Language shift, language reclamation: The case of Nahuatl in Tuxpan, Jalisco, Mexico

Rosa H. Yáñez Rosales, Universidad de Guadalajara

In this article, I describe the importance of sociolinguistic fieldwork, collect testimonies of what people think about Nahuatl, also known as Mexicano, in Tuxpan in southern Jalisco, Mexico, and examine the possible reasons for its substitution. I discuss the significance of one of the dialects of a Mesoamerican language becoming obsolescent. Thanks to the collective memory of the people of Tuxpan, who regardless of their age are aware that Nahuatl was once spoken there, the indigenous language has maintained a symbolic role that allows reclamation projects to take place.


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