Honduran Lenca

Honduran Lenca is a language that was spoken with minor dialect differences in Intibuca, Opatoro, Guajiquiro (Huajiquiro), Similatón (modern Cabañas), and Santa Elena. The name can be misleading; although primarily spoken in Honduras, it was also spoken in El Salvador close to the Honduran border. It is distantly related to Salvadoran Lenca.

Honduran Lenca can be divided into four dialects: western (Intibuca), central (Santa Elena, Chinacla), eastern (Guajiquiro, Opatoro), and southern (Similaton).^[2]

• Stops /p, t, k/ in word-medial and word-final positions may occasionally be heard as voiced [b, d, ɡ]. /p, k/ may also be fricated as [β, ɣ] in these positions as well.
• /n/ can be heard as velar [ŋ] when preceding /k/, a pause, or an onset vowel.
• /p, k/ in word-final position may also occasionally be pronounced as [f, h].^[3]
• A glottal stop [ʔ] may be heard after a word-final vowel.^[4]

The basic syllable structure is CVC. It is hypothesized that earlier forms of the language had a CV structure, but shifted towards CVC through final vowel deletion. Stress is poorly documented, but is thought to have been syllable final.

Finite verbs are optionally suffixed for tense, and obligatorily for subject. Pronominal objects are expressed by proclitics. Nonfinite forms, such as gerunds and participles, are formed through suffixes. There are two verbs that more or less correspond to Spanish ser and estar.