CHAPTER VIII.

NORTH MEXICAN LANGUAGES.

THE CAHITA AND ITS DIALECTS CAHITA GRAMMAR DIALECTIC DIFFERENCES
OF THE MAYO, YAQUI, AND TEHUECO COMPARATIVE VOCABULARY CA
HITA LORD S PRAYER THE TARAHUMARA AND ITS DIALECTS THE TARA-
HUMARA GRAMMAR TARAHUMARA LORD S PRAYER IN Two DIALECTS
THE CONCHO, THE TOBOSO, THE JULIME, THE PIRO, THE SUMA, THE
CHINARRA, THE TUBAR, THE IRRITILA TEJANO TEJANO GRAMMAR
SPECIMEN OF THE TEJANO THE TEPEHUANA TEPEHUANA GRAMMAR
AND LORD S PRAYER ACAXEE AND ITS DIALECTS, THE TOPIA, SABAIBO,
AND XIXIME THE ZACATEC, CAZCANE, MAZAPILE, HUITCOLE, GUACHI-
CHILE, COLOTLAN, TLAXOMULTEC, TECUEXE, AND TEPECANO THE CORA
AND ITS DIALECTS, THE MUUTZICAT, TEACUAEITZICA, AND ATEACARI
CORA GRAMMAR.

WE now come to the four Aztec-Sonora languages

before mentioned, the Cora, the Cahita, the Tepe-
huana, and the Tarahumara, and their neighbors. I
have already said that, notwithstanding the Aztec
element contained in them, they are in no wise re
lated to each other.
In the northern part
L
of Sinaloa, extendingO across
the boundary into Sonora, the principal language is
the Cahita, spoken in many dialects, of most of which
nothing is transmitted to us. Numerous languages,
which were perhaps only dialects, are named in this
region, and by some classed with the Cahita, but the
information regarding them is vague and contradictory.
No vocabularies or other specimens of them can be
(706)
 NUMEROUS LANGUAGES IN SINALOA. 707

obtained, nor can I find anywhere mention that any

were ever written. Of these there are the Zoe, the
Guazave, the Vacoregue, the Batucari, the Albino, the
Ocoroni, which are mentioned as related, as also the
Zuaque and Tehueco, and the Comoporis and Ahome.
There are also the Mocorito and Petatlan, both dis
tinct; the Huite, the Ore, the Varogio, the Tauro, thu
Macoyahui, the Troe, the Nio the Cahuimeto, the ?

Tepague, the Ohuero, the Chicorata, the Basopa, and

two distinct tongues spoken at the Mission San Andres
de Conicari, and four at the Mission of San Miguel de
1
Mocorito. The only dialects of the Cahita, regarding
which a few notes exist, and which at the same time
appear to have been the principal ones, according to
the best authorities, are the Mayo, Yaqui, and Te
2
hueco. The Cahita language is copious, but will not

Mocorito, Petatlan, and Ocoroni are

1
gentes de varias lenguas. Iii!>ns,

Hist, de los Trivmphos, p. 34. Ahome are gente de diferente leiigua llama-
da Zoe. Zoes son de la misma lengua con los Guacaues. /(/. p. 145. ,

Comoporis los quales auiique eran de la misma lengua de los mansos Aho-
mes. Id., p. 153. Huites de diferente lengua from the Cinaloas. /(/., p.
207. Zuaques and Tehuecos ser todos de una misma lengua. Batuca de
una lengua no dificil, y parecida mucho a lade Ocoroiri. Aleyre, Hint. Comp.
de Jesus, torn, ii., pp. 10, 186. La lengua es ore. Varogia y segun se ha
reconocido es lo mismo que la taura, auiique varia algo principalmente eu
la gramatica. La lengua es particular macoyahui con que son tres las len
guas de este partido. In San Andres de Conicari la lengua es particular y
distinta de la de los demas pueblos si Lien todos los demas de ellos entien-
den la lengua tepave, y aun la caita auiique no la hablaii. La lengua es
particular que Hainan troes. La gente en su idioma es guazave. La
lengua es distina y particular que Hainan nio. Coiiversan eiitre si distiiitas
las lenguas de cahuimetos y ohueras. Lenguas que hablan entre si y
son chicurata y basopa. San Miguel de Mocorito de cuatro parcialidades
y distintas lenguas. Zapata, Relation, in Doc. Hist. Mex., serie iv., torn, iii.,
pp. 303-409. Los misioneros .... colocaban en las misiones de la lengua
cahita los sinaloas, hichucios, zuaques, biaras, matapanes y tehuecos.
El ahome y el comopori son dialcctos muy diversos 6 lenguas hermanas del
guazave. Orozco y Berra, Geor/rdfia, p. 35; Vater, Mithridates, torn, iii., pt.
iii., pp. 1547; Hassel, Mex. Guat., p. 175.
2
La nacion Hiaqui y por consecuencia la Mayo y del Fuerte...quo
en. la sustancia son una misma y de una propia lengua. Cancio, in Doc. Hint.
ATex., se rie iv., torn, ii., p. 24G. Mayo and Yaqui: Su idioma por consig-
uiente es el mismo, con la diferenciade unas cuantas voces. Vclasco, Noticifis
de Sonora, p. 82. Mayo su lengua es la misma que corre en los rios de
Cuaque y Hiaqui. Yaqui que es la mas general de Cinaloa. Jtibas, Hi*t. de
los Trivmphos, pp. 237, 287; Laet, Novns Orbis, p. 286. La lengua cahita
es dividida en tres dialectos principales, el mayo, yaqui y tehueco; ademas
hay otros secundarios. Pimentel, Cuctdro, torn, i., p. 485. Tres dialectos
principales, el zuaque, la maya y el yaqui. Balbi, in Orozco y Berra, Gcoyrafia,
p. 35; Brasseur de Bourboury, Esquiases, p. 31.
708 NORTH MEXICAN LANGUAGES.
3
readily express polite sentiments. Father Ribas says
that the Yaquis always speak very loudly and arro
gantly, and that when asked to lower
their voice they
answered: "Dost thou not see that I am a Yaqui?"
4
which latter word he who speaks loudly.
signifies,
A
grammar of the Cahita was written in the year
1737, of which I give here an extract. The alphabet
consists of the following letters :
a, b, cli, e, h, i, j, k,

