Tachiwíin
Coyutla Totonac
Totonacan
Coyutla Totonac is one of several Totonac varieties spoken in the Sierra de Papantla mountains of northern Veracruz, Mexico. The Totonacan language family is one of Mesoamerica's smallest, with Totonac (~250K total across all varieties) and Tepehua as its only two branches; it is not demonstrably related to any larger family despite shared areal features with neighboring Otomanguean and Uto-Aztecan languages. Totonac speakers are renowned globally for the Voladores ceremony — Indigenous ritual aerial dancers who descend on ropes from a 30-meter pole, a practice inscribed on UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity (2009). Coyutla and other Sierra varieties also preserve traditional vanilla cultivation, a Totonacan domesticate that became globally important via Spanish colonial trade.
Where it is spoken
31 core words in Coyutla Totonac
Water
xkán
/ʃkán/
Fire
lhk'uyat
/ɬkʼujat/
Sun
chichiní
/tʃitʃiní/
Moon
papá
/papá/
Star
staku
/staku/
Mother
tsé
/tsé/
Father
tlat
/tɬat/
I
kit
/kit/
You
wix
/wiʃ/
Name
tuwán
/tuwan/
Eye
lakgastapu
/lakɡastapu/
Hand
maka
/maka/
Heart
naku
/naku/
Love
pa'ksuu
/paʔksuː/
Tree
k'iwi
/kʼiwi/
House
chiki
/tʃiki/
Dog
chichi
/tʃitʃi/
Cat
mishtu
/miʃtu/
Eat
waan
/waːn/
Drink
oqoo
/oqoː/
One
aktum
/aktum/
Two
aktuy
/aktuj/
Hello
tlen lhítat
/tɬen ɬítat/
Thank you
pa'xkatkatsiniyán
/paʔʃkatkatsiniján/
Good
tlen
/tɬen/
Sources
Words compared
Compared with related Totonacan languages
| Meaning | Coyutla Totonac | Nawat | Shipibo-Conibo | Aguacateco | Basque | North Moluccan Malay | Konso |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water | xkán /ʃkán/ | at /at/ | jene /hene/ | aʼ /aʔ/ | ur /ur/ | aer /aer/ | pishaa /piʃaː/ |
| Fire | lhk'uyat /ɬkʼujat/ | tit /tit/ | chii /tʃiː/ | qʼaq /qʼaq/ | su /su/ | api /api/ | apitta /apitːa/ |
| Sun | chichiní /tʃitʃiní/ | tunal /tunal/ | bari /bari/ | qʼijl /qʼihl/ | eguzki /eɣuski/ | matahari /matahari/ | piirtuta /piːrtuta/ |
| Moon | papá /papá/ | metsti /metsti/ | oxe /oʃe/ | xahaw /ʃahaw/ | ilargi /ilaɾɣi/ | bulan /bulan/ | leya /leja/ |
| Star | staku /staku/ | sital /ˈsital/ | wishati /wiʃati/ | chumeʼl /tʃumeʔl/ | izar /is̻ar/ | bintang /bintaŋ/ | hikkitta /hikːitːa/ |
| Mother | tsé /tsé/ | nan /nan/ | tita /tita/ | naa /naː/ | ama /ama/ | mama /mama/ | aayyaa /aːjːaː/ |
| Father | tlat /tɬat/ | tat /tat/ | papa /papa/ | mam /mam/ | aita /aita/ | papa /papa/ | aappaa /aːpːaː/ |
| I | kit /kit/ | naja /ˈnaha/ | ea /ea/ | in /in/ | ni /ni/ | kita /kita/ | anti /anti/ |
| You | wix /wiʃ/ | taja /ˈtaha/ | mia /mia/ | naʼ /naʔ/ | hi /hi/ | ngana /ŋana/ | atti /atti/ |
| Name | tuwán /tuwan/ | tukay /ˈtukaj/ | jane /ˈhane/ | bʼiʼ /ɓiʔ/ | izen /is̻en/ | nama /nama/ | maχχa /maχːa/ |
| Eye | lakgastapu /lakɡastapu/ | ish /iʃ/ | bero /bero/ | witzʼ /witsʼ/ | begi /beɣi/ | mata /mata/ | ilta /ilta/ |
| Hand | maka /maka/ | mey /mei/ | mëken /mɯken/ | qʼab /qʼab/ | esku /esku/ | tangang /taŋaŋ/ | harka /harka/ |
| Heart | naku /naku/ | yulu /julu/ | joínti /hoˈinti/ | kʼuum /kʼuːm/ | bihotz /biots/ | hati /hati/ | sataʔta /sataʔta/ |
| Love | pa'ksuu /paʔksuː/ | tasujta /tasuhta/ | noi /noi/ | xajan /ʃahan/ | maitasun /maitasun/ | cinta /tʃinta/ | ʄaalaɗiyaa /ʄaːlaɗijaː/ |
| Tree | k'iwi /kʼiwi/ | kwawit /kʷawit/ | jiwi /xiwi/ | tzeʼ /tseʔ/ | zuhaitz /suaits/ | pohong /pohoŋ/ | ʛoyra /ʛojra/ |
| House | chiki /tʃiki/ | kal /kal/ | xobo /ʃobo/ | nya /ɲa/ | etxe /etʃe/ | ruma /ruma/ | tika /tika/ |
| Dog | chichi /tʃitʃi/ | chichi /tʃitʃi/ | ochiti /otʃiti/ | txʼiʼ /tʃʼiʔ/ | txakur /tʃakur/ | anjing /andʒiŋ/ | kuta /kuta/ |
| Cat | mishtu /miʃtu/ | mishin /miʃin/ | mishi /miʃi/ | mis /mis/ | katu /katu/ | ikung /ikuŋ/ | aturraata /aturːaːta/ |
| Eat | waan /waːn/ | takwa /takwa/ | piti /piti/ | wii /wiː/ | jan /jan/ | makang /makaŋ/ | ɗamiyaa /ɗamijaː/ |
| Drink | oqoo /oqoː/ | ati /ati/ | xeati /ʃeati/ | uuk /uːk/ | edan /eðan/ | minong /minoŋ/ | ikiyaa /ikijaː/ |
| One | aktum /aktum/ | se /se/ | westíora /westioɾa/ | jun /hun/ | bat /bat/ | satu /satu/ | takka /takːa/ |
| Two | aktuy /aktuj/ | ume /ˈume/ | rabé /ɾaˈbe/ | kaʼwutz /kaʔwuts/ | bi /bi/ | dua /dua/ | lakki /lakːi/ |
| Hello | tlen lhítat /tɬen ɬítat/ | ne pakua /ne pakwa/ | jakon raoma /xakon raoma/ | kʼamta /kʼamta/ | kaixo /kaiʃo/ | cerang /tʃeraŋ/ | nakaytaa /nakajtaː/ |
| Thank you | pa'xkatkatsiniyán /paʔʃkatkatsiniján/ | padiush /padjuʃ/ | irake /iɾake/ | tixwajʼ /tiʃwahʼ/ | eskerrik asko /esˈkerik ˈasko/ | tarima kase /tarima kase/ | — /—/ |
| Good | tlen /tɬen/ | kwahli /kʷahli/ | jakon /xakon/ | saqʼ /saqʼ/ | on /on/ | bae /bae/ | paʛaari /paʛaːri/ |
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