Northern Pame language use

CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION

1.1 Introduction

Northern Pame, an Otopamean language of the Otomanguean family San Luis Potosí, Mexico, is phonologically and morphologically complex in all its major word classes. At the same time, this language seeks to preserve a number of universal markedness constraints such as No Complex Onsets, the Obligatory Contour Principle, the Coda Condition and the Strict Sonority Principle, which are at times in a natural conflict with faithfulness constraints operating in the language. The result is a violation of either faithfulness or markedness as a means of perserving a higher ranking constraint; the end product being the selection of the most optimal surface form. Northern Pame exemplifies this universal trade off between markedness or faithfulness violation and likewise, does so within a language specific constraint ranking. This research is an investigation into the phonological and morphological descriptive facts of Northern Pame. In addition, it is an account of the system of conflicting constraints operative in this language, a system which ultimately characterizes the linguistic competence of the native Northern Pame speakers themselves.

1.2 Location

Northern Pame is the most northern member of the Otomanguean language family of Mexico. This language group is located in the state of San Luis Potosí, 150 miles east of the state capital, San Luis Potosí in the Sierra Madre Oriental mountains. The Pame language family includes three separate languages, which are Northern Pame pame norte de Alaquines, Central Pame pame central de Santa María Acapulco and Southern Pame pame de Jiliapan, HDO.. Southern Pame was last documented by Manrique 1967 at which time there were only six or seven speakers in the villages of Jiliapan, Hidalgo and Pacula, Querétaro. Today, Southern Pame is considered to probably be extinct. Central Pame is spoken in and around the village of Santa Maria Acapulco, San Luis Potosí. It is the most documented of the Pame languages Soustelle 1934, Gibson 1954, 1956, Olson 1963, Gibson and Bartholomew 1979 and language use in the Central Pame region is still quite strong. Northern Pame is spoken in villages that are clustered around three primary zones: Ciudad del Maíz, Alaquines, and La Palma. The area around La Palma has the highest concentration of Northern Pame speaking villages, the larger ones being Cuesta Blanca, Copalillos, Vicente Guerrero, Huizachal, Pozos Cuates, La Manzanilla and Agua Puerca. These villages pertain to either the municipalities of Rayon or Tamasopo, San Luis Potosí.

1.3 Northern Pame language use

The latest documentation lists Northern Pame as having between 1000 to 10,000 speakers Ethnologue 2000, the exact number being unknown due to a high amount of SpanishNorthern Pame bilingualism within the indigenous communities. Field notes from this researcher suggest a number of approximately 6000 speakers total. The state of language use for Northern Pame is not promising and the language shows every sign of being moribund. A similar diagnosis was given by Soustelle two generations ago during his initial research of the language. Una informante con quien trabajamos en Tierras Coloradas, una anciana inteligente y vigorosa, deploraba la desaparición inminente del pame y reprochaba a los demás indígenas su indiferencia o su timidez; pero ella parecía la única que tenía conciencia de la situación 1937: 333. One informant with whom we worked in Tierras Coloradas, an intelligent and vigorous older woman, deplored the imminent disappearance of Pame and reproached the other indigenous for their indifference or their timidity; but she appeared to be the only one that had consciousness of the situation. Another example comes from Felix Baltazar, a Northern Pame speaker who presently resides in Cuesta Blanca. Mr. Baltazar was raised speaking Northern Pame and subsequently learned Spanish at seven years of age in primary school. He describes the humiliation of constantly being behind in his studies and the ridicule by both teachers and classmates because of his ‘poor Spanish’, as leaving a permanent scar on his scholastic studies. When Mr. Baltazar married his wife, María de los Ángeles, they both consciously made the decision to speak only Spanish with their children so that they would not suffer the same experiences their parents. Some years later, Mr. Baltazar began working with educators and linguists in documenting his mother tongue. This gave him a new appreciation for Northern Pame, and he and Maria changed their philosophy of ‘Spanish only’ with their children. However, with four of the five already past puberty, only the youngest child was able to learn Northern Pame well enough to speak and understand it. Of the seven principal Northern Pame villages that surround La Palma, monolingual speakers of the language have been identified only in La Manzanilla and Pozos Cuates. In these communities, parents speak the language with one another as well as with their children. Likewise, children can be found speaking in Northern Pame with one another, although this is the exception not the rule. In the villages of Cuesta Blanca and Copalillos, adult speakers still regularly converse in the language, but with few exceptions these same speakers use only Spanish with their children.

1.4 State of research