I,m, n, o, p, r, s, t, u, v, y, z, tz.
There are three declensions; two for nouns, and the
third for adjectives. To the first belong those words
which end in a vowel, and also the participles ending
with me and u\ to the second, those ending with a con
sonant. Nouns ending with a vowel, and adjectives,
form the plural by appending an to the singular m :

tabu, rabbit; tabum, rabbits. Those ending with a

consonant affix im, and those ending with t affix zim:
paws, hare; parosim, hares; uikit, bird; uilcitzim,
birds. The personal pronouns are: inopo, neheriua,
ncheri, nehe, ne, itee, te, we; empo,
I; itopo, iteriua,
elieriua, eheri, ehee, e, thou; empom, emeriua, emeri,
em, you
einee, ; uahaa, uahariua, uahari, he uameriua, ;

uameri, uamee, im, they.

CONJUGATION OF THE VERB TO LOVE.
PRESENT INDICATIVE.
I love, ne eria We love, te eria
Thou lovest, e eria You love, em eria
He loves, eria They love, im eria
IMPERFECT. PERFECT.
I loved, ne eriai |
I have loved, ne eriak
PLUPERFECT. FIRST FUTURE.
I had loved, ne eriakai |
I shall love, ne erianake
SECOND FUTURE.
I shall have loved, ne eriasunake
IMPERATIVE.
Love thou, e eria, or e eriama
Let him love, eria, or eriama
Love you, em eriabu, or em eriamabu
Let them love, im eriabu, or im eriamabu
3
Su idioma es muy franco, nada diCcil de aprenderse, y susceptible de
reducirse a las reglas gramaticales de cualquiera nacion civilizada. Velasco,
Notidas de Sonora, p. 75.
4
En hablar
.inn nctuicti. aiLU, con brio
y uuii
alto, y singulares, y
ui iu isinguiciica, grandemente arrogantes.
y gAo,j
No
el
dezianlo, porque essa palabra, y nombre, significa,
ves que soy Hiaqui: y deziaulo,
que habla a gritos. Ribas, Hist, de los TrivmpJtos, p. 285.
 GRAMMAR OF THE CAHITA. 709

PRESENT SUBJUNCTIVE.
If I love, lie eriauaua, or eriana

OPTATIVE.
that I may love, netziyo eriayo
PRESENT PARTICIPLE.
Loving, eriakari, eriayo, eriako, or eriakako

INFINITIVE PASSIVE.
To be loved, erianaketeka, or erianakekari
He who loves, eriame He who was loved, eriaii
He who has loved, eriakame He w ho had
r
loved, eriakau
He who will love, erianakeme

Of the many prepositions I only insert the following :

To ni Below vetukimi, tukuni

In tzi Toward venukutzi, patina
With ye For vetziu
Before uepatzi, patzi Within nahina
Above vepa Whence knni, niii
CONJUNCTIONS.
Also vetzi, suri, hnneri, soko As if siua
Although mautzi Thus hiileni
But vitzi, tepa Besides ioentoksoko, ientoik
Not even tepesan If sok

The dialectic differences between the Mayo, Yaqui,

and Tehueco are as follows: the Yaquis and Mayos
use the letter h, where the Tehuecos use s when it
occurs in the middle of a word, and is followed by
a consonant; tuhta, by the Tehuecos is pronounced
tusta. Other words, also,
by some are pronounced short,
while others pronounce them long. The interjection
of the vocative is with some hiua, and with others me.
The pronoun nepo, the Yaquis used instead of inopo.
The Mayos use the imperfect as before given; the
Tehuecos end it with t, and the Yaquis with n. The
pluperfect of the Tehuecos ends with k; that of
the Yaquis with kam; that of the Maya with kai.
To illustrate dialectic differences, I insert a short
comparative vocabulary, made up from a dictionary, a
doctrina, and from words of the Mayo and two Yaqui
dialects :

DICTIONARY. DOCffRINA. MAYO. YAQUI. YAQUI.

Father achai atzai hecliai achay achai
Our itom itom itom itom itom
Be katek katek katek katek katek
Respected aioiore ioiori llori llori iori
Thine em em em em em
710 NORTH MEXICAN LANGUAGES.

