Otomi, Eastern Highland

A language of Mexico

Eastern Otomi, Otomí de Huehuetla, Otomí de la Sierra, Otomí de la Sierra Madre Oriental, Otomí de la Sierra Oriental, Otomí del Oriente, Sierra Oriental Otomi, Sierra Otomi, Yųhų, Yuhu

Autonym

Nyuhu

User Population

49,300 (2007). Total Otomí speakers: 299,000 (2020 INEGI). 4,700 monolinguals.

Location

Hidalgo state: Huehuetla, Otomi de la Sierra Baja, Otomi-Tepehua, and San Bartolo Tutotepec municipalities; Puebla state: Pahuatlan, Pantepec, Tlacuilotepec, Tlaxco municipalities; Veracruz state: Ixhuatlan de Madero and Tlachichilco municipalities.

Language Status

5* (Developing).

Classification

Otomanguean, Western Otomanguean, Oto-Pame-Chinantecan, Oto-Pamean, Otomi

Dialects

None known. 81% intelligibility of Tenango [otn] (most similar), 51% of Mezquital [ote], 70%–79% of Texcatepec [otx].

Typology

VOS; short words, affixes, clitics; tonal.

Language Use

Indigenous teachers teach L1 literacy. Positive attitudes. Also use Spanish [spa].

Language Development

Literacy rate in L1: 1%. Literacy rate in L2: 40%. Literature. Dictionary. Grammar. NT: 1974–2009.