Mayan languages 182013 220339690 2008-06-19T11:19:01Z DOI bot 6652755 Citation maintenance. Initiated by [[User:|]]. You can [[WP:DOI|use this bot]] yourself! Please [[User:DOI_bot/bugs|report any bugs]]. {{redirect|Maya language}} {{featured article}} <!--Spelling conventions: - For individual language names this article uses the ALMG orthographies for the Mayan languages of Guatemala, and the Mexican languages Ch'ol, Wastek and Tojolab'al. Traditional Spanish spellings are used for Tzotzil, Tzeltal, Lacandón and Chicomuceltec. The Cordemex orthography is used for the Yucatec language. For Classical Quiché the traditional spanish spelling is used. The name Jakaltek is preferred over the alternative Popti'. - For the names of language groups in the genealogical classification the following spellings are used: Ch'olan, Q'anjobalan, Quichean, Yucatecan and Huastecan.--> {{Infobox Language family |name=Mayan |region= [[Mesoamerica]]: Southern [[Mexico]]; [[Guatemala]]; [[Belize]]; western [[Honduras]] and [[El Salvador]]; small refugee and emigrant populations, especially in the [[United States]] and [[Canada]] |family= [[language family]] descended from [[Proto-Mayan]]. See [[Mayan languages#Genealogy and classification|below]] for details. |familycolor=American |proto-name=[[Proto-Mayan]] |child1=Huastecan |child2=Yucatecan |child3=Ch'olan |child4=Q'anjobalan-Chujean |child5=Mamean |child6=Quichean |child7=Poqom |iso2=myn |map=[[Image:Distribution-myn2.png|center|thumb|280px|Location of Mayan speaking populations. See [[Mayan languages#Geography and demographics|below]] for a detailed map of the separate languages.]] }} The '''Mayan languages''' (alternatively: '''Maya languages''')<ref>In [[linguistics]], it is conventional to use ''Mayan'' when referring to the languages, or an aspect of a language. In other academic fields, ''Maya'' is the preferred usage, serving as both a singular and plural [[noun]], and as the [[adjective|adjectival]] form.</ref> form a [[language family]] spoken in [[Mesoamerica]] and northern [[Central America]]. Mayan languages are spoken by at least 6 million [[Maya peoples|indigenous Maya]], primarily in [[Guatemala]], [[Mexico]], and [[Belize]]. In 1996, Guatemala formally recognized 21 Mayan languages by name,<ref>Spence, ''et al.'' (1998).</ref> and Mexico [[Languages of Mexico|recognizes]] eight more. The Mayan language family is one of the best documented and most studied in the [[Americas]].<ref>Campbell (1997), p.165. </ref> Modern Mayan languages descend from [[Proto-Mayan]], a language thought to have been spoken at least 5,000 years ago; it has been partially [[historical linguistics|reconstructed]] using the [[comparative method]]. Mayan languages form part of the [[Mesoamerican Linguistic Area]], an [[sprachbund|area of linguistic convergence]] developed throughout millennia of interaction between the peoples of Mesoamerica. All Mayan languages display the basic diagnostic traits of this linguistic area. For example, all use [[relational noun]]s instead of [[preposition]]s to indicate spatial relationships. They also possess [[grammar|grammatical]] and [[linguistic typology|typological]] features that set them apart from other languages of Mesoamerica, such as the use of [[Ergative-absolutive language|ergativity]] in the grammatical treatment of verbs and their subjects and objects, specific inflectional categories on verbs, and a special [[Lexical category|word class]] of "positionals" which is typical of all Mayan languages. During the [[pre-Columbian]] era of [[Mesoamerican chronology|Mesoamerican history]], some Mayan languages were written in the [[Maya script|Maya hieroglyphic script]]. Its use was particularly widespread during the Classic period of [[Maya civilization]] (c. 250–900 CE). The surviving corpus of over 10,000 known individual Maya inscriptions on buildings, monuments, pottery and bark-paper [[Maya codices|codices]],<ref>Kettunen and Helmke (2005), p.6.</ref> combined with the rich postcolonial [[Mesoamerican literature|literature in Mayan languages]] written in the [[Latin alphabet]], provides a basis for the modern understanding of pre-Columbian history unparalleled in the Americas. ==History== Mayan languages are the descendants of a [[Proto-language (historical linguistics)|proto-language]] called Proto-Mayan or, in K'iche' Maya, ''Nab'ee Maya' Tzij'' ("the old Maya Language").<ref>England (1994).</ref> The Proto-Mayan language is believed to have been spoken in the Cuchumatanes highlands of central Guatemala in an area corresponding roughly to where Q'anjobalan is spoken today.<ref>Campbell (1997), p. 165. The earliest proposal (Sapper 1912) which identified the Chiapas-Guatemalan highlands as the likely "cradle" of Mayan languages was published by the German antiquarian and scholar [[Karl Sapper]]; see attribution in Fernández de Miranda (1968), p. 75.</ref> The first division occurred around 2200 BCE when Huastecan split away from Mayan proper, after its speakers moved northwest along the [[Gulf Coast of Mexico|Gulf Coast]]. Proto-Yucatecan and Proto-Ch'olan speakers subsequently split off from the main group and moved north into the [[Yucatán Peninsula]]. Speakers of the western branch moved south into the areas now inhabited by Mamean and Quichean people. When speakers of proto-Tzeltalan later separated from the Ch'olan group and moved south into the [[Chiapas highlands]], they came into contact with speakers of [[Mixe-Zoquean languages]]. In the Archaic period (before 2000 BCE), a number of [[loanword]]s from Mixe-Zoquean languages seem to have entered the proto-Mayan language. This has led to hypotheses that the early Maya were dominated by speakers of Mixe-Zoquean languages, possibly the [[Olmec]] culture.<ref>For a view attributing a Mixe-Zoquean language to the Olmec, see for example Campbell and Kaufman (1976).</ref> In the case of the [[Xinca language|Xinca]] and [[Lenca language|Lenca]] languages, on the other hand, Mayan languages are more often the source than the receiver of loanwords. This is seen by Mayan language specialists like [[Lyle Campbell]] to suggest a period of intense contact between Maya and the [[Lenca people|Lencan]] and [[Xinca people]], possibly during the Classic period (250–900 CE).<ref>Campbell (1997), p. 165.</ref> [[Image:Mayan Language Migration Map.svg|thumb|left|360px|Approximate migration routes and dates for various Mayan language families. The region shown as Proto-Mayan is now occupied by speakers of the Q'anjobalan branch (light blue in other figures).<ref>Based on Kaufman (1976).</ref>]] The split between Proto-Yucatecan (in the north, that is, the Yucatán Peninsula) and Proto-Ch'olan (in the south, that is, the Chiapas highlands and [[Petén Basin]]) had already occurred by the Classic period, when most extant [[#Glyphic writing|Maya inscriptions]] were written. Both variants are attested in hieroglyphic inscriptions at the [[List of Maya sites|Maya sites]] of the time, and both are commonly referred to as "[[Classic Maya language]]." During the Classic period all the major branches diversified into separate languages. But the glyphic texts only record two varieties of Mayan — a Ch'olan variety found in texts written in the southern Maya area and the highlands, and a Yucatecan variety found in the texts from Yucatán Peninsula.<ref>Kettunen & Helmke (2006) p. 12.</ref> It was recently suggested that the specific variety of Ch'olan found in the glyphic texts is best understood as "Classic Ch'olti'an", the ancestor language of modern Ch'orti' and Ch'olti'. It is thought to have originated in western and south-central Petén Basin; it would have been used in the inscriptions and perhaps also spoken by elites and priests.<ref>Houston, Robertson, and Stuart (2000).