Ayapanec 1

Uudzu Tzu’ Mbüünyi ‘Monkey and Thunder’
told by Manuel Segovia Jiménez

Daniel F. Suslak
Indiana University
Ayapanec Gulf Zoquean (often referred to as “Ayapaneco”) is a moribund Mixe-Zoquean language spoken by a handful of elderly residents of the town of Ayapa, Tabasco. Its speakers call it Numte Oote ‘the true language.’ They call themselves Nyi’nta’ ‘people from here’ or Ndxaxjonta’ ‘people from this land.’ Ayapa is located in the municipality of Jalpa de Méndez, in a region of Tabasco known as the Chontalpa. The Chontalpa is a contact zone in which Ayapanec has been spoken side by side with Gulf Nahuatl (Uto-Aztecan) and Chontal (Mayan) for centuries both before and after the Spanish Conquest.
Manuel Segovia Jiménez told Suslak the story Uudzu Tzu’ Mbüünyi ‘Monkey and Thunder’ on several occasions during the time they worked together. This particular version was recorded in Don Manuel’s home in the summer of 2007 and transcribed and translated with his help later that fall. Don Manuel was born in 1936 and continued to speak Ayapanec every day, long after all of his friends and neighbors had given it up. In 2015 Manuel, Isidro and their group of speakers worked with INALI to produce an animated version of Monkey and Thunder featuring Ayapanec voice acting and Spanish subtitles.1

1)
speaker		 Por ejemplo el, como se llama, el mono,
‘For example it, what do you call it, the monkey,’
2)
speaker		 este, se sabe que el mono es un animal que grita muy fuerte.
‘um, you know that the monkey is an animal that shouts very loudly.’
3)
speaker		 Pero el trueno grita más.
‘But thunder shouts even more.’
4)
speaker		 Entonces el mono estuvo gritando en un árbol.
‘So then the monkey was shouting up in a tree.’
5)
speaker		 Uudzu ich ninhwej yu tu kuy.
ʔuː¢u ʔit nǝ=y=ŋ•weh yu tu kuy
monkey exist HAB=3A=MOUTH•cry in one tree
‘Monkey is shouting in a tree.’
6)
speaker		 Todo rato.
‘All the time.’
7)
speaker		 Ke jejn makput. Makndüj mbeʹ ii maknhwej maj.
que heM mak=put mak=nǝh meʔ ʔiː mak=ŋ•weh más
that there CMP=exit CMP=go DIST who CMP=MOUTH•cry more
‘He left. He went looking for someone who could shout louder.’
8)
speaker		 Pero nümidxa jejn ich uno jejn ninyoxyeaj, si ninhwejyaj maj.
pero nǝm–haY–ta heM ʔit uno heM nǝ=y=yoš=ʔaM sí nǝ=y=ŋ•weh=ʔaM más
but say–APPL–PASS there exist one there HAB=3A=work=IAM yes HAB=3A=MOUTH•cry=IAM more
‘But there is one, they say, there working, who does shout more.’
9)
speaker		 Maknduʔk yukko mbeʹ lugar.
mak=nuʔk yukːo meʔ lugar
CMP=arrive aboveRN DIST place
‘Monkey arrived in that place.’
10)
speaker		 Mandxüüma, chi günhweaj?
ma=y=nǝm–haY či kǝ=yn=waT
CMP=3A=say–APPL what PROG=2A=do
‘He said to him, “What are you doing?” ’
11)
speaker		 Üts gaʹayooxü. I mits?
ʔǝ¢ kǝ=ʔa=yoš–ǝ ʔi mi¢
1PRO PROG=1S=work–INTR and 2PRO
‘ “I’m working. And you?” ’
12)
speaker		 Üts agwichpa.
ʔǝ¢ ʔa=wit–pa
1PRO 1S=walk–INC
‘ “I’m out walking.” ’
13)
speaker		 Tantu taʹa chi nyox?
tantu taʔa či yn=yoš
so.much NEG what 2A=work
‘ “You have so little work to do?” ’
14)
speaker		 Pweeej, ʹnxuj chi ʹnyoxpa pero maʹaput agwiidx.
pues ʔn=šuT či ʔn=yoš–pa pero ma=ʔa=put ʔa=wit–ǝʔ
well 1A=have that 1A=work–INC but CMP=1S=exit 1S=walk–INTR
‘ “Weeell, I have work to do but I went for a walk anyway.” ’
15)
speaker		 Güjnooʹ ndü’ü tenhwaj tu pwesto—a bver ii ninhwyej maj ke tu…
kǝ=ʔn=hoːʔ–ǝʔ nǝʔǝ ten=waT tu puesto a ver ʔiː nǝ=y=ŋ•weh más que tu
PROG=1A=know–INTR FUT 1A.INCL=do one bet to see who HAB=3A=MOUTH•cry more than one
‘ “Let’s make a bet—let’s see who shouts louder than a… .” ’
16)
speaker		 Üts nüʹnhwej maj ke tu püüsi!
ʔǝ¢ nǝ=ʔn=ŋ•weh más que tu pǝːsiN
1PRO HAB=1A=MOUTH•cry more than one man
‘ “I shout louder than any man!” ’
17)
speaker		 De jejn entonsej, niyoo,
de heM entonces nǝ=y=ʔotoŋ
from there then HAB=3A=say
‘So then, he says to him,’
18)
speaker		 mbüünyi, Üts kasi taa nüʹnhwej,
mǝːñi ʔǝ¢ casi taː nǝ=ʔn=ŋ•weh
lightning 1PRO almost NEG HAB=1A=MOUTH•cry
‘the lightning says, “I don’t shout often,’
19)
speaker		 pero mbaya.
pero mbaya
but well
‘ “but what the heck?’
20)
speaker		 Ndüʹkxü yukku mbeʹk gwütkuy gwekxü yukko.
nǝʔkš–ǝ yukːu meʔ=k gwǝt•kuy gwekš–ǝ yukːo
go–IMP aboveRN DIST=REL big•wood climb–INTR aboveRN
‘ “Go climb up on that branch.’
21)
speaker		 Jeʹma gaʹandüüʹ.
heM=ʔaM kǝ=ʔa=nǝh–ǝʔ
there=IAM PROG=1S=go–INTR
‘ “I’m going presently.’
22)
speaker		 Ndüʹü tsak ayoox.
nǝʔǝ ¢ak ʔa=yoš–ǝʔ
FUT leave 1S=work–INTR
‘ “I am going to stop working.’
23)
speaker		 Ndüʹü goj ʹnxuuye jeʹma gaʹandüüʹ.
nǝʔǝ koT ʔn=šuːye heM=ʔaM kǝ=ʔa=nǝh–ǝʔ
FUT put.on 1PSR=shirt there=IAM PROG=1S=go–INTR
‘ “I’m going to put on my shirt, and I’ll be right there.” ’
24)
speaker		 Makndüj cheegoj.
mak=nǝh y=¢eːk–hoh
CMP=go 3A=stomach–insideRN
‘He went home.’
25)
speaker		 Makyoj syuuye.
ma=y=koT y=šuːye
CMP=3A=put.on 3PSR=shirt
‘He put on his shirt.’
26)
speaker		 Maaa mbeʹe, esteee, makyoj mbiiʹma lo ke ndüʹü kyoj.
ma=meʔe este ma=y=koT miiʔma lo que nǝʔǝ y=koT
CMP=DIST this CMP=3A=put.on all 3PRO what FUT 3A=put.on
‘He dressed himself.’
27)
speaker		 Mapyengedüʹk espaada.
ma=y=pen•ketǝʔk espada
CMP=3A=grab•enter sword
‘He grabbed his sword.’
28)
speaker		 Puute tügünaaga anhgüʹü,
put–e tǝkǝ•ŋ•naːka ʔaŋkǝʔǝ
exit–NOM house•MOUTH•skin patio
‘Out the door into his patio,’
29)
speaker		 mandxakxgwiʹibu.
ma=y=nakš•wiʔipuh
CMP=3A=hit•spin
‘he swung it around.’
30)
speaker		 Mandxakxgwiʹibu de makeʹndeene.
ma=y=nakš•wiʔipuh de mak=keʔn•ten–e
CMP=3A=hit•spin of CMP=shine•stand–NOM
‘He swung it around and fired a bolt of lightning.’
31)
speaker		 Makndüj direkto de ndxeʹ kuy.
mak=nǝh directo de y=neʔ kuy
CMP=go direct of 3A=forRN tree
‘It went right for the tree.’
32)
speaker		 Machünhgüboʹ axta tu laa.
ma=y=tǝŋ•kǝpoʔ hasta tu lado
CMP=3A=chop•split until one side
‘The bolt split the tree in half.’
33)
speaker		 De jejn tejeʔ nye’a ni se sabe judaʹk ndüʹü xuuʹgü uudzu.
de heM teheʔ nnyeʔa ni se‿sabe huta=ʔk nǝʔǝ xuk–ǝʔ uː¢u
from there NEG 3PRO NEG be.known:3SG:PRES

