THE TAJIN TOTONAC PART 1 KELLY AND PALERM 



67 



age brackets (0-4 and 5-9 years) there are more 

 females; in the adolescent groups [the ratio is 

 roughly equal ; but between 20 and 34 years, females 

 again are more plentiful, and they are particularly 

 strong in the 40-44 year age group. 



The numerical superiority of women is not owing 

 to a marked difference in the ratio of the sexes 

 at birth (p. 68), so other factors must be respon- 

 sible. Higher infant mortality among males 

 (p. 68) is significant; so also is homicide, which 

 takes a heavier toll of men than of women. 



In our opinion, the numerical disparity between 

 the sexes does not result from the migration of 

 males to urban centers. This is at variance with 

 the opinion expressed in conversation by Ing. Jose 

 Garcia Pay on, whose acquaintance with Taj in is 

 of many years standing. He feels that there has 

 been a sharp reduction in the population as a whole 

 within the past few years, owing to a movement to 

 Poza Rica and to new settlements which have been 

 founded along the Poza Eica-Tuxpan Highway. 

 We find no concrete evidence of any such general 

 reduction, and although we made more or less 

 systematic inquiry, there is record of only a very 

 few isolated moves to Poza Rica and Papantla, 

 none to the Tuxpan Highway. 



Speech. — The distribution of monolinguals and 

 bilinguals is about what one would expect (fig. 2) . 

 In the second age group (5-9 years), most of the 

 children of both sexes are monolingual ; during the 

 next age group (10-14) , the effects of schooling are 

 evident, and among the boys, there are more bilin- 

 guals than monolinguals. More or less succes- 

 sively, the men become increasingly bilingual, pre- 

 sumably as their contacts with Spanish-speaking 

 Papantla are intensified. Relatively few girls 

 attend school, and the percentage of monolinguals 

 among females continues high; no woman above 

 the age of 65 speaks Spanish. 



The situation as a whole may be summarized 

 thus : 





Males 



Females 



Total population 





Num- 

 ber 



Percent- 

 age of 

 total 

 males 



Num- 

 ber 



Percent- 

 age of 

 total 



females 



Num- 

 ber 



Percent- 

 age of 

 total 

 popu- 

 lation 



Language disregarded 

 (children, 0-4 years) 



Totonac monolinguals... 



Totonac-Spanish bilin- 

 guals _ 



90 

 159 



273 

 



17 

 30 



52 



97 

 338 



13G 

 4 



17 

 59 



24 



1 



187 

 497 



409 

 4 



17 

 45 



37 



Spanish monolinguals... 



(') 





522 



99 



575 



101 



1,097 



99 



1 Less than half of 1 percent. 



Of the total of 186 families, 30, or about 16 per- 

 cent, are monolingual. The distribution of these 

 families seems not to be significant, although there 

 is a sizable cluster living in the southernmost par- 

 cels of the community; for the most part, these 

 are related households of the very numerous 

 Morales family. Nor is there any perceptible re- 

 lationship between language and economic status ; 

 some of the most prosperous citizens are monolin- 

 gual and vice versa. 



Expectably, however, language and clothing are 

 rather intimately related, and most of the bi- 

 linguals are found among those enterprising To- 

 tonac who have adopted "city" clothing — that is, 

 shoes and trousers for the men, and ordinary 

 dresses for the women. This association will be 

 demonstrated concretely in Part 2 of this mono- 

 graph. There also is an expectable relationship 

 between language and those who hold or have held 

 public office; the latter posts are confined to bi- 

 linguals. Moreover, the leaders of the dance 

 groups also are chosen from among bilinguals ; it 

 is said that otherwise they are not able to train 

 novices adequately. 



It is evident that the Totonac language still is 

 vigorous in Tajin. Spanish monolinguals are con- 

 fined to four women, two of whom are visitors 

 from elsewhere. The third is a woman from Pa- 

 pantla, married to Lorenzo Xochigua; although 

 she understands Totonac, she is unable to speak 

 it. The fourth is a young Totonac woman raised 

 in this same household. During most of her life 

 she has been in close contact with this non-To- 

 tonac element, and as a consequence, speaks only 

 Spanish, although she understands Totonac. 



Most settlers from outside learn the language. 

 Juan Castro, a storekeeper, came to Tajin 25 years 

 ago; he now speaks Totonac. Years ago, Isaac 

 Mendez brought his bride from Papantla, and she 

 too, has learned the language. Even in Papantla, 

 virtually all shopkeepers speak Totonac, and va- 

 nilla buyers likewise are forced to learn the native 

 language. in order to make their purchases. 



Totonac is not losing ground in Tajin, in the 

 sense that it is being replaced by Spanish. As- 

 suredly, the increase of bilinguals during the last 

 decade has been pronounced, but it seems likely 

 that for a good many years to come, Totonac will 

 exist side by side with Spanish. Increased school 

 facilities in Ta]in may change this trend. How- 

 ever, the adolescent son of Lorenzo Xochigua. 