</ref> The reason why only two linguistic varieties are found in the glyphic texts is probably that these served as [[prestige dialect]]s throughout the Maya region; hieroglyphic texts would have been composed in the language of the elite.<ref>Kettunen & Helmke (2006) p. 12.</ref> Nevertheless, common Mayan people must already have spoken a number of distinct languages by the Classic period. During the Spanish colonization of Central America, all indigenous languages were eclipsed by [[Spanish language|Spanish]] which became the new prestige language. Mayan languages were no exception, and their use in many important domains of society, including administration, religion and literature, came to an end. Yet the Maya area was more resistant to outside influence than others,<ref>The last independent Maya kingdom ([[Tayasal]]) was not conquered until 1697, some 170 years after the first ''[[conquistador]]es'' arrived. The Colonial and Postcolonial periods also saw periodic uprisings by Maya peoples against the colonizers, such as the [[Caste War of Yucatán]], which extended into the 20th century.</ref> and perhaps for this reason many Maya communities still retain a high proportion of [[monolingual]] speakers. Nonetheless, the Maya area is now dominated by Spanish. While a number of Mayan languages are [[moribund language|moribund]] or are considered [[endangered language|endangered]], others remain quite viable, with speakers across all age groups and native language use in all domains of society.<ref> Grenoble & Whaley (1998) characterized the situation this way: "Mayan languages typically have several hundreds of thousands of speakers, and a majority of Mayas speak a Mayan language as a first language. The driving concern of Mayan communities is not to revitalize their language but to buttress it against the increasingly rapid spread of Spanish...[rather than being] at the end of a process of language shift, [Mayan languages are]... at the beginning." (Grenoble & Whaley 1998:xi-xii)</ref> As Maya archaeology advanced during the 20th century and [[nationalist]] and ethnic-pride-based ideologies spread, the Mayan-speaking peoples began to develop a shared ethnic identity as Maya, the heirs of the great [[Maya civilization]].<ref> Choi (2002) writes: In the recent Mayan cultural activism, maintenance of Mayan languages has been promoted in an attempt to support "unified Mayan identity". However, there is a complex array of perceptions about Mayan language and identity among Mayans who I researched in Momostenango, a highland Mayan community in Guatemala. On the one hand, Mayans denigrate K’iche’ and have doubts about its potential to continue as a viable language because the command of Spanish is an economic and political necessity. On the other hand, they do recognize the value of Mayan language when they wish to claim the ‘authentic Mayan identity’. It is this conflation of conflicting and ambivalent ideologies that inform language choice...</ref> The word "Maya" was likely derived from the postclassical Yucatán city of [[Mayapan]]; its more restricted meaning in pre-colonial and colonial times points to an origin in a particular region of the Yucatán Peninsula. The broader meaning of "Maya" now current, while defined by linguistic relationships, is also used to refer to ethnic or cultural traits. Most Mayans identify themselves first and foremost with a particular ethnic group, e.g. as "Yucatec" or "K'iche'"; but they also recognize a shared Mayan kinship.<ref>Choi (2002)</ref> Language has been fundamental in defining the boundaries of that kinship.<ref>Fabri (2003: p. 61. n1) writes: The term Maya is problematic because Mayan peoples do not constitute a homogenous identity. Maya, rather, has become a strategy of self-representation for the Mayan movements and its followers. The Academia de Lenguas Mayas de Guatemala (ALMG) finds twenty-one distinct Mayan languages"</ref> Paradoxically perhaps, this pride in unity has led to an insistence on the separateness of different Mayan languages, some of which are so closely related that they could easily be referred to as dialects of a single language. However, given that the term "dialect" has been used by some with racialist overtones in the past, making a spurious distinction between Amerindian "dialects" and European "languages", the preferred usage in recent years has been to designate the linguistic varieties spoken by different ethnic group as separate languages.<ref>See Suárez (1983) chapter 2 for a thorough discussion of the usage and meanings of the words "dialect" and "language" in Mesoamerica.</ref> In Guatemala, matters such as developing standardized orthographies for the Mayan languages are governed by the [[Academia de Lenguas Mayas de Guatemala]] (ALMG; Guatemalan Academy of Mayan Languages) which was founded by Mayan organisations in 1986. Following the 1996 [[Guatemalan Civil War|peace accords]] it has been gaining growing recognition as the regulatory authority on Mayan languages both among Mayan scholars and the Maya peoples themselves. ==Genealogy and classification== ===Relations with other families=== The Mayan linguistic family has no demonstrated [[Genetic (linguistics)|genetic ties]] to other linguistic families. Similarities with some languages of Mesoamerica are understood to be the due to diffusion of linguistic traits from neighboring languages into Mayan and not to common ancestry. [[Mesoamerican Linguistic Area|Mesoamerica]] has been proven to be an area of substantial linguistic diffusion.<ref>Campbell, Kaufman & Smith-Stark (1986)</ref> A wide range of proposals have tried to link the Mayan family to other language families or [[language isolate|isolates]], but none were generally supported by linguists. Examples include linking Mayan with [[Chipaya-Uru]], [[Mapudungun]], [[Lenca language|Lenca]], [[P'urhépecha]] and [[Huave]]. Mayan has also been included in various [[Hokan languages|Hokan]] and [[Penutian languages|Penutian]] hypotheses. The linguist [[Joseph Greenberg]] included Mayan in his highly controversial [[Amerind languages|Amerind hypothesis]], which is rejected by most [[historical linguistics|historical linguists]] as unsupported by available evidence. According to [[Lyle Campbell]], an expert in Mayan languages, the most promising proposal is the "Macro-Mayan" hypothesis, which posits [[Linkage (linguistics)|linkages]] between Mayan, [[Mixe-Zoquean languages]] and [[Totonacan]], but more research is needed to support or disprove this hypothesis.<ref>Campbell (1997), p.165.</ref> === Subdivisions === The Mayan language family is extremely well-documented, and its internal genealogical classification scheme is widely accepted and established, except for some minor unresolved differences. One point still at issue is the position of Ch'olan and Q'anjobalan-Chujean. Some scholars think these form a separate Western branch<ref>For example, Campbell and Kaufman (1985).</ref> (as in the diagram below). Other linguists do not support the positing of an especially close relationship between Ch'olan and Q'anjobalan-Chujean; consequently they classify these as two distinct branches emanating directly from the proto-language. [[Image:Mayan Language Tree in colour.png|center|710px|Geneaology of Mayan languages.]] ==Geography and demographics == {{seealso|List of Mayan languages}} [[Image:Mayan Language Map.png|left|thumb|380px|Map of areas where the various Mayan languages are spoken. Font sizes indicate relative sizes of speaker populations (Yucatec and K'iche' with 900,000 and 2,000,000 speakers respectively; 100,000–500,000 speakers; 10,000–100,000 speakers; and under 10,000 speakers.)]] ===Huastecan branch=== [[Wastek language|Wastek]] (also spelled Huastec and Huaxtec) is spoken in the Mexican states of [[Veracruz]] and [[San Luis Potosí]] by around 110,000 people.<ref>Gordon, Raymond G., Jr. (ed.). Ethnologue (2005).