Introduction

 

The Tenek language is spoken by 173,765 people in Mexico (INALI-INEGI, 2015). The speakers call themselves Teenek. The territories where they live are some municipalities of San Luis Potosí and Veracruz.

The Tenek language is of the Mayan family and together with the Chicomuselteco (an extinct language) form the Huastecana branch. Your ISO code is [hus].

Three variants of the Tének language have been registered:

  • Western Tenek, spoken in the following municipalities of the state of San Luis Potosí: Aquismón, Ciudad Valles, Coxcatlán, Ebano, Huehuetlán, San Antonio, San Vicente Tancuayalab, Tampamolón Corona, Tamuín, Tancanhuitz de Santos, Tanlajás, Tanquián de Escobedo, and Xilitla
  • Central Tenek, spoken in the following municipalities of the state of Veracruz: Platon Sánchez, Tantoyuca, and Tempoal
  • Eastern Tenek, spoken in the following municipalities of the state of Veracruz: Cerro Azul, Chicontepec, Chinampa de Gorostiza, Chontla, Citlaltépetl, Ixcatepec, Naranjos Amatlán, Tamalín, Tancoco, Tantima, and Tepetzintla.
  • There are newspapers, grammars and new testaments that have been produced in Tenek.

Source:

  • Intercensal Survey. 2015. Mexico: INEGI.
  • Catalog of National Indigenous Languages. Linguistic Variants of Mexico with their self-nominations and geostatistical references. 2013. Mexico: INALI.