where=REL FUT end–INTR monkey
‘And from there no one knows where the monkey will end up.’
34)
speaker		 Makyakx akeʹayüj kuy küʹm.
ma=y=kakš ma=y=kaʔY–ǝʔǝY kuy kǝʔm
CMP=3A=hit.with.branch CMP=3A=die–CAUS tree below
‘A branch hit him and killed him below the tree.’
35)
speaker		 Entonces niyooo,
entonces nǝ=y=ʔotoŋ
then HAB=3A=say
‘Then he says,’
36)
speaker		 Niyodoj mbüünye, jut ich myüüʹnyeʹago?
nǝ=y=ʔotoŋ mǝːnye yut ʔit yn=mǝːʔnye‿ʔago
HAB=3A=say lightning where exist 2PSR=courage
‘Lightning says, “Where is your courage?’
37)
speaker		 Mits ninyodoj ninhwyej maj?
mi¢ nǝ=yn=ʔotoŋ nǝ=yn=ŋ•weh más
2PRO HAB=2A=say HAB=2A=MOUTH•cry more
‘ “You say you shout louder?’
38)
speaker		 Ndaʹanhwej de una vej, pero taʹa
nǝʔǝ=ʔa=ŋ•weh de una vez pero taʔa
FUT=1S=MOUTH•cry of one time but NEG
‘ “I was going to shout at once, but no.’
39)
speaker		 Taʹa mi ii.
taʔa mi ʔiː
NEG little who
‘ “Not one little bit.” ’
40)
speaker		 Maktsüʹy kyüʹmda kuy.
mak=¢ǝʔy y=kǝʔm–ta kuy
CMP=stay 3A=below–PASS tree
‘Monkey remained there below the tree.’
41)
speaker		 Eso es lo que. [laughter]
‘That’s what.’ (laughter)’
Notes
  1. Available online at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ly5ParAe9Ts&feature=youtu.be. [back]