The Lord s Prayer in the Cahita :

Itom atzai teuekapo katekame emtehuarn cheche-

Our father heaven in he who is thy name very much

uasu ioioriua, itom ipeisana emiauraua emuarepo im-

be respected, to us that he may come thy kingdom thy will

buiapo anua aman teuekapo anua eueni. Makhu-

earth in let it be done also heaven in is done as. Each day

kve itom buaieu ieni itom amika, itome sok alulu-

our bread to-day to us give, to us also forgive

tiria itom kaalanekau itome sok alulutiria eueni itom

us sins we also we forgive as our

beherim kate sok itom butia huena kutekom uoti :

enemies not and to us lead fall temptation in:

emposi aman itom iqretua katuri betana.

thou also us save no good (bad) of

The Lord s Prayer in the Yaqui dialect:

Ytoma chay teque canca tecame emteguam chehe-

guasullorima yem iton llejosama. Emllauragua em-
balepo ynim buiajo angua. Aman teguecapo anguaben
matehui itom buallem yan sitoina mica. Sor y toma
a hitaria cala ytom d hitaria y topo a litariame ytom
beherim catuise ytom bulilae contegotiama, ca juena
cuchi emposu juchi aman ytom lloretuane caturim be
tana. Amen Jesus.
5

East of the Cahita, in the states of Chihuahua,

Sonora, and Durango, an uncivilized and barbarous
people inhabit the Sierra Madre, who speak
the Tara-
humara tongue,
& which contains the same Aztec ele-
ment as the Cahita, but is otherwise, as previously
stated, a distinct language. The principal dialects

b torn,
Pimentel, Cuadro, torn, i., pp. 456-91; Hervds, in Voter, Mithridates,
iii., iii., pp. 157-8; Ewcftmann, Spuren
pt.
der AzteL Spr., pp. 211-18; Ter-
naux-Compans, in Nouvelles Annales des Voy., 1841, torn, xcii., pp. 260-87 -,

Col. Polidi6mica, Mex. Oration Dominical, p. 49.

 GRAMMAR OF THE TARAHUMARA LANGUAGE. 7J1

6
are the Varogio, Guazapare, and Pachera. The Tara-
humara is a rather difficult language to acquire, mainly
owing to its pronunciation. The final syllables of words
are frequently omitted or swallowed, and sometimes
even the first syllables or letters. The accentuation
also differs much, nouns generally being accentuated
on the penultimate, and verbs on the ultimate. The
alphabet consists of the following letters: a, fr, cli, e, g,
i, j, Jc, I, m, n, o, p, r, s, t, u, v, y. These letters, and
also the following grammatical remarks, refer specially
to the language as spoken in Chinipas. Other dia
lects have the letter h in place of j or r, and z for s.

The plural of nouns is formed by duplicating a sylla

ble: muki, woman; mumuki, women; or, in some
cases an adverb, indicating the plural, is appended.
Patronymics form the plural by duplicating the last
syllable. The particle gua also indicates the plural.
The possessive case is formed by annexing the syllable
ra to the thing possessed Pedro bukttra, house of Pe :

dro. Comparatives are expressed by adding the ter

minal be : gam, good garabe, better and superlatives
; ;

by simply putting a heavier accent on the comparative

terminal: rere, low; rerebe, lower; rerebee, lowest.
Personal pronouns are: neje, I; muje, thou; sen ft, he;
tamuje or ramuje, we; emeje or erne, you; gilepuna,
they.
CONJUGATION OF THE VERB TO COUNT.
PRESENT INDICATIVE.
I count, neje tara We count, ramuje tar
Thou countest, muje tara You count, emeje tara
He counts, semi tara They count, guepuna tara
PERFECT. PLUPERFECT.
I have counted, neje taraca |
I had counted, neje tarayeque
FIRST FUTURE. SECOND FUTURE.
I shall count, neje tarara |
I shall have counted, neje taragdpera

IMPERATIVE.
Count thou, tara Let them count, tardra
Count you, tarasi Do not count, cate tardsi
Let us count, tarayequi
6
Varogia y segun se ha reconocido es lo mismo qi:e la taura aunque varia
algo principalmente en la gramatica. Guazapare la lengua es la misma
aunque ya mas parecida a la de los taraumares. Zapata, Jtebicton, in Doc.
Hint. Hex., serie iv., torn, iii., pp. 388, 3UO, 334 et seq.; Steffel, iu Murr,
712 NORTH MEXICAN LANGUAGES.

PRESENT SUBJUNCTIVE.
1

If I count. soneca tarara If we count, sotameneca tarara

If them count, somuca tarara If they count, sopuca tarara
If he count, sosenuca tarara

IMPERFECT. 7
If I did count, soneca tarareyeque
He who counts, tarayameque They who have to count, tarameri
Counting, taroyd He who has to count, tarab6ri
Having counted, tarasago

Of the different dialects there are five specimens, all

Lord s Prayers, a comparison of which will show their
variations. The first is from Father Steffel:
Tami Nono, manii regui guami gatiki, tami noine-
ruje mu regud selimea rekijena, tami negudruje mu
jelaliki hennd guetschiki, mapu hatschibe reguega
quami. Tami nututuje liipela, tami guecduje tami
guikeliki, matame hatschibe reguega tami guecduje
putse tami guikejameke, ke td, tami sdtuje, telegati-
gameke inechcd hula. Amen.

