The internal classification of Mixtec is controversial. Many varieties are mutually unintelligible and by that criterion separate languages. In the 16th century, Spanish authorities recognized half a dozen lenguas comprising the Mixtec lengua. (See #Classical Mixtec.) It is not clear to what extent these were distinct languages at the time. Regardless, the colonial disintegration of the Mixtec nation and resulting isolation of local communities led to the rapid diversification of local dialects into distinct languages. Below are some attempts at Mixtec classification by various scholars.
Josserand (1983:106) lists 5 major geographic (not linguistic) divisions of Mixtec, which together cover a total of about 25,000 square kilometers. Enclaves of Amuzgo, Trique, Cuicatec, Ixcatec, and Chocho speakers are scattered nearby.
- Puebla Mixtec
- Guerrero Mixtec
- Mixteca Baja
- Mixteca Alta
- Mixteca de la Costa
De los Reyes, in his Arte de Lengua Mixteca (1593), spoke of half a dozen lenguas in the Mixtec lengua. To these, his contemporaries added the dialects of Guerrero:
the lengua of Teposcolula, including the major communities of Tamazulapa, Tilantongo, Texupa, & Mitlatongo (Jiménez-Moreno: Tepozcolula–Tilantongo; the prestige dialect chosen by de los Reyes)the lengua of Yanhuitlán, incl. Coixtlahuaca, Xaltepec, & Nochixtlán (Jiménez-Moreno: Yuanhuitlán–Cuilapan)the lengua of Tlaxiaco and Achiutla (the prestige dialect chosen by Hernández)the lengua of the Mixteca Bajathe lengua of Cuilapa and Guaxolotitlán in the Valley of Oaxaca (Jiménez-Moreno: Cuauhxochpan–Cuyamecalco)the lengua of the Mixteca de la Costathe Mixtec of GuerreroJosserand found that native mundane writing of the colonial era corresponded well to de los Reyes; based on phonological and orthographic consistencies, she divides the dialects into five groups, as follows:
the Baja area around Huajuapan (though there were multiple varieties in Baja, more than de los Reyes recognized)the Oaxaca Valley around Cuilapan, closely related to the nextthe northeastern Alta around the Valley of Nochixtlan, including Yanhuitlan & Coixtlahuacathe eastern Alta around the Valleys of Teposcolula & Tamasulapathe western Alta around the Valley of Tlaxiaco, Achiutla, and ChalcatongoHolland (1959)
The following classification is given by William R. Holland (1959), as cited in Josserand (1983:134-135). This preliminary classification is a glottochronological study of the dialects of 22 Mixtec and 4 Cuicatec towns.
Zone 1: Ixtayutla, Mechoacán, Jamiltepec, Huazolotitlán, Pinotepa NacionalZone 2: Ixtayutla, Mechoacán, Jamiltepec, Pinotepa de Don Luis, Pinotepa Nacional, Atoyac, TlacamamaZone 3: Santo Tomás Ocotepec, Santa Lucía Monte Verde, San Miguel el Grande, San Esteban AtatlahucaZone 4: San Rafael GuerreroZone 5: JuxtlahuacaZone 6: Santa María Peñoles, HuitepecZone 7: PeñolesZone 8: Jocoticpac / JocotipacZone 9: CuyamecalcoZone 10: San Juan CoatzospanZone 11: Chigmecatitlán, Santa Catarina TlaltempanHolland (1959) also gives 3 areal groupings for these zones.
Costa: Zones 1, 2Alta: Zones 3, 4, 5, 6, 7Baja: Zones 8, 9, 10, 11However, Josserand (1983) states that these groupings are based on flawed methodologies, including a faulty conception of the geographical layout of the Mixteca. Many towns that Holland listed as Baja are in fact Alta, and vice versa.
The following classification is given by Evangelina Arana-Osnaya (1960:257), as cited in Josserand (1983:137).
