Zapotecan language
- noun
- Many people in Oaxaca speak the Zapotecan language.
Examples
-
The Zapotecan language has several dialects.
-
Scholars have documented several dialects of the Zapotecan language in southern Oaxaca.
-
He is learning to translate ancient stories from the Zapotecan language into Spanish.
-
Many schools in the region now offer classes in both Spanish and Zapotecan language.
-
Scholars have documented several dialects of the Zapotecan language in southern Oaxaca.
-
He is learning to translate ancient stories from the Zapotecan language into Spanish.
-
Many schools in the region now offer classes in both Spanish and Zapotecan language.
Synonyms
1
9.9
The language spoken by a native people of southern Mexico
1
9.9
A native language spoken by the Zapotec people in southern Mexico
A group of related languages spoken by the native people of Oaxaca, Mexico
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase is a straightforward noun phrase combining a proper adjective/name 'Zapotecan' with 'language' to mean the language (or languages) of the Zapotec people. This meaning is directly compositional and follows the common cross-linguistic pattern X + language = the language spoken by X, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents would readily infer the MWE meaning.
Etymology
Zapotecan language is named after the Zapotec people of southern Mexico. The name Zapotec may come from a word meaning 'people of the sapote', a local fruit, so the term simply means the language of those people.