The second is from Tellechea, who lived in Chinipas

and at Zapopan:
Taimi nono repd regiiegdchi atigameque mutegud-
rari santo nireboa, mu semarari
regiiegdchi atiga, tamu
jurd muyerari jenagiiichiqui mapii regiiega eguarigua
repa regiiegdchi. Sesenu ragiie taimi nitugara, jipe
ragiie tami nejd, tami cheligiie tamucheina yori yoma
matameregiiegiii cheligue tamu ayorigudmeque uche
mapu requi chati ju meed mu jura, mapu tami tayor-
abua queco.

The third is in the dialect spoken in the district of

Mina :

Taminono tehuastiqui tehuara santi riboa razihuachi

tamupera arimihuymira nahuichi chumiricd tehuane-
huario teamonetella sinerahue hiperahui tamenejd.
Seoriqui cahuille chumaricd cahuille quiamoque ta-
rube chimerd chiniariqui rnasti nahuchimoba. Amen
Jesus.

Nachrichten, pp. 296-300; Ribas, Hist, de los Trivmphos, p. 592; Pimentel,

Cuadro, torn, i., p. 363; Orozco y Berra Geo(/rqfia, p. 34.
Tellechea, Compendia Gram, del Idioma Taraliumar, pp. 2-3.
7
 TARAHUMARA LORD S PRAYERS. 713

For the next two no localities are given:

Tami nono guami repd, reguegachi atiame: td, cbei-
quichi ju, miireg uega repd, asagd mu atiqui:
mapu
Jend, ibi, guichimoba quima neogarae mu nagudra mu ;

Held, litae guichimbba mil lloldra guali mil cii mollenara,

mi, repd, reguegachi. Amen Jesus.

Hono
tami niguega matu ati crepa: guebruca nil-
re raque mubregud. Tami nagiiibra que munetebrichi,
nilrelra que mu el rabrichi gend, guichimoba mapu :

breguegal repa. Brami gogudme epilri braglie brame

jipeya, brami giiecagtie. Mata igui giiicd, mapu bre-
gliega bramege. GiiecagiAe mapu brami giiique ta
nobri brami guichavari que chitichi natabrichi. Habri
brami guaini mane brisiga equime. Amen Isuis. 8
Although in possession of Tellechea s grammar,
Gallatin denies the connection between the Tarahu-
mara and the Aztec. 9 I give here some of their
grammatical resemblances. These are, the incorpo
ration of the noun with the verb in some cases; the
combination of two verbs, the dropping of the original
end-syllables when joining or incorporating several
words together, the formation of the plural by dupli
cation, and the traces of a reverential end-syllable.
All these are important points, and combined with the
similarity in some cases even identity of a great
number of words, they make the relationship or traces
of the Aztec language in the Tarahumara incontest
10
able.

Passing to the north-eastern part of Mexico, I enter

a totally unknown region, of whose languages mention
8
Tctlcrhea, Compendia Gram, del Idioma Tarahiimar, also in Soc. Mex.
Boletin, torn. iv. pp. 145-08, and in Pimentel, Cuadro, torn, i., pp. 366-
Geo</., ,

400; titeffd, TaraJiumarinchea Worterbuch, in Murr, Nachriditen, pp. 2 J6-374;

(

Ternaux-Covnpans, in Nouvelles Annales des Voy., 1841, torn. xcii. pp. 260- ,

287; Vater, Mithridates, torn, iii., pt. iii., pp. 144-54; Col. Polidiomica, Alex.,
Oracton Dominical, pp. 40-3.
9
Have no resemblance with the Mexican. Gallatin, in Amer. Ethno.
Soc., Tramact., vol. i., p. 4. This (the Tarahumara) has not in its words
any affinity with the Mexican; and the people who speak it have a decimal
arithmetic. Id., p. 203. Ihre Aehnlichkeit mit dem Mexikanischen .ist . . .

doch gross germg. Vater, Mithridates, torn, iii., pt. iii., p. 143; Wilhelm von
Humboldt, in Buschmann, Spnren der Aztek. Spr., pp. 46-50.
ly
Wdhelrn von Hnmboldt, in Buschmann, Spuren der Aztek. Spr., p. 50.
714 NORTH MEXICAN LANGUAGES.

is made, but nothing more. Neither vocabularies, nor

grammars, nor any other other specimens of them
exist, and in most cases it is even difficult to fix the
exact geographical location of the people who are re
ported to have spoken them. Of these I name first
the Concho, which language is reported to have been
a dialect of the Aztec, but this is denied
by Hervas,
who had his information from the missionary Palacios,
although the latter admits that the people spoke the
Aztec. Their location is stated to have been near the
Eio Concho. 11 In the Bolson de Mapimi, the Toboso
language is named. This people are reported to have
understood the language of the Zacatecs and the
Aztecs; and furthermore, to have had their own dis
12
tinct tongue. Other idioms mentioned near the same
region, are the Hualahuise, Julime, Piro, Suma, and
13
Chinarra. Of the Piro I find the following Lord s
Prayer :

Quitatac nasaul e yapolhua tol huy quiamgiana mi

quiamnarimi. Jaquie mugilley nasamagui hikiey
quiarnsamae, mukiataxa~m, hikiey, hiquiquiamo quia
inae, huskilley nafoleguey, gimorey, y apol y ahuley,
quialiey, nasan e porno llekey, quiale mahimnague yo
se mahi kand rrohoy, se teman
quiennatehui mukilley,
nani, nani emolley quinaroy zetasi, nasan quianatehuey
pemcihipompo y, qui solakuey quifollohipuca. Kuey
maihua atellan, folliquitey. Amen.