Group 1: Chigmecatitlán, TlaltempanGroup 2: Cuyamecalco, San Juan CoatzospanGroup 3a: Huitepec, Peñoles, Santa María Peñoles, San Juan TamazolaGroup 3b: Cuilapan; probably also Xoxocotla and other towns - where Mixtec is now no longer spokenGroup 4a: San Miguel el Grande, San Esteban Atatlahuca, Santo Tomás Ocotepec, Jocoticpac; San Rafael in GuerreroGroup 4b: Mechoacán, Jamiltepec, Pinotepa de Don Luis, Ixtayutla, Huazolotitlán, Tlacamama, Pinotepa Nacional, AtoyacCornelia Mak and Robert Longacre (1960) is the first reconstruction of Proto-Mixtec, which is the ancestor of Mixtec proper as opposed to Mixtecan. Below is a classification inferred from Mak & Longacre (1960) by Josserand (1983:142). 9 groups and a total of 28 towns are given.
Central Mixteca Alta: San Miguel el Grande, San Esteban AtatlahucaSouthern Mixteca Alta: Santiago Yosondúa, Santa Cruz Itundujia, San Mateo Santigui, San Pedro (el) Alto, San Fernando YucucundoWestern Mixteca Alta: Santo Tomás OcotepecLowland Mixteca (Mixteca de la Costa): Jicaltepec, Pinotepa de Don Luis, Mechoacán, Tlacamama, AtoyacMixteca Baja: San Juan Mixtepec, JuxtlahuacaGuerrero: MetlatonocPuebla: Tonahuixtla, Xayacatlán, ChigmecatitlánEastern Mixteca Alta: Estetla, Tilantongo, Tidaa, San Juan Diuxi, Santiago Mitlatongo, Nuxaa, San Juan TamazolaNortheastern Mixteca Alta: San Juan Coatzospan, CuyamecalcoThe following classification is given by Richard Spores in The Mixtec Kings and Their People (1967), as cited in Josserand (1983:128). A total of 18 dialects are given.
Apoala, Apasco, Sosola; eastern frontier with Chinantec, Cuicatec, and ZapotecCoixtlahuaca, Huautla, TequixixtepecTonalá, Chila, Petlalcingo, Mariscala, Acatlán; towns on the northern frontier with Nahuatl and TlapanecHuajuapanSilacayoapan; ranchos on Guerrero borderTecomaxtlahuaca, JuxtlahuacaTlaxiaco, and its ranchos of Cuquila, Ñumí, MixtepecTeposcolula, and its ranchos; Tayata, Achiutla, and about 8 other communities, all of which use the Teposcolula marketTilantongo, and its ranchos; MitlatongoChalcatongo, San Miguel el GrandeYucuañe, and 9 or 10 surrounding communitiesTeozacoalco, PeñolesPutlaZacatepecTututepec, JamiltepecYolotepecYanhuitlán, Chicahua, Soyaltepec, Cántaros, Coyotepec, Nochixtlán, TonaltepecTamazulapan, Tejutla, Teotongo, Chilapa de DíazThe following classification is given by C. Henry Bradley (1970), as cited in Josserand (1983:132). A total of 11 dialects are given. His classification was most likely based on SIL International's mutual intelligibility surveys.
Northern: Xayacatlán, Huajuapan, ChigmecatitlánNortheastern: Apoala, Coatzospan, CuyamecalcoEastern: Peñoles, Tilantongo, HuitepecEast-central: AmoltepecCentral: Yosondúa, San Miguel, Molinos, San Esteban (Atatlahuca), Santo Tomás (Ocotepec), MixtepecSouth-central: Nuyoo–Yucuite, ItundujiaWest-central: Silacayoapan–JuxtlahuacaWestern: Metlatonoc, CoicoyánSouthwestern: AyutlaSouthern: Jicaltepec, Chayuco, ZacatepecSoutheastern: TututepecHowever, Bradley (1968) had given a different classification which included only 7 dialects.
