S-3. Language for the Classroom
§1. This section presents some things you may hear from your teacher beginning the first day of class, along with some responses and other phrases you may want to use. Your teacher will help you practice saying all these things, and you can listen to them as often as you wish in the audio materials that accompany this course. Pronunciation guides are explained in Lecsyony Chon and Lecsyony Tap.
In Zapotec, there are two ways to say “you” or give an order to another person, INFORMAL (used to someone younger than you, or a good friend) and FORMAL (used to someone older than you or someone whose position demands respect). Commands and questions used by the teacher to the students below use informal “you”; commands addressed to the teacher by students use formal “you”.
In addition, “you” in Zapotec varies according to whether it is SINGULAR or PLURAL (referring to one person or more than one). In this book, “you” is singular and informal unless noted otherwise.
| Zapotec | English | pronunciation guide |
| Byuti! | “Come in! (informal)” | [byutìi!] |
| Ual gyuti! | “Come in! (to more than one person)” | [u’all gyutìi!] |
| Bri! | “Sit down!” | [brih!] |
| Lia Len, nuu re e? | “Elena, are you here?” | [Lia Leen, nu’-ùu’ rèe’ èee?] |
| Ajy, a naa re. | “Yes, I’m here.” | [a’jy, a nàa’ rèe’] |
| Jwany, nuu re e? | “Juan, are you here?” | [Jwany, nu’-ùu’ rèe’ èee?] |
| Ajy, a naa nua re. | “Yes, I’m here.” | [a’jy, a nàa’ nu’-a’ rèe’] |
| Queity bieddyëng nazhi. | “She didn’t come today.” | [que’ity bìe’ddyëng nahzhih] |
| Queity nudyëng re. | “He’s not here.” | [que’ity nu’uhdyëng rèe’] |
| Queity racbidya. | “I don’t understand.” | [que’ity rahcbìi’dya’] |
| Queity binydyagdya xi nayu. | “I didn’t hear what you (formal) said.” | [que’ity binydya’gdya’ xi nnahyuu’] |
| Queity bindyagdya xi noo. | “I didn’t hear what you (informal) said.” | [que’ity bindya’gdya’ xi nnòo’] |
| Ynilayui steby. | “Please (formal) say that again.” | [ynnìi’làa’yuu’-ih steeby] |
| Izyla cayunyu. | “You’re doing well.” | [ihzylàa’ cayùu’nyùu’] |
| A gual gyoën. | “It’s time for us to go home.” | [a gua’ll gyoo’ëhnn] |
§2. Here are some useful phrases with examples of how to use them to learn new words:
| Xa rni buny “___” cuan Dizhsa? | “How do you say ‘___’ in Zapotec?” | [x:a rnnììi’ bùunny “___” cuahnn Dìi’zhsah?] |
| ___ rni buny “___” cuan Dizhsa? | “___ is how you say ‘___’ in Zapotec.” | [___ rnììi’ bùunny “___” cuahnn Dìi’zhsah] |
Example:
|
Xa rni buny “dog” cuan Dizhsa? |
“How do you say ‘dog’ in Zapotec?” |
|
Becw rni buny “dog” cuan Dizhsa. |
“Becw is how you say ‘dog’ in Zapotec.” |
| Xa rni buny “___” cuan Ingles? | “How do you say ‘___’ in English?” | [x:a rnnììi’ bùunny “___” cuahnn Inglehs?] |
Example:
|
Xa rni buny “becw” cuan Ingles? |
“How do you say ‘becw’ in English?” |
|
Dog rni buny “becw” cuan Ingles. |
“Dog is how you say ‘becw’ in English.” |
Casual, not FORMAL, used when it is not necessary to show respect for the person to whom you are talking; abbreviated as "inf.". An informal "you" PRONOUN is used with people your own age or younger, usually people you know well, and when talking with people you do not respect. Conservative Valley Zapotec speakers do not use the informal "you" when addressing their parents.
Used to show respect for the person one is talking to; abbreviated as "form.". Formal "you" PRONOUNS are used with talking with your elders or people you respect (or whose position you respect). A respectful Zapotec child always uses formal pronouns with grandparents and other older relatives, and most use them with their parents.
Referring to just one item or person.
Referring to more than one item or person.
