With some 5,000 languages in the world Mexico is said to rank second in having the most living languages. India comes in first with 65 living languages while Mexico falls three short with 62. It would be nearly impossible to master all 62 of the country’s indigenous langs, so we can only dream or work extra hard on our fluency in Spanish, but for those wanting to tackle such a task I provide you with this word today.
Today’s word is a Zapotec word used in Mexico:
runadiaga – hear
The Zapotec language is an Oto-Manguean lingo with about 400,000 speakers in Mexico today. If you think it’s as easy as that – think again. According to this Native Languages site there are some 12 to 60 Zapotec languages each of which is difficult for speakers of the other to understand. So if you ‘runadiaga’ or hear someone speaking Zapotec, but can’t quite comprehend make sure they’re speaking the tongue from the same neck of the woods you’re referring to. The Zapotec people are centered in Oaxaca, to the south of central Mexico. Wiki has a good informational piece on the language as well as this site devoted to Zapotec. Learning online could be somewhat difficult and what better time to travel to Mexico? Ancient Scripts online has thorough background info on the writing system used with pictures. For a short list of some of the basics including numbers and colors click here.