometime before 2000 BCE.
Wikipedia, Oto-Manguean languages, introduction, Zapotecan/Mixtecan speaker total
the two largest branches, the Zapotecan and the Mixtecan languages, are spoken by almost 1.5 million people combined.
View the Source Wikidata: Oto-Manguean
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