Labor migration has also brought a number of native Zapotec speakers to the United States, particularly in California and New Jersey.

In Juchitán (Isthmus) it is Diidxazá [didʒaˈza],[3] in Mitla it is Didxsaj [didʒˈsaʰ],[4] in Zoogocho it is Diža'xon [diʒaʔˈʐon],[5] in Coatec Zapotec it is Di'zhke' [diʔʒˈkeʔ],[6] in Miahuatec Zapotec it is Dí'zdéh [diʔzdæ] and in Santa Catarina Quioquitani it is Tiits Së [tiˀts sæ], for example.

Certain characteristics serve to classify Zapotec varieties in ways that cross-cut the geographical divisions.

In this particular word Amatlán does not have a labialized consonant at the end, and the otherwise innovative variety Yatzachi keeps the final vowel: /bekoʔ/.

Unfortunately, materials on Zapotec languages vary widely in the quality of their tonal description and analysis.

Minimally they have simple vowels vs. some kind of laryngealization or creakiness; see Quioquitani Zapotec, for example.

[20] Others have a contrast between simple, laryngealized and "checked" vowels (which sound like they end in a glottal stop); see Isthmus Zapotec, for example.

Some characteristics of Zapotec grammar common to the language family (though not necessarily present in all members) are: an extensive 3rd person pronoun system based on noun classes such as divinity, babies, animals, objects (inanimate), etc.

The following example from Quiegolani Zapotec (Black 2001) shows a focused element and an adverb before the verb: LaadFOCʂ-unaaPOSS-womanDolfRodolfod͡ʒealreadyz-uPROG-standnga.thereLaad ʂ-unaa Dolf d͡ʒe z-u nga.FOC POSS-woman Rodolfo already PROG-stand there'Rodolfo’s wife was already standing there.

'The preverbal position for interrogatives is shown in the following example, from San Dionisio Ocotepec Zapotec (Broadwell 2001).

This is an example of wh-movement: Túúwhoù-dììnyCOMPL-hitbè'cw?dogTúú ù-dììny bè'cw?who COMPL-hit dog'Who hit the dog?

tjoʔptwobeʰnːpersontjoʔp beʰnːtwo person'two people' (Mitla Zapotec)[26]Demonstratives, including one that means Aforementioned (in some varieties) and is sometimes translated as a definite article, occur phrase-finally (although they are sometimes written as if they were suffixes).

niˈgiˀmanɾethisniˈgiˀ ɾeman this'this man' (Mitla Zapotec)[27]Descriptive adjectives follow the noun.

When they occur they also typically receive the primary stress of the phrase, causing the noun to lose some phonation features.

Most if not all varieties of Zapotec languages have intransitive-transitive verb pairs which may be analyzed as noncausative vs. causative.

In the simplest cases, causative is transparently seen to be a prefix, cognate with /s-/ or with /k-/, but it may also require the use of a thematic vowel /u/, as in the following examples from Mitla Zapotec:[29] Setting aside possible abstract analyses of these facts (which posit an underlying prefix /k-/ that causes the changes seen superficially), we can illustrate the kinds of non-causative vs. causative pairs with the following examples.

San Lucas Quiaviní Zapotec[31] has seven aspects: habitual, perfective, irrealis (viz., potential), progressive, definite (viz., completive), subjunctive, and neutral.

(In both of these cases, since the plural morpheme and the pronouns may be enclitics, they are often written as if they were prefixes and suffixes, respectively, although they arguably are not true affixes.)

[35] Many linguists working on Zapotec languages use different terminology for describing what appear to be related or similar phenomena, such as grammatical aspect markers.

This is due in part because of the different audiences for which the descriptions have been prepared (professional linguists vs. Zapotec speakers of the language communities, for example).

The difference of terminology is particularly true in descriptions of the aspectual systems of the Valley Zapotec languages.

[37][38] Contemporary literature in Zapotec has been produced by Irma Pineda, Natalia Toledo and Felipe Lopez, among others.

Zapotec-language programming is available on a number of radio stations: The CDI's radio stations XEGLO, based in Guelatao de Juárez, Oaxaca, and XEQIN-AM, based in San Quintín, Baja California, carry Zapotec-language programming along with other indigenous languages.

(Coatecas Altas Zapotec speakers live in the area around San Quintín, Baja California.