This article reviews the main studies which have been publishedon the Otomí language. Its purpose is not only to comment uponthe bibliography, but to give an idea of what the language waslike at first contact with Spanish, what it is like at the present line as well as what its dialect diversity is nowadays. Two versions of the Our Father, from 1750 and the modern Ixtenco dialect are given as samples of old and modern Otomí. Comparisons of the present-day dialects are made giving examples of basic grammatical questions and of lexicon and phonology. The number of speakers and their distribution is given. The main events of the language's external history are also discussed.El propósito de este trabajo es una revisión de los principales estudios que se han hecho sobre la lengua otomí para dar idea de cómo era la lengua al primer contacto y de cómo es actualmente, así como su diversidad dialectal. La autora da como ejemplo dos versiones del "Padre Nuestro" de 1750 y del dialecto moderno ixteco. También se comparan otros dialectos actuales para ver cuestiones gramaticales, léxicas y fonológicas.