The Irritila, which was spoken by a number of

tribes, called by the Spaniards the Laguneros, inhab
iting the country near the Missions of Parras, is an
other extinct tongue. 14 In Coahuila, the Tejano or
Coahuiltec language is found. A
short manual for the
use of the priests was written in this
language by
n
Alegre, Hist. Comp. de Jesm, torn, ii., p. 58; Orozco y Berra, Geografia,
pp. 324-5; Bunchmann, Spuren der Azlek. Spr., p. 172.
12
Villa-Seilor y Sanchez, Theatro, torn, ii., p. 348; Pascual, in Hist. Doc.
Hex., serie iv., torn, iii., p. 201; Busckmann, Spuren der Aztek. Spr., p. 172;
Orozco y Berra, Geografia, pp. 308-9.
13
Orozco y Berra, Geografia, pp. 309, 327; Col. Polidiomica, Hex., Oration
Dominical, p. 36.
14
Orozco y Berra, Geografia, p. 309.
 EXTRACT FROM THE COAHUILTEC GRAMMAR. 715

Father Garcia, and from it a few grammatical observa

tionshave been drawn by Pimentel.
The letters used are a, c, ch, e, h, i, j, I, m, n, o,p, q,
</,

s, t, u, y, tz. The pronunciation is similar to that of

some of the people who inhabit the Northwest Coast,
as the Nootkas, Thlinkects, and others. kind of A
clicking sound produced with the tongue, which Gar
cia designates by an apostrophe, thus: c q f, p\ T. , ,

The and q arc pronounced with a rasping sound

c
from the root of the tongue t with a click with the ;

point of the tongue against the teeth, etc. There is

no plural in the language, except such as is expressed
by the words many, all, and some. Pronouns are tzin,
I; jamin or am, thou; nami, mine; ja, thine; jami,
ours. Interrogation is expressed by the letter e after
the verb: japta poef are you a father? po being the
verb. Negation is expressed by ojua, if it stands for
no alone, but if it is joined to a verb, it is expressed
by ajdm following the verb, and if the verb ends with
a vowel, by yajdm. The Tejano is divided into sev
which vary chiefly in the different pro
eral dialects,
nunciation of some words; as for die they say chi, or
so for se, cue instead of co, etc. The following soul-
winning dogma, with the translation, is given as a
specimen of the language.
Mej t oajiim pitucuej pinta pilapam chojai pilche
guatzamojuajamatd, pilapajuaj sauj chojai: Mej t
oajam pitucuej pilapoujpaco san paj guajatam ate;
talom apnan pan t oajam tucuet apcue tucue apajai
sanche guasd/yajdm: sajpdm pinapsa* pitachijo, mai
cuan tzarn aguajta, namo, namo t oajam tucuem
maisajac mem; t ajacat mem jatalam ajam e?
And there in hell there is nothing to eat, nor any
Lep, nor rest; there is no getting out of hell; the
great fire of hell will never be finished. If thou hadst
died with those sins, thou wouldst be already there in
15
hell; then, why art thou not afraid?
The Tubar is another idiom which was spoken near
the head- waters of the Rio Sinaloa. Ribas affirms that
15
Pimentel, Cuadro, torn, ii., pp. 409-13.
716 NORTH MEXICAN LANGUAGES.

two totally distinct languages are spoken by this people.

From a Lord s Prayer preserved in this tongue, Mr
Buschmann, after careful comparison, has concluded
that the Tubar another member of the Aztec-Sonora
is

group, showing, as it does, unmistakable Aztec traces.

I insert the Lord s Prayer, with translation.

Ite cafiar tegmuecarichin catemat irnit tegmuarat

Our father heaven in art thy name
milituraba teochigualac ;
imit huegmica carin iti baca-
be praised; thy kingdom us to

china ssisaguin, imit avamunarir echu nanigualac

come, thy will here be done
imo cuigan amo nachic tegmuecarichin; ite cokuatarit
as well as there is done heaven; our bread
essemer taniguarit iabba ite micam; ite tatacoli ikiri
daily to-day us give; our sins forgive
atzomua ikirirain ite bacachin cale kuegmua nanigua-
as we forgive us against evil previously have
cantem caisa ite nosam baca tatacoli bacachin ackirb
done not us lead in sin of evil
16
muetzerac ite.
deliver us.

The
following is a Lord s Prayer of the Tubar dia
lect, spoken in the district of Mina in Chihuahua:
Hite caflac temo calichin catema himite muhara
huiturabd, santonetard himitemoh acari hay sesahui
hitebacachin hitaramare hechinemolac amo cuira pan
amotemo calichin hitecocohatari eseme tan huaric.
Llava hiteinicahin tatacoli higuili hite nachi higuiriray
hitebdcach in calquihuan nehun con ten hitehohui cal-
tehue cheraca tatacol bacachin hiqu ipo calquihua"
nahuite baquit ebacachin calaserac. Amen Jesus. 17
16
Tienen estos indios dos lenguas totalmente distintas la una, y que :

mas corre entre ellos, y demas gente, es de las que yo tengo en este partido,
con que les hablo, yme entienden. .la otra es totalmente distinta.
. .
Hervds,
Catdloyo, torn, i., p. 320; Ribas, Hist, de los Trivmphos, p. 118; Vater,
Mithridates, torn, iii., pt. iii., p. 139. Zwar voll von Fremdheit und sehr fiir
sich dasteht, aber doch als ein wirkliches sonorisches Glied, bei bestimmten
Gemeinschaften mit den anderen und als vorzugsweise reich an aztekischen
Stoff ausgestattet. .Ihre Ahnlichkeiten neigen abwechselnd gegen die Cora,
. .

