Pronunciation: Tzotzil of Zinacantán

 

Here are a few representative words to demonstrate the language's contrasting phonemes.  The words on the next list can be heard, as pronounced by Juan Pérez Pérez of Nabenchauk, Zinacantán, by clicking on the following link to an mp3 file (assuming that your browser can understand mp3 file formats).

PRONUNCIATION


 

CV

vo                            fly

te                             there

me                           desiderative particle

li                             the

ti                             the (remote)

xi                             said

chi                          henequen fiber (Spanish, "agave")

 

CV`

vo`                          water

te`                           tree

me`                          mother

li`                            here

ti`                            mouth, edge

xi`                           to be afraid

chi`                         sweet

 

b

bak                         bone

jbix                         staff

`abol                      suffering

sbel                         its contents

 

v                             

vak-                        six

jvix                          my older sister

`avol                       corn planting

svel                         cut, trimmed

 

b

`ub                          singing quail

chab                       wax

ich'ab                     he finished

ch'ub                      church patio

lub                          He got tired.

jtob                         twenty

 

m

`um                         mouthful

cham                      He died.

ich'am                    He received it.

ch'um                     type of pumpkin

lum                         earth, ground

jtom                        one handful

 

j

laj                           It finished.

kajal                       mounted

toj                           pine

 

various

la`                           Come here!

la                            hearsay particle

kakal                     stuck, caught

ka`al                      my water

tok                          cloud

to                            still

 

C

tzib                         fern

chi                          henequen fiber ( "agave")

chib                        two

chich'                     He receives it.

chuch                     squirrel

kok                         deaf, my leg

nopol                     nearby

sukob                     stopper

 

C'

tz'ib                        writing

ch'i                         he grew

ch'ib                       type of palm

ch'ich'                    blood

chuch'                    drink

ch'uch'                   plant (canna edulis)

k'ok                        break by pulling

kok'                        my tongue

k'ok'                       fire

nop'ol                    glowing, flashing

suk'ob                    water to rinse mouth

 

p'  (Zinacantec dialect)

ip'aj                        It fell.

jp'el                        a word

p'in                         pot

p'ol                         to multiply

 

b

ibaj                         It was locked up.

jbel                         My contents.

bin-                         pot-bellied

bol                          brother-in-law, idiot

 

C-`  (consonant plus glottal stop)

ch-`av                     it is planted

ch-`ile                    It looks.

ch-`ok                    He cries.

ch-`uch'e               He drinks.

ch-`ul                     It evaporates.

chak-`ulan            purple (for example, a flower)

kuch                       twisted (e.g., mouth)

lot-`ok                    web-fingered

j-`ilol                      curer

kup-`ik'ij               to drown, suffocate

 

C' (glottal consonant)

ch'av                      to scream angrily

-ch'il                       to fry

ch'ok                      wart

ch'uch'(e)              plant species (Canna)

ch'ul                       sacred, holy

chak'ulan              to give continually

kuch'(e)                 I drank.

lot'ol                      lying, sitting, standing together


 

Here are some examples of connected speech in which certain letters used in the practical orthography are normally not pronounced.  They can be heard in the speech of Juan Pérez by clicking the following link: CONNECTED SPEECH

 

li tzebe   the girl                                                    li tzebe

ja` a`a    indeed                                                    ja`a`a

ta ana    in your house                                       taana

nom ibat                                He went far away.                                nomibat

`oy `on   There is avocado.                                                                `oy `on

ta xxi`     He is scared.                                         ta xi`

ta ssut    He is returning.                                     ta sut

jjamtik    Let's open it!                                         jamtik

chchan   He learns it.                                           ch-chan

tztzak     He grabs it.                                            tz-tzak

ixcha`-`al                              He returned to say.                              (two glottal stops together)

vak-koj  six levels                                               

A few miminal pairs


li                              li`  (listen)

la                             la`  (listen)

vo                           vo`  (listen)

te                             te`  (listen)

k’o                          k’o`  (listen)

k’u                          sk’u`  (listen)

 


kok                          kok’                        (i)k’ok                     k’ok’  (listen: KOK Etc.)


ch’ul                       ch`ul (ch-ul)          chul                        chu`ul (listen: CHUL etc.)


cak`ulan (chak-ulan)                            chak’ulan (listen: CHAK-`ULAN etc.)

chi                           chi`

ti                              ti`

me                           me`  (Listen to these words: CHI, TI, ME)

jbix                          jvix

abol                        avol

sbel                         svel  (Listen to these words: JBIX, etc.)

chab                       cham                       (i)ch’ab                  (i)ch’am

ub                           um

(i)lub                       lum (Listen to these words: CHAB etc.)

ch’il                        ch`ile (ch-ile)

ch’ok                      ch`ok’ (ch-ok’)

lot’ol                       lot-`ok

j`ilol (j-ilol)  (Listen to these words: CH'IL Etc.)

chil                          ch’il                        ch`ile (ch-ile)  (Listen: CHIL Etc.)

tzako                       tz’ak                        tzotz ip

tzet                          tz’et                        tzakal                      tz’akal (Listen: TZAK etc.)

 


The primary accent of a word in Tzotzil falls on the first syllable of the root; there is also an even stronger accent that accompanies the last syllable of a phrase or sentence (it can consists of a single word, pronounced in isolation, or of words uttered in the same breath).  For example, see the following phrases:

 

jv|abaj||om                                                            musician

li jv|abajom||e                                                      the musician

Cht|al li jv|abajom||e.                                        The musician is coming.

Cht|al x|a li jv|abajom `un||e.                           Well, the musician is coming already.

`Ali jv|abajom||e, cht|al x||a.                            The musician, he's coming already.

 

Here the symbol | represent word, and the symbol || represents phrasal accent, which is even more emphatic.  It is clear that particles are not accented unless they are in final position.  You may listen to these phrases by clicking the following link: STRESS.