</ref> It is the most divergent of modern Mayan languages. [[Chicomuceltec]] was a language related to Wastek and spoken in Chiapas that became extinct some time before 1982.<ref>Campbell and Canger (1978).</ref> ===Yucatecan branch=== [[Yucatec Maya language|Yucatec Maya]] (known simply as "Maya" to its speakers) is the most commonly spoken Maya language in [[Mexico]]. It is currently spoken by approximately 800,000 people, the vast majority of whom are to be found on the [[Yucatán Peninsula]].<ref>[http://www.inegi.gob.mx/est/contenidos/espanol/rutinas/ept.asp?t=mlen10&c=3337 Población hablante de lengua indígena de 5 y más años por principales lenguas, 1970 a 2005] [[INEGI]]</ref><ref>Gordon, Raymond G., Jr. (ed.). Ethnologue, (2005).</ref> It has a rich post-colonial literature, and remains common as a first language in rural areas in [[Yucatán]] and in the adjacent states of [[Quintana Roo]] and [[Campeche]]. The other three Yucatecan languages are [[Mopan language|Mopan]], spoken by around 10,000 speakers primarily in [[Belize]]; [[Itza' language|Itza']], an extinct or moribund language from Guatemala's Petén Basin;<ref>There were only 12 remaining native speakers in 1986 according to Gordon, Raymond G., Jr. (ed.). Ethnologue, (2005).</ref> and [[Lacandon language|Lacandón]] or Lakantum, also severely endangered with about 1,000 speakers in a few villages on the outskirts of the [[Selva Lacandona]], in [[Chiapas]]. ===Western branch=== ====Ch'olan==== The Ch'olan languages were formerly widespread throughout the Maya area, but today the language with most speakers is [[Ch'ol language|Ch'ol]], spoken by 130,000 in Chiapas.<ref>Gordon, Raymond G., Jr. (ed.), (2005). [http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=cti Ethnologue report on Ch'ol de Tila], [http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=ctu Ethnologue report on Ch'ol de Tumbalá], both accessed March 07, 2007.</ref> Its closest relative, the [[Chontal Maya language]],<ref>Chontal Maya is not to be confused with the [[Tequistlatecan]] languages that are referred to as "Chontal of Oaxaca".</ref> is spoken by 55,000<ref>Gordon, Raymond G., Jr. (ed.), (2005). [http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=chf Ethnologue report on Chontal de Tabasco], accessed March 07, 2007.</ref> in the state of [[Tabasco]]. Another related language, now endangered, is [[Ch'orti' language|Ch'orti']], which is spoken by 30,000 in Guatemala.<ref>Gordon, Raymond G., Jr. (ed.), (2005). [http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=caa Ch'orti': A language of Guatemala.] Ethnologue.com, accessed March 07, 2007.</ref> It was previously also spoken in extreme western [[Honduras]] and [[El Salvador]] but the El Salvador variant is now extinct and that of Honduras is considered moribund. [[Ch'olti' language|Ch'olti']], a sister language of Ch'orti', is also extinct. Ch'olan languages are believed to be the most conservative in vocabulary and phonology, and are closely related to the language of the Classic-era inscriptions found in Central Lowlands. They may have served as prestige languages, coexisting with other dialects in some areas. This assumption provides a plausible explanation for the geographical distance between the Ch'orti' zone and the areas where Ch'ol and Chontal are spoken.<ref>Kettunen & Helmke (2006) p12.</ref> ====Tzeltalan==== The closest relatives of the Ch'olan languages are the languages of the Tzeltalan branch, [[Tzotzil language|Tzotzil]] and [[Tzeltal language|Tzeltal]], both spoken in Chiapas by large and stable or growing populations (265,000 for Tzotzil and 215,000 for Tzeltal).<ref>Gordon, Raymond G., Jr. (ed.), (2005) [http://www.ethnologue.com/show_family.asp?subid=91318 Family Tree for Tzeltalan] accessed March 26, 2007.</ref> Tzotzil and Tzeltal have large numbers of monolingual speakers. ====Q'anjobalan==== [[Q'anjob'al language|Q'anjob'al]] is spoken by 77,700 in Guatemala's [[Huehuetenango]] department,<ref>Gordon, Raymond G., Jr. (ed.). Ethnologue, (2005).</ref> with small populations elsewhere.<ref>The region of Q'anjobalan speakers in Guatemala, due to genocidal policies during the [[Guatemalan Civil War|Civil War]] and its close proximity to the [[Mexican border]], was the source of a number of refugees. Thus there are now small Q'anjob'al, Jakaltek, and Awakatek populations in various locations in Mexico, the United States (such as [[Tuscarawas County, Ohio]]), and, through postwar resettlement, other parts of Guatemala.</ref> [[Jakaltek language|Jakaltek]] (also known as Popti'<ref>Gordon, Raymond G., Jr. (ed.), (2005). Gordon (2005) recognizes Eastern and Western dialects of [http://www.ethnologue.com/show_family.asp?subid=92216 Jakaltek], as well as [[Mocho' language|Mocho']] (also called Mototzintlec), a language with less than 200 speakers in the Chiapan villages of Tuzantán and Mototzintla.</ref>) is spoken by almost 100,000 in several municipalities<ref>Jakaltek is spoken in the ''[[Municipio (Mexico)|municipios]]'' of [[Jacaltenango]], [[La Democracia]], [[Concepción]], [[San Antonio Huista]] and [[Santa Ana Huista]], and in parts of the [[Nentón]] ''muncipio''.</ref> of [[Huehuetenango]]. Another member of this branch is [[Akatek language|Akatek]], with over 50,000 speakers in [[San Miguel Acatán]] and [[San Rafael La Independencia]]. [[Chuj language|Chuj]] is spoken by 40,000 people in Huehuetenango, and by 9,500 people, primarily refugees, over the border in Mexico, in the municipality of Trinitaria, Chiapas, and the villages of Tziscau and Cuauhtémoc. [[Tojolabal language|Tojolab'al]] is spoken in eastern Chiapas by 36,000 people.<ref>Gordon, Raymond G., Jr. (ed.), (2005) [http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=toj Tojolabal: A language of Mexico.] and [http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=cnam Chuj: A language of Guatemala.] both accessed March 19, 2007.</ref> ===Eastern branch=== ====Quichean-Mamean==== <!-- Hiding image while questions about source remain unanswered[[Image:Idiomasmap.jpg|thumb|300|right|Map of the 21 Maya languages spoken today in Guatemala( and [[Spanish language|Spanish]] and [[Xinca language|Xinca]])]]--> The Quichean-Mamean languages and dialects, with two sub-branches and three subfamilies, are spoken in the Guatemalan highlands. [[Q'eqchi' language|Q'eqchi']] (sometimes spelled Kekchi), which constitutes its own sub-branch within Quichean-Mamean, is spoken by about 400,000 people in the southern [[Petén (department)|Petén]], [[Izabal]] and [[Alta Verapaz]] departments of Guatemala, and also in Belize by 9,000 speakers. In El Salvador it is spoken by 12,000 as a result of recent migrations.<ref>Gordon, Raymond G., Jr. (ed.), (2005). [http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=kek Ethnologue report on Q'eqchi], accessed March 07, 2007.</ref> The [[Uspantek language]], which also springs directly from the Quichean-Mamean node, is native only to the [[Uspantán]] ''[[Municipalities of Guatemala|municipio]]'' in the department of [[Quiché (department)|El Quiché]], and has 3,000 speakers, one of whom is the [[Nobel Peace Prize]] winner [[Rigoberta Menchú]].<ref>Gordon, Raymond G., Jr. (ed.), (2005) [http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=usp Ethnologue report for Uspantec], accessed March 26, 2007.</ref> ====Mamean==== The largest language in this branch is [[Mam language|Mam]], spoken by 150,000 people in the departments of San Marcos and Huehuetenango. [[Awakatek language|Awakatek]] is the language of 20,000 inhabitants of central [[Aguacatán]], another municipality of Huehuetenango. [[Ixil language|Ixil]] (possibly three different languages) is spoken by 70,000 in the "[[Ixil Triangle]]" region of the [[Quiché (department)|department of El Quiché]].