Sierra Otomi Highland Otomi (''Otomi de la Sierra'') is a

dialect cluster A dialect continuum or dialect chain is a series of language varieties spoken across some geographical area such that neighboring varieties are mutually intelligible, but the differences accumulate over distance so that widely separated varie ...

of the

Otomi language Otomi (; ) is an Oto-Pamean languages, Oto-Pamean language family spoken by approximately 240,000 indigenous Otomi people in the Mexican Plateau, central ''altiplano'' region of Mexico. Otomi consists of several closely related languages, many ...

spoken in

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

by ca. 70,000 people in the highlands of Eastern

Hidalgo Hidalgo may refer to: People * Hidalgo (nobility), members of the Spanish nobility * Hidalgo (surname) Places Mexico * Hidalgo (state), in central Mexico * Hidalgo, Coahuila, a town in the north Mexican state of Coahuila * Hidalgo, Nuevo Le� ...

, Western

Veracruz Veracruz (), formally Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave), is one of the 31 states which, along with Me ...

and Northern

Puebla Puebla ( en, colony, settlement), officially Free and Sovereign State of Puebla ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Puebla), is one of the 32 states which comprise the Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into 217 municipalities and its cap ...

. The speakers themselves call the language ''Yųhų'' (Eastern Highland) or ''Ñųhų'' (Texcatepec and Tenango). Lastra 2001 classifies it as an Eastern Otomi language together with Ixtenco Otomi, Tilapa Otomi, and Acazulco Otomi. The three varieties of Sierra Otomi—Eastern Highland, Texcatepec, and Tenango—are above 70% lexically similar; the Eastern Highland dialects are above 80%, and will be considered here.

Distribution

Municipalities with significant Sierra Otomi populations include the following (Dow 2005:236). Many of these municipalities also have Tepehua, Totonac, and Nahuatl speakers. ;

* Acaxochitlan * Huehuetla *

San Bartolo Tutotepec San Bartolo Tutotepec is a town and one of the 84 municipalities of Hidalgo, in central-eastern Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to ...

Tenango de Doria Tenango de Doria is a town and one of the 84 municipalities of Hidalgo, in central-eastern Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the ...

Tulancingo Tulancingo (officially Tulancingo de Bravo; Otomi language, Otomi: Ngu̱hmu) is the second-largest city in the Mexico, Mexican States of Mexico, state of Hidalgo (state), Hidalgo. It is located in the southeastern part of the state and also forms ...

;

Francisco Z. Mena Francisco Z. Mena Municipality is a Municipalities of Puebla, municipality in the List of Mexican states, Mexican state of Puebla in south-eastern Mexico. The municipality is named after General Francisco Zacarías Mena (1841-1910). References

Pahuatlán Pahuatlán (), officially Pahuatlán del Valle, is a town and municipality located in the northwest of the state of Puebla in central Mexico. The municipality is part of the Sierra Norte region of the state, a steep mountainous area which receive ...

* Pantepec *

Tlacuilotepec Tlacuilotepec (municipality) is a town and municipality in the Mexican state of Puebla in south-eastern Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is b ...

* Tlaxco ;

Benito Juárez Benito Pablo Juárez García (; 21 March 1806 – 18 July 1872) was a Liberalism in Mexico, Mexican liberal politician and lawyer who served as the 26th president of Mexico from 1858 until his death in office in 1872. As a Zapotec peoples, Zapo ...

* Chicóntepec *

Coatzintla Coatzintla is a municipality in Veracruz, Mexico. It is located in the north zone of the State of Veracruz, about from the state capital Xalapa. It covers an area of . It is located at . The municipality of Coatzintla is delimited to the north b ...

Coyutla Coyutla is a municipality in Veracruz, Mexico. It is located in central zone of the State of Veracruz, about 110 km from state capital Xalapa. It has a surface of 312.56 km2. It is located at . The municipality is delimited to the north and ...

Huayacocotla Huayacocotla is a town ''(villa)'' in the Mexican state of Veracruz. Located in the state's Huasteca Baja region, it serves as the municipal seat for the surrounding municipality of the same name. In the 2005 INEGI Census, Huayacocotla report ...

Ixhuatlán de Madero Ixhuatlán de Madero is a Municipality in Veracruz, Mexico. It is located in north zone of the State of Veracruz, about 376 km from state capital Xalapa, in the region called Huasteca Baja. It is one of 212 municipalities in Veracruz. It has ...

Temapache Álamo Temapache (or simply Temapache) is a municipality located in the montane central zone in the Mexican state of Veracruz, about 90 km from state capital Xalapa. It has a surface of 65.80 km2. It is located at . The municipal seat is at ...

Texcatepec Texcatepec is a municipality located in the north zone in the State of Veracruz, about 190 km from state capital Xalapa. It has a surface of 153.61 km2. It is located at . In 1930 the municipal head-board was established in the village of Am ...

* Tihuatlán *

Tlachichilco Tlachichilco is a small town in Veracruz, Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and w ...

* Zacualpan

Phonology

The phonemic inventory given below is based on the particular phonology of the Otomi de la Sierra dialect as documented by Voigtlander and Echegoyen (1985), phonemic inventories of other dialects vary slightly from that of Otomi de la Sierra.

Consonants

Vowels

Orthography

Alphabet

* a - �* a̱, ä - �* b - * ch - ͡ʃ* d - * e - * e̱, ë - �* f - �* g - * h - * i - * j - * k - * l - * m - * n - * ñ - �* o - �/o* o̱ - �* p - * r - �* s - * t - * th - �* ts - ͡s* u - /w* u̱, ʉ - �/ɨ* x - �* y - * z - /d͡z

Other letters

* ą - �̃* ę - �̃* į - �* ǫ - �̃* ų - �

Tones

Tones are usually not marked. * a - low tone * á - high tone * ǎ - rising tone * à - falling tone

Notes

References

*Dow, James W. 2005. "The Sierra Ñähñu (Otomí)." In Sandstrom, Alan R., and Enrique Hugo García Valencia. 2005. ''Native peoples of the Gulf Coast of Mexico''. Tucson: University of Arizona Press. * * * * {{Oto-Manguean languages Otomi language