Zapotec languages

"Zapotec language" redirects here. For the extinct language of Jalisco, see Zapotec language (Jalisco).
Zapotec
Diidxazá, Dizhsa
EthnicityZapotecs
Geographic
distribution		Oaxaca, Veracruz, Guerrero, Puebla. Small populations in California and New Jersey, United States.
Native speakers
490,000 in Mexico (2020 census)[1]
Linguistic classificationOto-Manguean
Early form
Subdivisions
  • Central
       (Isthmus and Valley)
  • Mazaltepec
  • Sierra Norte
  • Sierra Sur
  • Western
Language codes
ISO 639-2 / 5zap
ISO 639-3zap
Glottologzapo1437
The Zapotec languages as classified by Glottolog

Zapotec speaking areas of Oaxaca (as of 2015)
Notes

The Zapotec /ˈzæpətɛk/[2] languages are a group of around 50 closely related indigenous Mesoamerican languages that constitute a main branch of the Oto-Manguean language family and are spoken by the Zapotec people from the southwestern-central highlands of Mexico. A 2020 census reports nearly half a million speakers,[1] with the majority inhabiting the state of Oaxaca. Zapotec-speaking communities are also found in the neighboring states of Puebla, Veracruz, and Guerrero. Labor migration has also brought a number of native Zapotec speakers to the United States, particularly in California and New Jersey. Most Zapotec-speaking communities are highly bilingual in Spanish.

  1. ^ a b Lenguas indígenas y hablantes de 3 años y más, 2020 INEGI. Censo de Población y Vivienda 2020.
  2. ^ Laurie Bauer, 2007, The Linguistics Student’s Handbook, Edinburgh