<ref>Gordon, Raymond G., Jr. (ed.), (2005) [http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=ixi Ethnologue report on Nebaj Ixil], [http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=ixj Chajul Ixil] & [http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=ixl San Juan Cotzal Ixil], accessed March 07, 2008.</ref> [[Tektitek language|Tektitek]] (or Teko) is spoken by over 1,000 people in the municipality of Tectitán, and 1,000 refugees in Mexico. According to the Ethnologue the number of speakers of Tektitek is growing.<ref>Gordon, Raymond G., Jr. (ed.), (2005) [http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=ttc Ethnologue report for Tektitek], accessed March 07, 2007.</ref> ====Core Quichean==== [[K'iche' language|K'iche']],<ref>In Spanish, ''Quiché''.</ref> the Mayan language with the largest number of speakers, is spoken by around 1,000,000 people in the [[Guatemala]]n highlands, around the towns of [[Chichicastenango]] and [[Quetzaltenango]] and in the Cuchumatán mountains, as well as by urban emigrants in [[Guatemala City]].<ref>Gordon, Raymond G., Jr. (ed.). Ethnologue, (2005).</ref> The famous Maya mythological document, ''[[Popol Vuh]]'', is written in an antiquated K'iche' often called [[Classical Quiché]]. The [[K'iche'|K'iche' culture]] was at its pinnacle at the time of the Spanish conquest. [[Utatlán]], near the present-day city of [[Santa Cruz del Quiché]], was its economic and ceremonial center.<ref>Edmonson (1968), pp.250–251.</ref> [[Achi]] is spoken by 85,000 people in [[Cubulco]] and [[Rabinal]], two ''municipios'' of [[Baja Verapaz]]. In some classifications, e.g. the one by [[Lyle Campbell|Campbell]], Achi is counted as a form of K'iche'. However, owing to a historical division between the two ethnic groups, the Achi Maya do not regard themselves as K'iche'.<ref>The Ethnologue considers the dialects spoken in Cubulco and Rabinal to be distinct languages, two of the eight languages of a Quiché-Achi family. Raymond G., Gordon Jr. (ed.). Ethnologue, (2005). [http://www.ethnologue.com/show_family.asp?subid=91829 Language Family Tree for Mayan], accessed March 26, 2007.</ref> The [[Kaqchikel language]] is spoken by about 400,000 people in an area stretching from Guatemala City westward to the northern shore of [[Lago de Atitlán|Lake Atitlán]].<ref>Gordon, Raymond G., Jr. (ed.), (2005). [http://www.ethnologue.com/show_family.asp?subid=92230 Family Tree for Kaqchikel], accessed March 26, 2007.</ref> [[Tz'utujil language|Tz'utujil]] has about 90,000 speakers in the vicinity of Lake Atitlán.<ref>Gordon, Raymond G., Jr. (ed.), (2005). [http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=tzj Ethnologue report on Eastern Tz'utujil], [http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=tzt Ethnologue report on Western Tz'utujil], both accessed March 26, 2007.</ref> Other members of the K'ichean branch are [[Sakapultek]], spoken by somewhat fewer than 40,000 people mostly in [[El Quiché]] department, and [[Sipakapense]], which is spoken by 8,000 people in [[Sipacapa]], [[San Marcos (department)|San Marcos]]. The [[Annals of the Cakchiquels]], written in Kaqchikel, is an important literary work dating from the 16th century that traces the history of the ruling classes of the Kaqchikel people. ====Poqom==== The Poqom languages are closely related to Core Quichean, with which they constitute a Poqom-K'ichean sub-branch on the Quichean-Mamean node.<ref>Campbell (1997), p.163.</ref> [[Poqomchi’ language|Poqomchi']] is spoken by 90,000 people<ref>Gordon, Raymond G., Jr. (ed.), (2005). [http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=poh Ethnologue report on Eastern Poqomam], [http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=pob Ethnologue report on Western Poqomchi'], both accessed March 07, 2007.</ref> in [[Purulhá]], [[Baja Verapaz]], and in the following municipalities of [[Alta Verapaz]]: [[Santa Cruz Verapaz]], [[San Cristóbal Verapaz]], [[Tactic (municipality)|Tactic]], [[Tamahú]] and [[Tucurú]]. [[Poqomam language|Poqomam]] is spoken by around 30,000 people<ref>Gordon, Raymond G., Jr. (ed.), (2005). [http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=pou Ethnologue report on Southern Poqomam], [http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=poc Ethnologue report on Central Poqomam], [http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=poa Ethnologue report on Eastern Poqomam], accessed March 07, 2007.</ref> in several small pockets, the largest of which is in the department of [[Alta Verapaz]]. Formerly Poqomam was also spoken in [[El Salvador]]. ==Phonology== ===Proto-Mayan sound system=== [[Proto-Mayan]] (the common ancestor of the Mayan languages as reconstructed<ref>Campbell and Kaufman (1985) present the first thorough reconstruction of the Mayan proto-language.</ref> using the [[comparative method]]) has a predominant CVC syllable structure, only allowing consonant clusters across syllable boundaries.<ref>Proto-Mayan allowed roots of the shape CVC, CVVC, CVhC, CV{{IPA|ʔ}}C an CVSC (where S is s, {{IPA|ʃ}} or {{IPA|x}})); see England (1994), p.77.</ref> Most Proto-Mayan roots were monosyllabic except for a few disyllabic nominal roots. Due to subsequent vowel loss many Mayan languages now show complex consonant clusters at both ends of syllables. Following the reconstruction of [[Lyle Campbell]] and [[Terrence Kaufman]], the Proto-Mayan language had the following sounds;<ref>As presented in England (1994), p.35.</ref> the sounds present in the modern languages are largely similar to this root set. {| align="center" class="wikitable" style="float: none; text-align: center" |- |+Proto-Mayan vowels !rowspan=2 | !colspan=2 | [[Front vowel|Front]] !colspan=2 | [[Central vowel|Central]] !colspan=2 | [[Back vowel|Back]] |- ! <small>[[Vowel length|Short]]</small> ! <small>[[Vowel length|Long]]</small> ! <small>[[Vowel length|Short]]</small> ! <small>[[Vowel length|Long]]</small> ! <small>[[Vowel length|Short]]</small> ! <small>[[Vowel length|Long]]</small> |- ! [[Close vowel|High]] | {{IPA|[i]}} | {{IPA|[iː]}} |colspan=2| | {{IPA|[u]}} | {{IPA|[uː]}} |- ! [[Close-mid vowel|Mid]] | {{IPA|[e]}} | {{IPA|[eː]}} |colspan=2| | {{IPA|[o]}} | {{IPA|[oː]}} |- ! [[Open vowel|Low]] |colspan=2| | {{IPA|[a]}} | {{IPA|[aː]}} |colspan=2| |} {| class="wikitable" align="center" style="float: none; text-align: center" |- |+Proto-Mayan consonants ! rowspan=2 | ! colspan=2 | [[Bilabial consonant|Bilabial]] ! colspan=2 | [[Alveolar consonant|Alveolar]] ! colspan=2 | [[Palatal consonant|Palatal]] ! colspan=2 | [[Velar consonant|Velar]] ! colspan=2 | [[Uvular consonant|Uvular]] ! rowspan=1 | [[Glottal consonant|Glottal]] |- ! <small>Plain</small> ! <small>[[Implosive consonant|Implosive]]</small> ! <small>Plain</small> ! <small>[[Ejective consonant|Ejective]]</small> ! <small>Plain</small> ! <small>[[Ejective consonant|Ejective]]</small> ! <small>Plain</small> ! <small>[[Ejective consonant|Ejective]]</small> ! <small>Plain</small> ! <small>[[Ejective consonant|Ejective]]</small> ! <small>Plain</small> |- ! [[Stop consonant|Stops]] | {{IPA|[p]}} | {{IPA|[ɓ]}} | {{IPA|[t]}} | {{IPA|[t’]}} | {{IPA|[tʲ]}} | {{IPA|[tʲ’]}} | {{IPA|[k]}} | {{IPA|[k’]}} | {{IPA|[q]}} | {{IPA|[q’]}} | {{IPA|[ʔ]}} |- ! [[Affricate consonant|Affricates]] | | | {{IPA|[ts]}} | {{IPA|[ts’]}} | {{IPA|[tʃ]}} | {{IPA|[tʃ’]}} | | | | | |- ! [[Fricative consonant|Fricative]] | colspan=2| | colspan=2|{{IPA|[s]}} | colspan=2|{{IPA|[ʃ]}} | colspan=2| | colspan=2|{{IPA|[χ]}} | colspan=2|{{IPA|[h]}} |- ! [[Nasal consonant|Nasals]] | colspan=2|{{IPA|[m]}} | colspan=2|{{IPA|[n]}} | colspan=2| | colspan=2|{{IPA|[ŋ]}} | colspan=2| | colspan=2| |- ! [[Liquid consonant|Liquids]] | colspan=2| | colspan=2|{{IPA|[l]}} &nbsp; {{IPA|[r]}} | colspan=2| | colspan=2| | colspan=2| | colspan=2| |- ! [[Semivowel|Glides]] | colspan=2| | colspan=2| | colspan=2|{{IPA|[j]}} | colspan=2|{{IPA|[w]}} | colspan=2| | colspan=2| |} ===Phonological evolution of Proto-Mayan=== {{main|Proto-Mayan}} The classification of Mayan languages is based on changes shared between groups of languages. For example languages of the western group (such as Huastecan, Yucatecan and Ch'olan) all changed the Proto-Mayan [[phoneme]] {{IPA|*/r/}} into {{IPA|[j]}}, some languages of the eastern branch retained {{IPA|[r]}} (K'ichean), and others changed it into {{IPA|[ʧ]}} or, word-finally, {{IPA|[t]}} (Mamean).