Mitla Zapotec, or Didxsaj,^[2] is an Oto-Manguean language of Oaxaca, Mexico.

Guelavia Zapotec is reported to be 75% intelligible, but the reverse is apparently not the case.^[1]

Phonetics, phonology, and orthography

Mitla Zapotec has the following consonants:^[3]

• Fortis: p, t, k, k^w, s, ʃ, m:, n:, l:
• Lenis: b, d, g, g^w, z, ʒ, m, n, l
• Neutral: ɾ [flap r], r [trill r], f, x, ʔ, h, w, y.

/f/ is rare in native words.

• Mitla Zapotec has six vowels: /a, æ, e, i, o, u/. The vowel /æ/ is written ⟨ä⟩ in the practical orthography.

Vowels contrast in phonation, with a difference between modal phonation, breathy phonation, and creaky phonation. For example

• gihts [gi̤ts] 'paper'
• be'ts [bḛts] 'louse'

Noun morphology

Mitla Zapotec has little noun morphology. Pluralization is indicated by a plural proclitic /re=/, as in the following example

Alienably possessed nouns have a prefix ʃ- (spelled ⟨x⟩ in the popular orthography), as in the following examples (cited first in practical orthography, then in IPA).^[4]

Verb morphology

Aspectual morphology

Briggs analyses Mitla Zapotec as having six aspects, each of which has an ablative ('go and V') and non-ablative variant. They are

1. continuative, e.g., ka' 'to take' ka-ká'-ni 'he continually takes'
2. habitual, e.g., wi 'to see' r-wi-ni 'he habitually sees'
3. completive, e.g., sloh 'to begin' gu-sloh-ni 'he began'
4. potential, e.g., sæu 'to close' gu-su-ni-ni 'he is going to close it'
5. unfulfilled, e.g., llux 'to finish' nu-llûx-ni 'he didn't finish'
6. incomplete, e.g., re 'to invite' zu-re-ni 'he will invite'

The following example shows the aspectual inflection of three verbs in Mitla Zapotec.^[5]

Person marking

Person marking is shown with a set of post-verbal clitics, which are used for both subjects and objects^[7]

The following examples show examples of verbs with aspect and person marking

Syntax

The most basic word order is VSO. However, SVO also occurs, especially with a topicalized subject.