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Cultures & languages around
the world and, of course, in Mexico Magico
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by Prof. German Estrada
June 10, 2002. |
In Mexico as well as in other countries,
there are other cultures where people speak other languages,
have different customs as well as other beliefs; in
general they lead lifestyles different from the ones
most of us know.
There are thousands of cultures in
this world, and each one of them has different customs.
Of all these cultures, 62 are in Mexico and 62 different
languages are spoken in our country… plus a high
number of dialects.
Let us read a little bit about the
diversity we can find in this México Mágico
of ours.
Do you know which are the languages
that are spoken and used by the majority of people in
the world?
In the first place, the English
language is used by most people in the world. Chinese
ranks second and in third place is Spanish. When it
comes to the languages spoken on the American Continent,
Spanish comes in first place, followed by English and
Portuguese.
In Mexico we have 98 million people
that speak Spanish, and 2,563,000 people who speak Nahuatl.
Then come the Maya with about 1,490,000 people.
When it comes to the number of original
ethnic groups, the countries that have the largest amount
of them in the world are: India, China and Mexico in
that order. Concerning the ethnic groups in the Americas,
Mexico comes first, followed by Brazil and Peru. The
largest ethnic groups in Mexico are Nahuatl, Maya and
Zapoteca.
Many of the words that we used nowadays
(and not only in Mexico) come from the Nahuatl language.
These words have been integrated into our vocabulary
to the point that we may even think that they are Spanish
words (or whatever). As examples, we have: Aguacate,
Cacahuate, Cacao, Chocolate, Tomate, Tamales, Guajolote
(turkey) or Chapulin (Grasshopper), etc.
And then we have what is called "regionalisms",
words that are only spoken in the region where they
are used. As examples of how kids (niños) are
called in the different regions, we have: "Guerco"
in Monterrey, "Chilpayate" in Oaxaca and "Nene"
in San Luis Potosí.
And if you feel like learning a few
words in Spanish and Maya, here are some examples:
Animal= Baalche
Aguila (Eagle)= cot
Ardilla (squirrel)= Cuuc
Conejo (Rabbit)= Tluul
Murcielago (Bat)= Zods
Pájaro (Bird)= Chhiichh
Perro (Dog)= Pek
Pavo o Guajolote (Turkey)=Tzo
Rana (Frog)=Uoo
Ratón (Mouse)= Chho
Jaguar = Balam
Zopilote (Buzzard) Chhom
gestrada@pvnet.com.mx
Prof. Germán
Estrada is the author of the best selling book,
"México Mágico: Everything
You Wanted To Know About... But Nobody Told You..."
available in Puerto Vallarta at The Net House, Mail
Boxes, Etc., Books, Books as well as directly from the
author by internet.
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