Cuicatec language
| Cuicatec | |
|---|---|
| Native to | Mexico |
| Region | Oaxaca |
| Ethnicity | Cuicatec |
Native speakers | 13,000 (2020 census) |
Oto-Manguean
| |
| Latin | |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | Either:cux – Tepeuxilacut – Teutila |
| Glottolog | cuic1234 |
| ELP | Cuicatec |
Extent of the Cuicatec language: prior to contact (olive green) and current (red) | |
Cuicatec is an Oto-Manguean language spoken in Oaxaca, Mexico. It belongs to the Mixtecan branch together with the Mixtec languages and the Trique language. The Ethnologue lists two major dialects of Cuicatec: Tepeuxila Cuicatec and Teutila Cuicatec. Like other Oto-Manguean languages, Cuicatec is tonal.
The Cuicatecs are closely related to the Mixtecs. They inhabit two towns: Teutila and Tepeuxila in western Oaxaca. According to the 2000 census, they number around 23,000, of whom an estimated 65% are speakers of the language. The name Cuicatec is a Nahuatl exonym, from [ˈkʷika] 'song' [ˈteka] 'inhabitant of place of'.
Cuicatec-language programming is carried by the CDI's radio station XEOJN, based in San Lucas Ojitlán, Oaxaca.