Tepehuán language

Not to be confused with Tepehua language.

Tepehuán
O'otham
Native to	Mexico
Region	Chihuahua, Durango
Ethnicity	Tepehuán
Native speakers	36,000 (2010 census)
Language family	Uto-Aztecan Tepiman Tepehuán
Dialects	Tepecano
Language codes
ISO 639-3	Variously: ntp – Northern Tepehuán stp – Southeastern Tepehuán tla – Southwestern Tepehuán tep – Tepecano
Glottolog	tepe1281

Tepehuán (Tepehuano, Tepecano) is the name of three closely related languages of the Piman branch of the Uto-Aztecan language family, both spoken in northern Mexico. The language is called O'otham by its speakers.

Northern Tepehuán

Northern Tepehuán is spoken by about 8,000 Tepehuán people (2005 census) in the south of the state of Chihuahua and north of Durango.

Southern Tepehuán

Southern Tepehuán is divided into the southeastern and southwestern group.

• Southeastern Tepehuán is spoken by 9,937 people (2000 WCD) in Mezquital Municipio in the state of Durango. Southern Tepehuán coexists with the Mexicanero Nahuatl language, there is some intermarriage between the two ethnic groups, and a number of speakers are trilingual in Mexicanero, Tepehuán and Spanish.

The extinct Tepecano language appears to have been a variety of Southern Tepehuán.

• Southwestern Tepehuán is spoken by around 8,187 (2000 WCD) people in Southwestern Durango.

Media

Tepehuán-language programming is carried by the CDI's radio stations XEJMN-AM, broadcasting from Jesús María, Nayarit, and XETAR, based in Guachochi, Chihuahua.

Morphology

Tepehuán is an agglutinative language, in which words use suffix complexes for a variety of purposes with several morphemes strung together.

Phonology

The following is representative of the Northern dialect of Tepehuan

Northern Tepehuan has 6 vowels and 3 common diphthongs.

Vowels	Front	Central	Back
High	i [i̠]	ɨ [ʉ]	u [u]
Mid	e [e]	o [ɵ]
Low		a [ä]

Diphthongs	Front	Central	Back
High		ɨi [ʊ̈i]
Mid	ei [ɛi]
Low		ai [äi]

IPA chart of Northern Tepehuan consonants

	Bilabial	Labio- dental	Alveolar	Palatal	Velar	Labialized	Uvular	Glottal
Stop	p [p] b [b]		t [t] d [d]	ty [tʲ] dy [dʲ]	k [k] g [g]			^ [ʔ]
Nasal	m [m]		n [n]	ñ [ɲ]	ng [ŋ]
Flap			r [ɾ]
Fricative	v [v]		s [s]	š [ʃ]			h [χ]
Affricate				c [tɕ]
Approximant	w [w]
Lateral			l [l]

Simple Tepehuan Text

Northern Tepehuan:

G^rooga aapip^smaac^d^ t^vaagɨ^r^ daja, aat^m^ ip^lidɨ ɨ^oodami g^šiia duutuadagɨ. Vai otoma a^na istuigaco gat^aan^da agai aapi ^^gɨ tami oidigɨ daama. Vaid^ ^p^duuna p^štumaasɨ aapɨ ip^lidi tami oidigi daama poduucai isduucai ^p^vueeyi t^vaagi^r^. G^rsoiñañi t^tai viaaca aat^m^ cuaadagai t^šɨ ^^šɨ t^gito sivɨ v^^tar^. G^roig^ldañɨ g^rsoimaascamiga t^smaac^d^ ivueeyi poduucai t^sduucai oig^ldi aat^m^ ^gai ismaac^d^ šoimaasi g^rvuiididi. Maiti dagito iš^Diaavora g^raagiadan taadacagi isiduñia aat^m^ soimaasi. C^^ maat^ aat^m^ isaapi ^r^g^^ bait^c ^aacamit^vaagi^r^ dai oidi daama tomastuigaco, dai aapi vaamioma viaa guvucadagaɨ tomastuigaco istomali ^mo ^mai daɨ isali^šɨ g^aagai ɨsv^^šɨ oodami g^siaa duutuadagɨ tomastuigaco.

Our father, which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, :but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory for ever and ever. Amen.

Southeastern Tepehuan:

Utogga atemo tubaggue :dama Santu sicamoe uggue ututugaraga duviana uguiere api odduna gutuguito daraga tami dubar dama tubggue. Udguaddaga ud macane schibi ud joigadane ud seca doada raga addu cate abemo joigudu jut jaddune maitague daguito soy macire ud niuca dacane api odduna. Amen, Jesus.

Our father, which art in heaven, hallowed be :thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done :on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, :but deliver us from evil. For thine is the :kingdom and the power and the glory for ever :and ever. Amen.