<ref>England (1994), pp.30–31.</ref> The shared innovations between Huastecan, Yucatecan and Ch'olan show that they separated from the other Mayan languages before the changes found in other branches had taken place. {|class="wikitable" style="color:black;" |- |+Reflexes of Proto-Mayan *{{IPA|[r]}} in daughter languages !Proto-Mayan !style="background-color:orange;"|Wastek !style="background-color:lime;"|Yucatec !style="background-color:lime;"|Mopan !style="background-color:blue; color:white"|Tzeltal !style="background-color:#2a7FFF; color:white"|Chuj !style="background-color:#2a7FFF; color:white"|Q'anjob'al !style="background-color:#892ca0; color:white"|Mam !style="background-color:#892ca0; color:white"|Ixil !style="background-color:magenta"|K'iche' !style="background-color:magenta"|Kaqchikel !style="background-color:magenta"|Poqomam !style="background-color:magenta"|Q'eqchi' |- |*{{IPA|[raʔʃ]}}<br/>"''green''" |style="background-color:#FFD482;" align="center"|{{IPA|[jaʃ]}} |style="background-color:#83FF82;" align="center"|{{IPA|[jaʔʃ]}} |style="background-color:#83FF82;" align="center"|{{IPA|[jaʔaʃ]}} |style="background-color:#9B9CFF;" align="center"|{{IPA|[jaʃ]}} |style="background-color:#95C0FF;" align="center"|{{IPA|[jaʔaʃ]}} |style="background-color:#95C0FF;" align="center"|{{IPA|[jaʃ]}} |style="background-color:#A47fA0;" align="center"|{{IPA|[ʧaʃ]}} |style="background-color:#A47fA0;" align="center"|{{IPA|[ʧaʔʃ]}} |style="background-color:#FF82FF;" align="center"|{{IPA|[raʃ]}} |style="background-color:#FF82FF;" align="center"|{{IPA|[rɐʃ]}} |style="background-color:#FF82FF;" align="center"|{{IPA|[raʃ]}} |style="background-color:#FF82FF;" align="center"|{{IPA|[raːʃ]}} |- |*{{IPA|[war]}}<br/>"''sleep''" |style="background-color:#FFD482;" align="center"|{{IPA|[waj]}} |style="background-color:#83FF82;" align="center"|{{IPA|[waj]}} |style="background-color:#83FF82;" align="center"|{{IPA|[wɐjn]}} |style="background-color:#9B9CFF;" align="center"|{{IPA|[waj]}} |style="background-color:#95C0FF;" align="center"|{{IPA|[waj]}} |style="background-color:#95C0FF;" align="center"|{{IPA|[waj]}} |style="background-color:#A47fA0;" align="center"|{{IPA|[wit]}}<br/><small>(Awakatek)</small> |style="background-color:#A47fA0;" align="center"|{{IPA|[wat]}} |style="background-color:#FF82FF;" align="center"|{{IPA|[war]}} |style="background-color:#FF82FF;" align="center"|{{IPA|[war]}} |style="background-color:#FF82FF;" align="center"|{{IPA|[wɨr]}} |style="background-color:#FF82FF;" align="center"|{{IPA|[war]}} |} The palatalized [[plosive]]s ({{IPA|[tʲ’]}} and {{IPA|[tʲ]}} are not found in any of the modern families. Instead they are reflected differently in different branches, allowing a reconstruction of these phonemes as palatalized plosives. In the eastern branch (Chujean-Q'anjobalan and Ch'olan) they are reflected as {{IPA|[t]}} and {{IPA|[t’]}}. In Mamean they are reflected as {{IPA|[ʦ]}} and {{IPA|[ʦ’]}} and in Quichean as {{IPA|[ʧ]}} and {{IPA|[ʧ’]}}. Yucatec stands out from other western languages in that its palatalized plosives are sometimes changed into {{IPA|[ʧ]}} and sometimes {{IPA|[t]}}.<ref>England (1994), p. 35.</ref> {|class="wikitable" style="color:black;" |- |+Reflexes of Proto-Mayan {{IPA|[tʲ’]}} and {{IPA|[tʲ]}}<ref name="EnglandCognates">Adapted from cognate list in England (1994).</ref> !Proto-Mayan !style="background-color:lime;"|Yucatec !style="background-color:#2a7FFF; color:white"|Q'anjob'al !style="background-color:#2a7FFF; color:white"|Popti' !style="background-color:#892ca0; color:white"|Mam !style="background-color:#892ca0; color:white"|Ixil !style="background-color:magenta"|K'iche' !style="background-color:magenta"|Kaqchikel |- |*{{IPA|[tʲeːʔ]}}<br/>"''tree''" |style="background-color:#83FF82;" align="center"|{{IPA|[ʧeʔ]}} |style="background-color:#95C0FF;" align="center"|{{IPA|[teʔ]}} |style="background-color:#95C0FF;" align="center"|{{IPA|[teʔ]}} |style="background-color:#a47fA0;" align="center"|{{IPA|[ʦeːʔ]}} |style="background-color:#a47fA0;" align="center"|{{IPA|[ʦeʔ]}} |style="background-color:#FF82FF;" align="center"|{{IPA|[ʧeːʔ]}} |style="background-color:#FF82FF;" align="center"|{{IPA|[ʧeʔ]}} |- |*{{IPA|[tʲaʔŋ]}}<br/>"''ashes''" |style="background-color:#83FF82;" align="center"|{{IPA|[taʔn]}} |style="background-color:#95C0FF;" align="center"|{{IPA|[tan]}} |style="background-color:#95C0FF;" align="center"|{{IPA|[taŋ]}} |style="background-color:#a47fA0;" align="center"|{{IPA|[ʦaːx]}} |style="background-color:#a47fA0;" align="center"|{{IPA|[ʦaʔ]}} |style="background-color:#FF82FF;" align="center"|{{IPA|[ʧaːx]}} |style="background-color:#FF82FF;" align="center"|{{IPA|[ʧax]}} |} The Proto-Mayan velar nasal *{{IPA|[ŋ]}} is reflected as {{IPA|[x]}} in the eastern branches (Quichean-Mamean), {{IPA|[n]}} in Q'anjobalan, Ch'olan and Yucatecan, [h] in Huastecan, and only conserved as {{IPA|[ŋ]}} in Chuj and Jakaltek.<ref>England (1994), pp.30–31.</ref> {|class="wikitable" style="color:;black" |- |+Reflexes of Proto-Mayan {{IPA|[ŋ]}}<ref name="EnglandCognates"/> !Proto-Mayan !style="background-color:lime;"|Yucatec !style="background-color:#2a7FFF; color:white"|Q'anjobal !style="background-color:#2a7FFF; color:white"|Jakaltek !style="background-color:#892ca0; color:white"|Ixil !style="background-color:magenta"|K'iche' |- |*{{IPA|[ŋeːh]}}<br/>"''tail''" |style="background-color:#83FF82;" align="center"|{{IPA|[neːh]}} |style="background-color:#95C0FF;" align="center"|{{IPA|[ne]}} |style="background-color:#95C0FF;" align="center"|{{IPA|[ŋe]}} |style="background-color:#a47fA0;" align="center"|{{IPA|[xeh]}} |style="background-color:#FF82FF;" align="center"|{{IPA|[xeːʔ]}} |} ===Other innovations=== The subgrouping of the Mayan family is based on shared linguistic innovations. Some phonological developments that have been used to establish the current classification are described here. The divergent status of Huastecan is revealed by a number of innovations not shared by other groups. Huastecan is the only branch to have changed Proto-Mayan *{{IPA|[w]}} into {{IPA|[b]}}. Wastek (but not Chicomuceltec) is also the only Mayan language to have a phonemic [[Labiovelar consonant|labialized velar]] phoneme {{IPA|[kʷ]}}; however, this is known to be a postcolonial development: comparing colonial documents in Wastek to modern Wastek, it can be seen that instances of modern {{IPA|[kʷ]}} were originally sequences of *{{IPA|[k]}} followed by a [[Vowel roundedness|rounded vowel]] and a glide. For example, the word for "vulture", which in modern Wastek is pronounced {{IPA|[kʷiːʃ]}}, was written <nowiki><cuyx></nowiki> in colonial Wastek, and pronounced *{{IPA|[kuwiːʃ]}}. The grouping together of the Ch'olan and Yucatecan branches is partly based on the innovative change of short *{{IPA|[a]}} to {{IPA|[ɨ]}}. All Cholan languages have changed the Proto-Mayan long vowels *{{IPA|[eː]}} and *{{IPA|[oː]}} to {{IPA|[i]}} and {{IPA|[u]}} respectively. The independent status of Yucatecan is evident in that all Yucatecan languages shifted proto-Mayan *{{IPA|[t]}} to {{IPA|[ʧ]}} in word-final position. Quichean-Mamean, and some Q'anjobalan languages, have retained Proto-Mayan uvular stops ({{IPA|[q]}} and {{IPA|[q’]}}); in all other branches these sounds merged with {{IPA|[k]}} and {{IPA|[k’]}}, respectively. Thus the Quichean-Mamean grouping can be said to rest mostly on shared retentions rather than innovations. Mamean is largely differentiated from K'ichean by a [[chain shift]] which changed *{{IPA|[r]}} into {{IPA|[t]}}, *{{IPA|[t]}} into {{IPA|[ʧ]}}, *{{IPA|[ʧ]}} into {{IPA|[ʈʂ]}} and *{{IPA|[ʃ]}} into {{IPA|[ʂ]}}. These [[Retroflex consonant|retroflex]] affricates and fricatives later spread to Q'anjob'alan through [[language contact]].