Endangered Languages Project

ALSO KNOWN AS		Ayapanec, Ayapaneco, Ayapa, Zoque, Tabasco, Zoque de Tabasco, Zoque de Ayapanec, Zoque, Numde Oode, Numdi Oodi
CLASSIFICATION		Mixe-Zoquean, Zoquean
CODE AUTHORITY		ISO 639-3
LANGUAGE CODE		zoq
DOWNLOAD		As csv
MORE RESOURCES		OLAC search
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS		Widely reported from Daniel Suslak's research that there are only 2 speakers who don't talk to each other.

Compare Sources (6)

Information from: “Writing the future of Ayapaneco: an orthography for heritage and new speakers of a critically endangered language” . Rangel, Jhonnatan (In press)

Critically endangered

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available
"Calculating the number of speakers can be tricky due to the level of endangerment, but my latest count is approximately 4 elder speakers and 1 younger heritage speaker. There are probably more heritage speakers but [they] haven't been surveyed yet....There might be some new speakers soon due to the 10-year revitalization process."
Native speakers worldwide
SEMI SPEAKERS
1
MORE ON SPEAKER NUMBERS
Also Rangel, Jhonnatan, pers. comm. 2022.

More on Orthography: A practical orthography has recently been developed.

Severely endangered

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available
40
Native speakers worldwide
Ethnic population
367
MORE ON SPEAKER NUMBERS
Data for the number of native speakers comes from A. García de León (1971). Data for the ethnic population comes from the 1960 census.

PLACES: Mexico;

Severely endangered

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available
40
Native speakers worldwide

Critically endangered

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available
4
Native speakers worldwide
SEMI SPEAKERS
6-8
MORE ON SPEAKER NUMBERS
There are four speakers who are currently actively involved in efforts to preserve and teach Ayapanec Gulf Zoquean and perhaps 6-8 more residents of Ayapa who spoke the language as children and could be considered semi-speakers or rememberers. The story about "the last two speakers who do not speak to each other" is a powerful narrative but one that was never true. Alas it continues to circulate in spite of efforts by me and Mexico's National Institute of Indigenous Languages to dispel it.

PLACES: Mexico

LOCATION DESCRIPTION: Ayapa, Jalpa de Méndez, Tabasco

Severely endangered

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available
~40
Native speakers worldwide
MORE ON SPEAKER NUMBERS
(Garza Cuarón and Lastra 1991; Wichmann 1995).

DATE OF INFO: 1991

PLACES: Jalpa de Méndez, Tabasco

	In press	Writing the future of Ayapaneco: an orthography for heritage and new speakers of a critically endangered language					Language Documentation and Description. Proceedings of the FEL24: Teaching and Learning Resources for Endangered Languages					Rangel, Jhonnatan				"Calculating the number of speakers can be tricky due to the level of endangerment, but my latest count is approximately 4 elder speakers and 1 younger heritage speaker. There are probably more heritage speakers but [they] haven't been surveyed yet....There might be some new speakers soon due to the 10-year revitalization process."		1-9	Also Rangel, Jhonnatan, pers. comm. 2022.	1	Critically Endangered (20 percent certain, based on the evidence available)
16	2009	Ethnologue: Languages of the World, 16th Edition (2009)			M. Paul Lewis	SIL International		Dallas, TX			http://www.ethnologue.com/		Lewis, M. Paul (ed.). 2009. Ethnologue: Languages of the World, 16 edn. http://www.ethnologue.com/home.asp. (15 February, 2011.)	ll_pub	367	40		10-99	Data for the number of native speakers comes from A. García de León (1971). Data for the ethnic population comes from the 1960 census.		Severely Endangered (20 percent certain, based on the evidence available)	Mexico;
	2012	LL-MAP (Language and Location: A Map Accessibility Project)							Institute for Language Information and Technology	Eastern Michigan University	http://llmap.org	Anthony Aristar and Helen Aristar-Dry and Yichun Xie	Anthony Aristar, Helen Aristar-Dry and Yichun Xie. 2012. "LL-MAP (Language and Location: A Map Accessibility Project)." Online: http://llmap.org.											18.162169,-93.083664
	2007	Meso-America	Encyclopedia of the World's Endangered Languages	197-209	Christopher Moseley	London and New York: Routledge						William Adelaar and J. Diego Quesada	Adelaar, William and J. Diego Quesada. 2007. "Meso-America." In Encyclopedia of the World's Endangered Languages, edited by Christopher Moseley. 197-209. London and New York: Routledge.			~40	1991	10-99	(Garza Cuarón and Lastra 1991; Wichmann 1995).		Severely Endangered (20 percent certain, based on the evidence available)	Jalpa de Méndez, Tabasco
		World Oral Literature Project									http://www.oralliterature.org		"World Oral Literature Project." Online: http://www.oralliterature.org.			40		10-99			Severely Endangered (20 percent certain, based on the evidence available)
	2015	Personal Communication on Ayapanec Zoque										Daniel Suslak				4		1-9	There are four speakers who are currently actively involved in efforts to preserve and teach Ayapanec Gulf Zoquean and perhaps 6-8 more residents of Ayapa who spoke the language as children and could be considered semi-speakers or rememberers. The story about "the last two speakers who do not speak to each other" is a powerful narrative but one that was never true. Alas it continues to circulate in spite of efforts by me and Mexico's National Institute of Indigenous Languages to dispel it.	6-8	Critically Endangered (20 percent certain, based on the evidence available)	Mexico	Ayapa, Jalpa de Méndez, Tabasco	18.223405, -93.111446

Ayapanec Zoque

Language metadata

Language information by source

Critically endangered

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

Severely endangered

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

40

Severely endangered

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

40

Critically endangered

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

4

Severely endangered

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

~40

Discussion

Ayapanec Zoque

Language metadata

Language information by source

Critically endangered

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

Severely endangered

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

40

Severely endangered

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

40

Critically endangered

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

4

Severely endangered

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

~40

Discussion

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