| Otomi | |
|---|---|
| Native to | Mexico |
| Region | Jalisco |
| Extinct | (date missing) |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | None (mis) |
Otomi is anextinct,unclassifiedMesoamerican language formerly spoken in the state ofJalisco,Mexico.
It is uncertain if the Otomi language of Jalisco is related to theOtomi language spoken elsewhere in Mexico, or if it is an unrelated language with the same name.[1][2] One possible explanation is that Otomi allies of the Spanish, hailing from central Mexico, were settled here as a buffer against theChichimeca.[3]
Otomi was spoken in the province ofAmula, in the communities ofCuzalapa (now in the municipality ofCuautitlán de García Barragán),Tuxcacuesco, andZapotitlán de Vadillo.[4][5]Nahuatl was also spoken in these communities.[5]
The use of the Otomi language was described in arelación geográfica made in 1579 by Francisco de Agüero,alcalde mayor of the province ofAmula.[6] Therelación also mentions an Otomi name,Ercape, said to mean "a flea that itches greatly".[7]
The language is also mentioned, though not named, byAntonio de Ciudad Real, who visited Tuxcacuesco and Zapotitlán withAlonso Ponce in 1587. He called it "a unique language" (Spanish:una lengua particular).[8]
Otomibecame extinct due to the communityshifting from using Otomi to usingNahuatl as their primary language.[9] Nahuatl had become alingua franca in thepre-Columbian era, being used as the administrative language of theAztec Empire and as a trade language beyond the empire's borders, and was subsequently also promoted by the Spaniards after theSpanish conquest.[10] Nearby languages that went extinct in similar circumstances includeCochin,Tiam (both spoken aroundTuxpan),Tamazultec (spoken inTamazula de Gordiano),Sayultec, andZapotec. Sayultec and Tamazultec might have been varieties of Nahuatl. Peter Gerhard and Donald Brand considered Zapoteco to be an Otomi dialect, along with Bapame, Pino, and Amultec.