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
20 core words in Coyutla Totonac
Water
xkán
/ʃkán/
Fire
lhk'uyat
/ɬkʼujat/
Sun
chichiní
/tʃitʃiní/
Moon
papá
/papá/
Mother
tsé
/tsé/
Father
tlat
/tɬat/
Eat
waan
/waːn/
Drink
oqoo
/oqoː/
Love
pa'ksuu
/paʔksuː/
Heart
naku
/naku/
Tree
k'iwi
/kʼiwi/
House
chiki
/tʃiki/
Dog
chichi
/tʃitʃi/
Cat
mishtu
/miʃtu/
Hand
maka
/maka/
Eye
lakgastapu
/lakɡastapu/
Hello
tlen lhítat
/tɬen ɬítat/
Thank you
pa'xkatkatsiniyán
/paʔʃkatkatsinijan/
One
aktum
/aktum/
Good
tlen
/tɬen/
Sources
Words compared
Compared with related Totonacan languages
| Meaning | Coyutla Totonac | Nawat | Shipibo-Conibo | Sandawe | Gilbertese | Aguacateco | Misak |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water | xkán /ʃkán/ | at /at/ | jene /xene/ | tsʼa /tsʼa/ | ran /ɾan/ | aʼ /aʔ/ | unø /unø/ |
| Fire | lhk'uyat /ɬkʼujat/ | tit /tit/ | chii /tʃiː/ | tsʼoo /tsʼoː/ | ai /ai/ | qʼaq /qʼaq/ | nipi /nipi/ |
| Sun | chichiní /tʃitʃiní/ | tunal /tunal/ | bari /bari/ | kʼɔɔ /kʼɔː/ | tai /tai/ | qʼijl /qʼihl/ | shi /ʃi/ |
| Moon | papá /papá/ | metsti /metsti/ | oxe /oʃe/ | tsoa /tsoa/ | namwakaina /namʷakaina/ | xahaw /ʃahaw/ | atru /atɾu/ |
| Mother | tsé /tsé/ | nan /nan/ | tita /tita/ | yei /jei/ | tinau /tinau/ | naa /naː/ | mama /mama/ |
| Father | tlat /tɬat/ | tat /tat/ | papa /papa/ | ai /ai/ | tamau /tamau/ | mam /mam/ | tata /tata/ |
| Eat | waan /waːn/ | takwa /takwa/ | piti /piti/ | ǁee /ǁeː/ | amwarake /amʷaɾake/ | wii /wiː/ | mɵ /mɵ/ |
| Drink | oqoo /oqoː/ | ati /ati/ | xeati /ʃeati/ | ʔee /ʔeː/ | nima /nima/ | uuk /uːk/ | ushi /uʃi/ |
| Love | pa'ksuu /paʔksuː/ | nesa /nesa/ | noi /noi/ | kalokisi /kalokisi/ | tangira /taŋiɾa/ | xajan /ʃahan/ | kausrap /kawsɾap/ |
| Heart | naku /naku/ | yulu /julu/ | joi /xoi/ | ǁʼampoo /ǁʼampoː/ | nano /nano/ | kʼuum /kʼuːm/ | mun /mun/ |
| Tree | k'iwi /kʼiwi/ | kwawit /kʷawit/ | jiwi /xiwi/ | hetsʼee /hetsʼeː/ | kai /kai/ | tzeʼ /tseʔ/ | yu /ju/ |
| House | chiki /tʃiki/ | kal /kal/ | xobo /ʃobo/ | ge /ɡe/ | auti /auti/ | nya /ɲa/ | ya /ja/ |
| Dog | chichi /tʃitʃi/ | chichi /tʃitʃi/ | ochiti /otʃiti/ | ǀɔɔ /ǀɔː/ | kamea /kamea/ | txʼiʼ /tʃʼiʔ/ | kuchi /kutʃi/ |
| Cat | mishtu /miʃtu/ | mishin /miʃin/ | mishi /miʃi/ | misho /miʃo/ | katu /katu/ | mis /mis/ | mishi /miʃi/ |
| Hand | maka /maka/ | mey /mei/ | mëken /mɯken/ | kxʼaa /kxʼaː/ | bai /bai/ | qʼab /qʼab/ | mar /maɾ/ |
| Eye | lakgastapu /lakɡastapu/ | ish /iʃ/ | bero /bero/ | gaa /ɡaː/ | mata /mata/ | witzʼ /witsʼ/ | kab /kab/ |
| Hello | tlen lhítat /tɬen ɬítat/ | ne pakua /ne pakwa/ | jakon raoma /xakon raoma/ | gabaeesa /ɡabaeːsa/ | mauri /mauɾi/ | kʼamta /kʼamta/ | ma'rik /maʔɾik/ |
| Thank you | pa'xkatkatsiniyán /paʔʃkatkatsinijan/ | padiush /padjuʃ/ | gracias /ɡrasjas/ | musʼokoyo /musʼokojo/ | ko rabwa /ko ɾabʷa/ | tixwajʼ /tiʃwahʼ/ | payn /pajn/ |
| One | aktum /aktum/ | se /se/ | westíora /westioɾa/ | tsʼekʼe /tsʼekʼe/ | teuana /teuana/ | jun /hun/ | kan /kan/ |
| Good | tlen /tɬen/ | kwahli /kʷahli/ | jakon /xakon/ | tlʼobe /tɬʼobe/ | raoiroi /ɾaoiɾoi/ | saqʼ /saqʼ/ | kausrik /kawsɾik/ |
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