Tarahumara, und Cakita, besonders gegen die beiden letzten, auch Hiaqui;
der Tepec/uana bleibt sie inehr fremd. Bmchmann, Spur en der Aztek. Spr.,
pp. 164, 170-1.
17
Col. Poliditimica, Hex. Oracion Dominical, p. 47.
 TEPEHUANA GRAMMAR. 717

In the state of Durango and extending into parts

of Jalisco, Chihuahua, Coahuila, and Sonora, is spoken
the Tepehuana language. 18 Like the Tarahumara, it
is guttural and pronounced in a rather
sputtering man
ner. The Tepehuanes speak very fast, and often leave
off or swallow the end-syllables, which occasioned much
trouble to the missionaries, who on that account could
not easily understand them. Another difficulty is
the accentuation, as the slightest variation of accent
will change the meaning of a word. 13 The following
alphabet is used to represent the sound of the Tepe
huana :
i, j, Jc, I, m, n, o, p, q, r, s, sc,
a, b, ch, d, e, g, h,
t, In the formation of words, many vowels are
u, v, y.
frequently combined, as: ooo, bone; iiuie, to drink.
Long words are of frequent occurrence as soigulida- :

datudadamo, meit sciuguidodadaguitodadamoe,

difficult ;

continually. The letter d appears to be very fre

quently used, as in the word toddascidaraga, or doadi-
damodaraga, fright. To form the plural of words, the
first syllable duplicated. Personal pronouns are:
is

aneane, or am,
I; api, thou; eggue, he; atum, we;
apwn, you; eggama, they; in, mine; u, thine; di or
de, his; ut, ours; um, yours.

CONJUGATION OF THE VERB TO SAY.

PRESENT INDICATIVE.
I ?ay, aneane aguidi We say, atum aguidi
Thou sayest, api aguidi You say, apum aguid
;
.

He says, eggue aguidi They say, eggam. aguidi

IMPERFECT. PERFECT.
I said, aneane aguiditade I I have said, aguidianta or
aneaneanta aguidi
FIRST FUTURE. SECOND FUTURE.
I shrll say, aneane aguidiague |
I shall have said, aneane aquidiamokue

18
Ribas, de los Trivmphos, p. 673; Aler/re, Hist. Comp. de Jesus,
Hist,
torn, i., Musco, Mex., torn, iii., p. 209; Znpata, Relation, in Doc.
p. 319;
Hist. Mex., serie iv., torn, iii., pp. 310-15; Orozco y JSerra, Geo</rafia, pp. 34,
320; Vatcr, Mithridates, torn, iii., pt. iii., p. 138; Pimentel, Cxadro, torn, ii.,
]). 43; Buschmann, Spuren der Aztek. Spr., p. 1G2; Hervus, Catdloyo, torn, i.,
p. 327.
19
La pronunciacion es muy gutural y basta el mas ligero cambio en ella
;

para que cambien de sentido las palabras. fiinaldini, Gratnatica, in Pimeittel,

Cvadro, torn, ii., p. 46; Buschmarm, Spuren der Aztek. Spr., p. 36.
 718 NORTH MEXICAN LANGUAGES.

IMPERATIVE.
Let me say, aguidiana ane
Say thou, aguidiani, or aguidiana api
Let him say, aguidiana eggue
Let us say, aguidiana atum
Say you, aguidiana apum, or aguidavoramoe
Let them say, aguidiana eggam
I may say, aneane aguidana
I should say, aneane aguidaguitade
I should have said, aneane aguidaguijatade
If I should say, aneane aguidaguiague
PARTICIPLE.
Saying, aguidimi Having said, aguidati
He is saying, aguidimi jatade

In some places the ending of the imperfect indica

tive is kade instead of tade.
CONJUNCTIONS.
And amider Or sciupu
As if
appia na Although tumasci, tume
Also jattika, kat For which ukaidi
And for that ikaidiatut

THE LORD S PRAYER.

Utogga atemo tubaggue dama santusikamoe uggue
Our father who in heaven above sanctified be he

ututugaraga duviana uguiere api odduna gutuguito-

thy name come thy kingdom thou do thy

daraga tami dubur dama tubaggue. Udguaddaga ud

will as well earth above haven. Our food to us

makane scibi udjoigudane ud sceadoadaraga addukate

give to-day to us forgive our sins as
20
joigude jut jaddune maitague daguito ud.
we forgive our debtors not tempt us.