<ref> Campbell (1997), p.164.</ref> Within the Quichean branch, Kaqchikel and Tz'utujil differ from Quichean proper in having changed a final Proto-Mayan *{{IPA|[w]}} and *{{IPA|[ɓ]}} into {{IPA|[j]}} and {{IPA|[ʔ]}} respectively in polysyllabic words.<ref>Campbell, Lyle, (1998), "Historical Linguistics", Thames & Hudson p. 170.</ref> Some other changes are general throughout the Mayan family. For example, the Proto-Mayan glottal fricative *{{IPA|[h]}}, which no language has retained as such, has numerous reflexes in the various daughter languages depending on its position within a word. In some cases it lengthened a preceding vowel in languages which retained vowel length. In other languages it became {{IPA|[w]}}, {{IPA|[j]}}, {{IPA|[ʔ]}}, {{IPA|[x]}}, or disappeared.<ref>England (1994), p. 37.</ref> Other sporadic innovations have occurred independently in several branches. For example distinctive vowel length has been lost in Q'anjobalan-Chujean (except for Mocho' and Akateko), Kaqchikel and Ch'olan. Other languages have transformed the length distinction into one of [[tenseness|tense versus lax]] vowels, later losing the distinction in a majority of cases. However, Kaqchikel has preserved a centralized lax, [[schwa]]-like vowel as a reflex of Proto-Mayan {{IPA|[a]}}.<ref>England (1994), pp.110–111.</ref> Two languages, Yucatec and Uspantek, as well as one dialect of Tzotzil,<ref>Tzotzil of San Bartolo according to Suárez (1983), p. 51. Antonio Garciá de Leon describes the phonological history of the Tzeltalan languages and mentions the tonogenesis of Tzotzil de San Bartolo in his "Elementos del Tzotzil colonial y moderno" Mexico UNAM, 1971.</ref> have introduced a [[tone (linguistics)|tonal]] distinction in vowels, with high and low tones corresponding to former vowel length as well as reflecting *{{IPA|[h]}} and *{{IPA|[ʔ]}}. ==Grammar== The grammar of Mayan languages is simpler than that of other Mesoamerican languages,<ref>Suárez (1983), p. 65. writes: "Neither Tarascan nor Mayan have words as complex as those found in Nahuatl, Totonac or Mixe-Zoque, but, in different ways both have a rich morphology."</ref> yet its [[morphology (linguistics)|morphology]] is still considered [[Agglutinative language|agglutinating]] and [[polysynthetic language|polysynthetic]].<ref>Suárez (1983), p65.</ref> Verbs are marked for [[Grammatical aspect|aspect]] or [[Grammatical tense|tense]], the [[Grammatical person|person]] of the [[subject (grammar)|subject]], the person of the [[object (grammar)|object]] (in the case of [[transitive verb]]s), and for [[Grammatical number|plurality]] of person. Possessed nouns are marked for person of possessor. There are no cases or genders in Mayan languages. ===Word order=== Proto-Mayan is thought to have had a basic [[Verb Object Subject]] word order with possibilities of switching to [[Verb Subject Object|VSO]] in certain circumstances, such as complex sentences, sentences where object and subject were of equal animacy and when the subject was definite.<ref>Lyle Campbell (1997) refers to studies by Norman and Campbell ((1978) "Toward a proto-Mayan syntax: a comparative perspective on grammar." in Paper in Mayan linguistics ed. Nora C England pp. 136-56. Columbia: Museum of Anthropology, University of Missouri) and by England ((1991) Changes in basic word order in Mayan languages, IJAL 57:446–86).</ref> Today Yucatecan, Tzotzil and Tojolab'al have a basic fixed VOS word order. Mamean, Q'anjob'al, Jakaltek and one dialect of Chuj have a fixed VSO one. Only Ch'orti' has a basic [[Subject Verb Object|SVO]] word order. Other Mayan languages allow both VSO and VOS word orders. ===Numeral classifiers=== When counting it is necessary to use [[numeral classifiers]] which specify the class of items being counted; the numeral cannot appear without an accompanying classifier. Class is usually assigned according to whether the object is animate or inanimate or according to an object's general shape.<ref>See for e.g. Tozzer (1977 [1921]), pp.103, 290–292.</ref> Thus when counting "flat" objects, a different form of numeral classifier is used than when counting round things, oblong items or people. In some Mayan languages such as Chontal, classifiers take the form of affixes attached to the numeral; in others such as Tzeltal, they are free forms. In Jakaltek the classifiers can also be used as pronouns. The meaning denoted by a noun may be altered significantly by changing the accompanying classifier. In Chontal, for example, when the classifier ''-tek'' is used with names of plants it is understood that the objects being enumerated are whole trees. If in this expression a different classifier, ''-ts'it'' (for counting long, slender objects) is substituted for ''-tek'', this conveys the meaning that only sticks or branches of the tree are being counted:<ref>Example follows Suaréz (1983), p. 88.</ref> {|align="center" class="wikitable" |+Semantic differences in numeral classifiers (from Chontal) |colspan="3" bgcolor="#FFDEAD"|'''''untek wop''''' (one-tree Jahuacte) "one jahuacte tree" |colspan="3" bgcolor="#FFFFAA"|'''''unts'it wop''''' (one-stick jahuacte) "one stick from a jahuacte tree" |- |''un-'' |''tek'' |''wop'' |''un-'' |''ts'it'' |''wop'' |- |one- |"plant" |jahuacte tree |one- |"long.slender.object" |jahuacte tree |} ===Possession=== The morphology of Mayan nouns is fairly simple: they inflect for number (plural or singular), and, when possessed, for person and number of their possessor. Pronominal possession is expressed by a set of possessive prefixes attached to the noun, as in Kaqchikel ''ru-kej'' "his/her horse". Nouns may furthermore adopt a special form marking them as possessed. For nominal possessors, the possessed noun is inflected as possessed by a third-person possessor, and followed by the possessor noun, e.g. Kaqchikel ''ru-kej ri achin'' "the man's horse" (literally "his horse the man"). This type of formation is a main diagnostic trait of the [[Mesoamerican Linguistic Area]] and recurs throughout [[Mesoamerica]].<ref>Campbell, Kaufman & Smith Stark (1986) pp. 544–545</ref> Mayan languages often contrast alienable and inalienable [[Possession (linguistics)|possession]] by varying the way the noun is (or is not) marked as possessed. Jakaltek, for example, contrasts inalienably possessed ''{{IPA|wetʃel}}'' "my photo (in which I am depicted)" with alienably possessed ''{{IPA|wetʃele}}'' "my photo (taken by me)". The prefix ''we-'' marks the first person singular possessor in both, but the absence of the ''-e'' possessive suffix in the first form marks inalienable possession.<ref>Suaréz (1983), p. 85.</ref> ===Relational nouns=== Mayan languages which have [[preposition]]s at all normally have only one. To express location and other relations between entities, use is made of a special class of "[[relational noun]]s" . This pattern is also recurrent throughout Mesoamerica and is another diagnostic trait of the Mesoamerican Linguistic Area. In Mayan most relational nouns are metaphorically derived from body parts so that "on top of," for example, is expressed by the word for ''head''.