WORLD

Of the 143 native languages in Mexico, 60 are at risk of being silenced forever, linguists say. (National Geographic News)

Use our resources to learn about Zapotec, Chatino, Seri, and other languages of the Americas.

Discussion Ideas

• Take a look at the “Language Diversity Index” map layer in our MapMaker Interactive. The Language Diversity Index measures the diversity of languages spoken in a country. How linguistically diverse is Mexico, compared with other countries in the Americas?
  • Mexico has a moderate amount of linguistic diversity, with most of that diversity centered in the south-central region of the country. It has more diversity than the United States or Argentina, but less than Canada or Bolivia, and far less than its neighbors Guatemala and Belize.

• Read through our activity “Major Languages of the Americas.” How are threatened languages such as Seri and Zapotec represented in the activity?
  • The activity is focusing on major languages—those spoken by the most number of people in each country. The rich diversity of indigenous languages in Mexico is simply categorized as “Amerindian” and “Mayan” in the worksheet, because they are not major languages.

• Read through our spotlight “Language Diversity Index.” Work through the questions in the “Questions” tab, focusing on the endangered languages of Mexico.
  • Using the MapMaker Interactive, compare linguistic diversity with climate zones. (Adjust the transparency to focus on either map layer.) What correlations can you make?
    • Warmer, equatorial climates have greater linguistic diversity.
  • Look at the map of threatened languages in Mexico. Does this geographic information support the worldwide trend of where linguistic diversity is highest?
    • Generally yes, a great focus of linguistic diversity seems to exist in Mexico’s warm, humid south. This series of maps provide even more information.
  • Why do you think areas nearer the Equator have greater linguistic diversity than those farther away?
    • According to the spotlight, a stable, hospitable climate may enable people to stay in an area longer and develop unique languages. In areas farther from the Equator where climate is less certain, people may move around more and engage in commerce with others. This makes for the wider spread of languages.

• Do you think it matters that so many languages are endangered?
  • No, not really. It doesn’t matter when a language dies because so few people speak it.
  • Yes, of course. When a language is lost, other cultural characteristics of a people may be lost forever, too. Take a look at the rich culture represented by the critically endangered Seri language:
    • In Seri, there is no word for “cactus,” although several species exist in the Seri area. If one wants to mention one of these, it is necessary to use the exact name of the species: mojépe (saguaro), xaasj ‘sagueso’, ool (organ pipe cactus), hepem ihéem (cholla), siml (barrel cactus), or ziix istj captalca (prickly pear cactus).
    • In Seri, there is no way to express “no” or a direct negative. Think about that. “One cannot say ‘Nobody came’; one must say the equivalent of ‘A person didn’t come.’ . . . [O]ne can not say ‘bad’; one must say that something is ‘not good.’ One cannot say that something is ‘moving slowly’; one must say that it is ‘not moving quickly.'”
    • This is my favorite: The Seri words associated with car mechanics give new meaning to the words “auto body.”
      • battery (ziix iitax iyas): motor’s liver
      • brakes (iteen ihizlca): motor’s reins
      • hose (yahjij): motor’s trachea
      • muffler (ihiisaxim quih an hant yaait): what the motor’s breathing falls into
      • spark plugs (xiica cooxp): white thighs