The roughest and most inaccessible part of the

Sierra Madre, in the state of Durango, is the seat of
the Acaxee language, which from this centre spreads,
under different names and dialects, into the neighbor
ing states. Among these dialects are mentioned the
Topia, Sabaibo, Xixime, Hume, Mediotaquel, and Te-
21
baca. Some writers claim that the Acaxee with all
20
Pimentel, Cuadro, torn, ii., pp. 46-68.
2l
eran de la misma lengua y Nacion Acaxee. Ribas, Hitf. de
Sabaibos
Trivmphos, pp. 471, 491.
\~>s Sabaibos distinta nacion, aunque del mismo
Acaxee. A leyre, Hist. Comp. de Jesus, torn. i. p. 422.
">lioma
Humes, na ,

cion distinta de los xiximes aunque tienen una misma lengua. Alonso del
 THE CORA LANGUAGE AND ITS DIALECTS. 719

its differences is related to the Mexican, while others,

among them Balbi, make it a distinct tongue. As
neither vocabularies nor other specimens of it exist,
the real fact cannot be ascertained. The missionaries
say that the Aztec language was spoken and under
stood in these parts. In Zacatecas is mentioned as
the prevailing tongue the Zacatec, besides which some
authors speak of the Cazcane as a distinct idiom, while
others aver that the Cazcanes and Zacatecs were one
people. Besides these, there are adjoining them the
Mazapile, Huitcole, and Guachichile, of none of which
22
do I find any specimens or vocabularies. I also find
mentioned in Zacatecas the Colotlan, and in Jalisco
23
the Tlaxomulteca, Tecuexe, and Tepecano.

In that portion of the state of Jalisco which is

known by the name of Nayarit, the Cora language is
spoken. It is divided into three dialects; the Muut-
zicat, spoken in the heart of the mountains; the Tea-
cuaeitzica, on the mountain slopes; and the Cora, or
Ateacari, near the mouth of the Rio Nayarit, or

Vallc, in Doc. Hist. Mex., serie iv., torn, iii., p. 96. Me parece que tienen
afinidad las lenguas topia, acajee y tepehuana, las quales, conio tambien la de
Parras, son dialectos de la, Zacateca. Ilervds, Catdlo<jo, torn, i., p. 327. Im
Norden von Tepehuana enthiilt die gebirgige Provinz Topia uni den 25 N.
Br. ausser der lingua Topia untl der dainit verwandteii Acaxee, iiocli im
Norden der letzteren [die Xixi/ne, Sicuraba, Hina, mid Ifidme als Sprachen.
ebenso vieler verschiedeiier in der Nahe der Topia uiid Acaxee wohnendeii
Volkerschaften. Vater, Mithridates, torn, iii., pt. iii., pp. 138-9. Castaneda
mentions in these regions the Tahus, Pacasas, and Acaxas languages, in
Ternau.c-Compans, Voy., serie i., torn, ix., pp. 150-3; Zapata, Relation, in Doc.
Hist. Mex., serie iv., torn, iii., pp. 415-17; Orozco y Berra, Gepgrafia, pp. 12-13,
319-20; Buschmann, tipuren der Aztck. Spr., pp. 173-4.
22
Iiidios cascanes que son los Zacatecas. Xuchipila que entendian la
lengua de los Zacatecos. Padilla, Cowj. N. Galicia, MS., p. 234; Bernardez,
Descrip. Zac.atecas, p. 23. Cazcanes, qui ad fines Zacatecarum degunt, lin
gua inoribusqtie a caeteris diversi: Guachachiles itidem idiomate ditfer-
entes; Denique Guamane, quorum idioma supra modum concisum, dillicil-
ime addiscitur. Laet, Nonis Orltis, p. 281. La lengua mexicana que es la
generica de toda la Provincial Arl&jui, Clirtin. Zacatecas, p. 52. Sobre el
Cascon 6 Zacateco, no creo que hubiera sido ni aun dialecto del mexicaiio,
sino que era el mismo mexicano hablado por unos riisticos que estropeaban
las palabras y que les dabaii distinto acento. Huacbichiles, Tejuejue, and
Tlajomulteco Sobre estos idiomas, 6 si les considera dialectos, ju^go que no
existieron. fiornero Gil, in Soc. Mex. Boletin, torn, viii., p. 499; Ribas,
Geo<j.,

Hist, de los Tnvmphox, p. 676; Hassel, Mex. Guat., p. 159.

^ Orozco Berra, 61.
y Geoymfia, p.
720 NORTH MEXICAN LANGUAGES.
24
Jesus Maria. The Aztec element which is stronger
and more apparent in the Cora than in any other of
the three Aztec-Sonora languages, has been recognized
25
by many of the earliest writers. The Cora language
is intricate and rather difficult to learn, as indeed are
26
the other three. Following are a few grammatical
notes taken from Ortega s vocabulary.
The letters of the alphabet are a, b, ch, e, h, i, Jc, m, :

n o,t, u, v, x, y,
p, r, is hard;
z, tz. The pronunciation
there no established way of expressing the gender.
is

The names of animated beings, as well as inanimate

objects, form the plural by the affixes te, eri or ri, tzi
or zi; and also with the preposition mea, although
there are some exceptions to this rule for example, ;

zearate, bee; zearateri, bees; Icanax, sheep; kanexeri,

sheep; ukubihuame, orator; ukubihuametzij orators;
teatzahuateakame, he who is obedient, of which the

