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Which language families make up the Mesoamerican linguistic area?
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The Mesoamerican linguistic area is defined by a collection of language families and language isolates that share structural traits due to long-term contact. These groups include:12
- Aztecan (a branch of Uto-Aztecan)
- Cuitlatec (isolate)
- Huave (isolate)
- Mayan (Mayan languages)
- Mixe-Zoquean (Mixe-Zoque languages)
- Otomanguean (Otomanguean languages)
- Tarascan (isolate)
- Tequistlatecan
- Totonacan
- Xinkan
While these groups are distinct, they exhibit shared areal traitsāsuch as specific patterns in nominal possession, the use of relational nouns, vigesimal numeral systems, non-verb-final word order, and various loan translation compoundsāthat distinguish them from neighboring languages outside the region.1