Mochoʼ (known as Motozintleco in older sources) is a Mayan language spoken by the Mochoʼ people of Chiapas, Mexico. A source stated that it was known as Qatokʼ[2] (from Qa-our and Tookʼ-language: our language), although this name has not received wide acceptance among the native speakers and the language, which is known as Mochoʼ by both the Mochoʼ people and the Mexican government.[3] Mochoʼ has a dialect called Tuzantec (Muchuʼ) spoken in Tuzantan, Chiapas. Alongside Jakaltek, Qʼanjobʼal, Chuj and Tojol-Abʼal, the Mochoʼ language is part of the Qʼanjobalan group from the western branch of Mayan languages.
With about 124 speakers as of 2020,[4] Mochoʼ is considered an endangered language. Educational programs in Mochoʼ are helping to preserve the language among youth and the process of teaching and learning the language in indigenous schools.[5]
The two dialects of Mochoʼ are spoken in two different villages: the Tuzantec dialect in Tuzantán (a town near Huixtla, Chiapas), and the Mochoʼ dialect in Motozintla. Historically, the two groups descend from a single population living in the region of Belisario Dominguez about 500 years ago. According to local legend, the split and migration was caused by a plague of bats. Speakers have also been reported in the nearby towns of Tolimán, Buenos Aires, and Campana. Palosaari (2011) describes the Motozintlec dialect.[2]
The official Writing Norm of the Mochoʼ Language (In Mochoʼ: Naʼobal chu tsʼiba we tookʼ Mochoʼ, Spanish: Norma de escritura de la lengua mochoʼ) was published in 2011 by the Instituto Nacional de Lenguas Indígenas, it is mainly used for indigenous education. It established official alphabet, grammar rules and other linguistic aspects.[6]
According to the established in the written norm, the Mochoʼ alphabet consists of 30 letters, 25 consonants and 5 vowels that represent all the phonemes of the language. The official name of the Mochoʼ alphabet is Tsʼibtookʼ Mochoʼ.[7]
Unlike most Mayan languages, Mochoʼ is tonal. Stress is regular and at the last syllable.
In Mochoʼ, Proto-Mayan *j [x] and *h [h] have merged to /j/ in Motozintleco, while Tuzanteco preserves this distinction.
It is worth noting that pronunciation rules change compared to modern Spanish, as ñ becomes an "ng" sound like in sing, and glottalization becomes important for many consonants.