<ref>Campbell, Kaufman & Smith Stark (1986) pp. 545–546</ref> Relational nouns are possessed by the constituent that is the reference point of the relation, and the relational noun names the relation. Thus in Mayan one would say "the mountain's head" (literally "its head the mountain") to mean "on (top of) the mountain". Thus in the Classical Quiché of the [[Popol Vuh]] we read ''u-wach ulew'' "on the earth" (literally "its face the earth"). ===Subjects and objects=== Mayan languages are [[ergative-absolutive language|ergative]] in their [[morphosyntactic alignment|alignment]]. This means that the subject of an intransitive verb is treated similarly to the object of a transitive verb, but differently from the subject of a transitive verb. Mayan languages have two sets of affixes that are attached to a verb to indicate the person of its arguments. One set (often referred to in Mayan grammars as set A) indicates the person of subjects of intransitive verbs, and of objects of transitive verbs. They can also be used with adjective or noun predicates to indicate the subject. {|class="wikitable" |+Set A !Usage !Example !Language of example !Translation |- !style="text-align:left;"|Subject of an intransitive verb |x-'''ix-'''ok |Kaqchikel |"'''You guys''' entered" |- !style="text-align:left;"| Object of a transitive verb |x-'''ix'''-ru-chöp |Kaqchikel |"He/she took '''you guys'''" |- !style="text-align:left;"| Subject of an adjective predicate |'''ix-'''samajel |Kaqchikel |"'''You guys''' are hard-working." |- !style="text-align:left;"| Subject of a noun predicate |'antz'''-ot'''<br/> |Tzotzil |"'''You''' are a woman." |} Another set (set B) is used to indicate the person of subjects of transitive verbs, and also the possessors of nouns (including relational nouns).<ref>Another view has been suggested by Carlos Lenkersdorf, an [[anthropologist]] who studied the [[Tojolab'al language]]. He argued that a native Tojolab'al speaker makes no cognitive distinctions between subject and object, or even between active and passive, animate and inanimate, seeing both subject and object as active participants in an action. For instance, in Tojolab'al rather than saying "I teach you", one says the equivalent of "I-teach you-learn". See Lenkersdorf, (1996), p. 60–62.</ref> {|class="wikitable" |+Set B !Usage !Example !Language of example !Translation |- !style="text-align:left;"|Subject of a<br/>transitive verb |x-ix-'''ru'''-chöp |Kaqchikel |"'''He/she''' took you guys" |- !style="text-align:left;"|Possessive marker |'''ru'''-kej ri achin |Kaqchikel | "the man'''’s''' horse" (literally: "'''his''' horse the man") |- !style="text-align:left;"|Relational marker |'''u'''-wach ulew |Classical Quiché | "on the earth" (literally: "'''its''' face the earth", i.e. "face of the earth") |} ===Verbs=== In addition to subject and object (agent and patient), the Mayan verb has affixes signalling aspect, tense, and mood as in the following example: {| class="wikitable" |+Mayan verb structure |- !Aspect/mood/tense !Class A prefix !Class B prefix !Root !Aspect/mood/voice !Plural |- |'''k-''' |'''in-''' |'''a-''' |'''ch'ay''' |'''<nowiki>-o</nowiki>''' | |- |Incompletive |1st person sg. Patient |2nd person sg. Agent |hit |Incompletive | |- |colspan="7"|(K'iche') ''kinach'ayo'' "You are hitting me" |} [[Grammatical tense|Tense]] systems in Mayan languages are generally simple. Jakaltek, for example, contrasts only past and non-past, while Mam has only future and non-future. [[grammatical aspect|Aspect]] systems are normally more prominent. [[Grammatical mood|Mood]] does not normally form a separate system in Mayan, but is instead intertwined with the tense/aspect system.<ref>Suaréz (1983), p. 71.</ref> Kaufman has reconstructed a tense/aspect/mood system for proto-Mayan that includes seven aspects: incompletive, progressive, completive/punctual, imperative, potential/future, optative, and perfective.<ref>England (1994), p. 126.</ref> Mayan languages tend to have a rich set of [[grammatical voice]]s. Proto-Mayan had at least one passive construction as well as an [[Antipassive voice|antipassive]] rule for downplaying the importance of the agent in relation to the patient. Modern K'iche' has two antipassives: one which ascribes focus to the object and another that emphasizes the verbal action.<ref>Campbell (1997), p. 164.</ref> Other voice-related constructions occurring in Mayan languages are the following: [[mediopassive voice|mediopassive]], incorporational (incorporating a direct object into the verb), instrumental (promoting the instrument to object position) and referential (a kind of [[applicative voice|applicative]] promoting an indirect argument such as a [[benefactive]] or recipient to the object position).<ref>England (1994), pp. 97–103.</ref> ===Statives and positionals=== In Mayan languages, words are usually viewed as belonging to one of four classes: verbs, statives, adjectives, and nouns. Statives are a class of [[predicate (grammar)|predicative]] words expressing a quality or state, whose syntactic properties fall in between those of verbs and adjectives in Indo-European languages. Like verbs, statives can sometimes be inflected for person but normally lack inflections for tense, aspect and other purely verbal categories. Statives can be adjectives, positionals or numerals. Positionals, a word class characteristic of, if not unique to, the Mayan languages, are statives with meanings related to the position or shape of an object or person. Mayan languages have between 250 and 500 distinct positional [[root (linguistics)|root]]s: {{quotation|'''''Telan''' ay jun naq winaq yul b'e.''<br/> There is a man lying down fallen on the road <br/>'''''Woqan''' hin k'al ay max ek'k'u.''<br/> I spent the entire day sitting down <br/>''Yet ewi '''xoyan''' ay jun lob'aj stina.''<br/> Yesterday there was a snake lying curled up in the entrance of the house}} In these three Q'anjob'al sentences,<ref>England (1994), p. 87.</ref> the positionals are ''telan'' ("something large or cylindrical lying down as if having fallen"), ''woqan'' ("person sitting on a chairlike object"), and ''xoyan'' ("curled up like a rope or snake"). ===Word formation=== Compounding of noun roots to form new nouns is commonplace; there are also many morphological processes to derive nouns from verbs. Verbs also admit highly productive [[Derivation (linguistics)|derivational]] affixes of several kinds, most of which specify transitivity or voice.<ref>Suárez (1983), p. 65–67.</ref> Some Mayan languages allow incorporation of noun stems into verbs, either as direct objects or in other functions. However, there are few affixes with [[adverb]]ial or modal meanings. As in other Mesoamerican languages, there is widespread metaphorical use of roots denoting body parts, particularly to form locatives and relational nouns such as Tzeltal/Tzotzil ''ti' na'' "door" (lit. "mouth of house"), or Kaqchikel ''chi ru-pam'' "inside" (lit. "mouth its-stomach"). ==Writing systems== [[Image:Dresden Codex p09.jpg|thumb|150px|right|Page 9 of the [[Dresden Codex]] showing the classic Maya language written in [[Maya script|Mayan hieroglyphs]] (from the 1880 Förstermann edition)]] The complex script used to write Mayan languages in pre-Columbian times and known today from engravings at several Maya archaeological sites has been deciphered almost completely. The script was a mix between a logographic and a syllabic system.<ref>Kettunen & Helmke (2006), p. 6.</ref> In colonial times Mayan languages came to be written in a script derived from the Latin alphabet; orthographies were developed mostly by missionary grammarians.<ref>Suárez (1983), p. 5.</ref> Not all modern Mayan languages have standardized orthographies, but the Mayan languages of Guatemala use a standardized, Latin-based phonemic spelling system developed by the [[Academia de Lenguas Mayas de Guatemala]] (ALMG). Orthographies for the languages of Mexico are currently being developed by the [[Instituto Nacional de Lenguas Indígenas]] (INALI). ===Glyphic writing=== {{Main|Maya script}} The pre-Columbian [[Maya civilization]] developed and used an intricate and fully functional [[writing system]] which is the only [[Mesoamerican writing systems|Mesoamerican script]] that can be said to be almost fully deciphered. Earlier-established civilizations to the west and north of the Maya homelands that also had scripts recorded in surviving inscriptions include the [[Zapotec civilization|Zapotec]], [[Olmec]], and the [[Zoque]]-speaking peoples of the southern [[Veracruz]] and western Chiapas area — but their scripts are as yet largely undeciphered. It is generally agreed that the Maya writing system was adapted from one or more of these earlier systems, and a number of references identify the undeciphered [[Olmec hieroglyphs|Olmec script]] as its most likely precursor.