Northeast: Apoala, CuyamecalcoNorthwest: Chigmecatitlán, Xayacatlán–Chazumba, CacaloxtepecMixteca Baja: Mixtepec, Juxtlahuaca–Silacayoapan, CoicoyánGuerrero: Coatzingo, Malinaltepec, Yolosochitl, AyutlaMixteca de la Costa: Zacatepec, Pinotepa, Ixtayutla, Jamiltepec, TututepecWestern Mixteca Alta: Ñumí, Chalcatongo, Yosondúa, Itundujia, AtatlahucaEastern Mixteca Alta: Peñoles, TilantongoEgland & Bartholomew (1983)
Egland & Bartholomew find 29 groups at a 70% mutual-intelligibility level. The towns they tested are the following, grouped at 60% intelligibility; a question mark indicates that intelligibility testing had not been done with non-neighboring varieties.
Coatzospan–CuyamecalcoSanta Ana Cuauhtémoc [w Cuyamecalco per E16], Coatzospan [miz]Cuyamecalco [xtu]Apoala, Jocotipac, Ixtaltepec, Chicahua [mip]San Bartolo Soyaltepec [vmq]Santiago Chazumba [xtb], Tonahuixtla, Cosoltepec [xtb], Xayacatlán de Bravo [mit], Tepejillo, Zapotitlán Palmas [mit]; Petlalcingo [mit, xtb both in the town][65% Xayacatlán in the other direction]Chigmecatitlán [mii]Nuxaá [mxy]Estetla, Peñoles [mil]; Huitepec [mxs, mil]; Tlazoyaltepec [mqh, mil]; San Juan Tamazola [vmx]Tidaá [mtx] (60 w Peñoles)San Miguel Piedras [xtp]Tilantongo [xtd]?Ñumí–TlacotepecÑumí, Nunduchi, Nicananduta, San Antonio Monteverde [xtn], Sto. Tomás Ocotepec [mie]; Yucuañe [mvg]Tlacotepec [xtm] (69 w Atatláhuca)Yucunicoco [vmc], San Juan Mixtepec [mix] (unidirectional intelligibility)Nuyoo, Yucuhiti [meh]San Esteban Atatláhuca (68 w Yosondúa) [mib], Santa Lucía Monteverde [mdv]; Molinos; Itundujía [mce]Yosondúa (70 w Atatláhuca) [mpm], San Miguel el Grande, Chalcatongo [mig]; Yolotepec; Teita [xtj]Santa Maria Sindihui [xts]Silacayopan groupCacaloxtepec [miu]Silacayoapan, San Jorge Nuchita [mks], Ixpantepec Nieves, Santiago Tamazola, San Simón Zahuatlán, Atenango, Yucuñuti [mxb], San Miguel Ahuehuetitlán;
Juxtlahuaca: Tecomastlahuaca, San Rafael Tepejillo, Juxtlahuaca, Tindú [vmc]; Cahuatache [mim]; Metlatónoc [mxv]Coicoyán, S. M. Peras [jmx]Guadalupe Portezuelo [mxa w Zahuatlán]?Cuatzoquitengo [mim] (not close to Cahuatache)Ayutla [miy] (divergent)Amoltepec [mbz]Tututepec (61 w Ixtayutla), Acatepec [mtu]Chayuco–ZacatepecSan Cristobál (60 w Jicaltepec) [mxt], Mechoacán, Chayuco [mih] (69 Coicoyán)?Ixtayutla [vmj] (80 w San Cristobál, 79/63% Amoltepec, 59 Chayuco)Zacatepec [mza]Jicaltepec [mio] (74 w Ixtayutla), Colorado [mjc], Tepetlapa, Sayultepec, Don Luis, [Western] Jamiltepec, Jicayán, San Lorenzo, Atoyac; Huazolotitlán [w Eastern Jamiltepec per E16]The classification of Ethnologue is largely based on Egland & Bartholomew. There is no sub-classification, only a list of 52 varieties, though these are reported to have a great range of intelligibility, from essentially none to 85%.
