Chontal, Lowland Oaxaca

A language of Mexico

ISO 639: clo
Alternate Names: Chontal de Oaxaca de la costa, Chontal de la Costa de Oaxaca, Huamelula Chontal, Huamelulteco
Autonym: Lajltyaygi
Population: 1,280 (2000 INALI). Chontal de Oaxaca bajo: 220; Chontal de Oaxaca de la costa: 1,060 (2000 INALI). No monolinguals.
Location:: Oaxaca state: Tehuantepec district, San Pedro Huamelula and Santiago Astata.
Language Status: 8b (Nearly extinct).
Classification: Tequistlatecan
Typology: VSO; medium long words, affixes, clitics; nontonal.
Language Use: Endangered. Simple greetings, ritual speech. Elderly only. Shifted to Spanish [spa].
Language Development: Literacy rate in L2: Most children and young adults in Spanish [spa]. Dictionary. Grammar. Texts. Bible portions: 1955.
Language Resources: OLAC resources in and about Chontal, Lowland Oaxaca
Writing: Latin script [Latn].

Location: Oaxaca state: Tehuantepec district, San Pedro Huamelula and Santiago Astata.