Linguistics doctoral student Ana Arrieta Zamudio recently published a graphic novel in San Pablo Güilá Zapotec, one of the languages on which she does fieldwork. Alongside the Zapotec version, there are Spanish and English versions as well. The project is part of her work in connection with UBC’s Public Scholars Initiative.
The graphic novel, titled Tùgûl̈ “Txì xtěn rǎ gǎmy” ‘The celebration of the Day of the Dead: “The day of the souls”’, follows Juana (Xwân), José (Sê), and their children Dulce (Nàx) and Pedro (Bêd) as they prepare to celebrate the holiday in San Pablo Güilá. One special focus of the work is the use of modals—expressions that express notions like possibility and necessity—in Zapotec. It is the result of a wide-ranging collaboration. Other participants include José Froylan López García, Sergio Tamayo Castelar, Dulce Rocío Santiago Morales, Ana Mey Maricela Morales Cruz, and Virginia Morales Cruz.