21
Apostollcos Afancs, cap. vii., p. 56. Dentro de Reyno cle la Galicia que-
daron algunos otras Naciones como son los Cocas, Tequexes, Choras, Te-
cualmes y Nayaritas, y otras que despues de pacificada la tierra hail dejado
de hablarse por que ya reducidos los de la leiigua Azteca, que era la major
nacion se han mixturado de suerte que ya todos las mas hablan solo una len-
totla la Galicia excepta en la Provincia del Nayarifc. Padilla, Conq.
reiiGalicia, MS., p. 8. La lengua Cora, que es la delNayar. Arridvita,
Cr6nica Serdfica, p. 89; Orozco y Berra, Geografia, pp. 39, 281-2; Vater, Hith-
ridates, vol. pp. 131-2.
iii., pt. iii.,
a5
La lengua mas comun del pais es la chota aunque muy interpolada y
confundida hoy con la Mexicana. Alegre, Hist. Comp. de Jesus, torn, iii., p.
197. Muchos vocablos de la lengua mexicana, y algunos de la castellana,
los han corisado haciendolos propios de su idioma tan antiguamente; que
ya hoy en dia corren, y se tienen por Coras. Ortega, in Soc. Mex. Geog., Bo-
letin, torn, viii., p. 503. No carezco totalmente de datos para creer que los
indios iiayares son pimas, 6 al menos desceiidieiites de ellos. Orozco y Berra,
Geografia, p. 39. Es idioma hermano del azteca, tal vez fuiidado en algu-
nas palabras que tienen la forma 6 las raices del mexicano; nosotros cree-
mos que estas semejanzas no provienen de comunidad de origen de las dos
lenguas, sino de las relaciones que esas tribus maiituvieron por espacio de
mucho tiempo. Id., p. 282. La core offrent tres-peu d affinite avec les
autres langues americaines. Malte-Brun, Precis de la Geog., torn, vi., p. 449.
*
Die Cora .... bewiihrt ihre Verwandtschaf t vornehmlich durch die unver-
kennbare Gleichheit einer nur deisen beiden Sprachen gemeiiishaftlichen
Formations-Weise des Verbum in seinen Personen und die Bezeichmmg ihrer
Beziehung auf ein leidendes Object, wie die Vergleichung des grammatischeii
Charakters beyder Sprachen deutlich zeigen wird. Vater, Mithridates, torn,
iii., pt. iii., Fiir verwandte Sprachen, wie sie allerdings scheineii,
pp. 87, 89.
haben Cora und die mexicanische grosse Verscniedenheiten in ihrem
die
Lautsystem. Wilhelm von Jfumboldt, in Bttschmann, Spuren der AzteL Spr.,
pp. 48-9.
26
La lengua Cora. . .es tan dificil, que si no se esta entre ellos muchos
.

anos, no se puede aprencler y tiene de particular, que no se asemeja a otra

de las nacioues que tieue vecinas. Cavo, Tres Siylos, torn, ii., p. 117.
 CORA GRAMMAR AND LORD S PRAYER. 721

plural is teatzakuateakametzi; kurute, crane; Jcurutzi,

cranes; teaxka, scorpion; teaxkate, scorpions. Verbal
nouns designating a person who performs an action are
formed by affixing to the verb the syllable kame, or
huame: hukabihuame, advocate (he who pleads); tim-
uacheakayne, lover (he who loves) ; tichuikame, singer
(he who sings).
Personal pronouns are: neapue, nea, I; apue, ap,
thou; aehpu, aehp, he; iteammo, itean, we; ammo, an,
you; aehmo, aehm, they; but
in conjugating the follow

ing are used: ne, I; pe or pa, thou; te, we; ze, you;
me, they. Of the conjugation of the verb, it is only
stated that there is no infinitive, and the following
example of the present indicative is given :

I love, nemuache We love, temuache

Thou lovest, pemuache You love, zemuache
He loves, muache They love, me muache

There are plural and singular verbs tachuite, to give :

a long thing taihte, to give long things.

;

Prepositions are: hetze, tzahta, in; kerne, with, for;

apoan, above tihauze, before.; The peculiarity of the
Muutzicat dialect is the frequent use of the letter r,
which is either appended or placed in the middle of
the word at pleasure; for huihma, they say ruihma;
for earit, erarit. The Teakuaeitzicai dialect has many
distinct words not used in any of the others, so that
at times they are not at all understood by those speak
ing the other dialects. As a specimen I insert the
Lord s Prayer:
Tayaoppa tahapoa petehbe cherihuaca eiia teaguarira ;

Our father heaven be sanctified be thy name;

chemeahaubeni tahemi eiia chianaca cheaguasteni eiia
come to us thy world done be thy

jevira iye chianakatapoan tup up tahapoa. Ta hainuit

will a earth as heaven. Our bread

huirna tahetze rujeve ihic ta taa; huatauniraca

always us by wanting to-day us give; forgive

ta xanacat tetup iteahmo tatahuatauni titaxanakante ta

our sin as we we forgive our debtors us
VOL. III. 46
722 NORTH MEXICAN LANGUAGES.

vaehre teatkai havobereni xamakat hetze huavaehreaka,

that not let us fall sin in help
help

tecai tahemi rutalmaja tehai eu ene che enhuata

that not us reach not what good so be it.

27
hua.

Ortega, Vocabulario, in Soc. Mex. Gcorj., Boletin, torn, viii., pp. 561-602;
27

Pimentel, Cnadro, torn, ii., pp. 71-88; Voter, Mithridates, torn, iii., pt. iii., pp.
131-8; Buftchmann, Die Lautver cinder ung AzteL Worter in den Sonor. Spr.; Id.,
Gram der Sonor. Spr.