<ref>Schele and Freidel (1990), Soustelle (1984).</ref> In the course of the deciphering of the Maya hieroglyphic script it has become evident that it was a fully-functioning writing system in which it was possible to express any sentence of the spoken language unambiguously. The system is of a type best classified as [[logosyllabary|logosyllabic]],<ref>Kettunen & Helmke (2006), p. 6.</ref> in which symbols ([[glyph]]s or ''[[grapheme]]s'') can be used as either [[logogram]]s or [[syllable]]s. The script has a complete [[syllabary]] (although not all possible syllables have yet been identified), and a Maya scribe would have been able to write anything out [[phonetic]]ally, syllable by syllable, using these symbols.<ref>Kettunen & Helmke (2006), p. 6.</ref> In practice however, almost all inscriptions of any length were written employing a combination of syllabic signs and word signs (called logograms), similar to Japanese or ancient Egyptian practice. [[Image:Palenque glyphs-edit1.jpg|thumb|400px|Maya glyphs in stucco at the ''Museo de sitio'' in [[Palenque]], Mexico]] At least two major Mayan languages have been confidently identified in hieroglyphic texts, with at least one other language probably identified. An archaic language variety known as [[Classic Maya language|Classic Maya]] predominates in these texts, particularly in the Classic-era inscriptions of the southern and central lowland areas. This language is most closely related to the Ch'olan branch of the language family, modern descendants of which include Ch'ol, Ch'orti' and Chontal. Inscriptions in an early Yucatecan language (the ancestor of the main surviving [[Yucatec language]]) have also been recognised or proposed, mainly in the [[Yucatán Peninsula]] region and from a later period. Three of the four extant [[Maya codices]] are based on Yucatec. It has also been surmised that some inscriptions found in the [[Chiapas highlands]] region may be in a Tzeltalan language whose modern descendants are Tzeltal and Tzotzil.<ref>Kettunen & Helmke (2006), p. 12.</ref> Other regional varieties and dialects are also presumed to have been used, but have not yet been identified with certainty.<ref>Kettunen & Helmke (2006) p. 12.</ref> Use and knowledge of the Maya script continued until the 16th century [[Spanish conquest of Yucatán|Spanish conquest]] at least. Bishop [[Diego de Landa]] described the use of hieroglyphic writing in the religious practices of Yucatecan Maya, which he actively prohibited. De Landa and the Spanish colonizers of the Mayan area destroyed large numbers of codices written in hieroglyphs, effectively ending the Mesoamerican tradition of literacy in a native script. ===Modern orthography=== Since the colonial period, practically all Maya writing has used [[latin alphabet|Latin characters]]. Formerly spelling was generally based on Spanish, and it is only recently that standardized orthographic conventions have started to arise. The first widely-accepted orthographic standards were set in Yucatec Maya by the authors and contributors of the ''Diccionario Maya Cordemex'', a project directed by [[Alfredo Barrera Vásquez]] and first published in 1980.<ref>The Cordemex contains a lengthy introduction on the history, importance, and key resources of written Yucatec Maya, including a summary of the orthography used by the project (pp. 39a-42a).</ref> Subsequently, the [[Guatemalan Academy of Mayan Languages]] (known by its Spanish acronym ALMG), founded in 1986, adapted these standards to 22 Mayan languages (primarily in Guatemala). Other major Maya languages, primarily in Mexico, such as Yucatec, Tzotzil and Tzeltal, are not generally included in this reformation. Thus, names of archaeological sites and other items of historical record in these regions retain the standard (rather than revised) orthography. {| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;" width="100%" |+ ALMG orthography for the [[phoneme]]s of Mayan languages !colspan=6 width="30%"|Vowels !colspan=10|Consonants |- !ALMG !![[IPA]] !!ALMG !!IPA !!ALMG!!{{ref label|kaqchikel|A|A}}IPA!!{{ref label|kaqchikel|B|B}}ALMG !!IPA !!ALMG !!IPA !!ALMG !!IPA !!ALMG !!IPA !!ALMG !!IPA |- |'''a'''||{{IPA|[a]}} |'''aa''' ||{{IPA|[aː]}} |'''ä''' ||{{IPA|[ɐ]}} |'''b'''' ||{{IPA|[ɓ]}} |'''b''' ||{{IPA|[b]}} |'''ch''' ||{{IPA|[ʧ]}} |'''ch' ''' ||{{IPA|[ʧ’]}} |'''h''' ||{{IPA|[h]}} |- |'''e''' ||{{IPA|[e]}} |'''ee''' ||{{IPA|[eː]}} |'''ë''' ||{{IPA|[ə]}} |'''j''' ||{{IPA|[x]}} |'''k''' ||{{IPA|[k]}} |'''k'''' ||{{IPA|[k’]}} |'''l''' ||{{IPA|[l]}} |'''m''' ||{{IPA|[m]}} |- |'''i''' ||{{IPA|[i]}} |'''ii''' ||{{IPA|[iː]}} |'''ï''' ||{{IPA|[ɪ]}} |'''n''' ||{{IPA|[n]}} |'''nh''' ||{{IPA|[ŋ]}} |'''p''' ||{{IPA|[p]}} |'''q''' ||{{IPA|[q]}} |'''q'''' ||{{IPA|[q’]}} |- |'''o''' ||{{IPA|[o]}} |'''oo''' ||{{IPA|[oː]}} |'''ö''' ||{{IPA|[ʌ]}} |'''r''' ||{{IPA|[r]}} |'''s''' ||{{IPA|[s]}} |'''t''' ||{{IPA|[t]}} |'''t'''' ||{{IPA|[t’]}} |'''tz''' ||{{IPA|[ʦ]}} |- |'''u''' ||{{IPA|[u]}} |'''uu''' ||{{IPA|[uː]}} |'''ü''' ||{{IPA|[ʊ]}} |'''tz' ''' ||{{IPA|[ʦ’]}} |'''w''' ||{{IPA|[w]}} |'''x''' ||{{IPA|[ʃ]}} |'''y''' ||{{IPA|[j]}} |'''&nbsp;'&nbsp;''' ||{{IPA|[ʔ]}} |- |colspan=16 align=left Class="references-small"| &nbsp;&nbsp;{{note label|kaqchikel||A}}{{note label|kaqchikel||B}}These vowels and signs are only used in Kaqchikel |} For the languages that make a distinction between [[Palato-alveolar consonant|palato-alveolar]] and [[Retroflex consonant|retroflex]] affricates and fricatives (Mam, Ixil, Tektitek, Awakatek, Q'anjob'al, Popti', and Akatek) the following set of conventions is applied. {| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;" width="55%" |+ ALMG convention for palato-alveolar and retroflex consonants !ALMG !!IPA !!ALMG !!IPA |- |'''ch''' ||{{IPA|[ʧ]}} |'''ch' ''' ||{{IPA|[ʧ’]}} |- |'''tx'''||{{IPA|[ʈʂ]}} |'''tx' '''||{{IPA|[ʈʂ’]}} |- |'''xh''' ||{{IPA|[ʃ]}} |'''x''' ||{{IPA|[ʂ]}} |} One element of the revised orthographies that is not widely accepted, especially outside the Guatemalan context, is the conversion of proper nouns (such as names of archaeological sites, modern settlements, and cultures). Thus, the ''Cordemex'' continues to use the term "Yucatán" (rather than "Yukatan") in its preface, despite the fact that its orthography does not utilize a "c", and most scholarly archaeological texts continue to print the original spellings for archaeological sites and cultures that have been canonized in the literature over the centuries. ==Literature== {{main|Mesoamerican literature}} From the Classic period to the present day, a body of literature has been written in Mayan languages. The earliest texts to have been preserved are largely monumental inscriptions documenting rulership, succession, and ascension, conquest and calendrical and astronomical events. It is likely that other kinds of literature were written in perishable media such as [[Mayan codices|codices]] made of [[amate|bark]], only four of which have survived the ravages of time and the campaign of destruction by Spanish missionaries.<ref>Coe, Michael D. (1987), p. 161.</ref> Shortly after the [[Spanish conquest of Mexico|Spanish conquest]], the Mayan languages began to be written with Latin letters. Colonial-era literature in Mayan languages include the famous ''[[Popol Vuh]]'', a mythico-historical narrative written in 17th century Classical Quiché but believed to be based on an earlier work written in the 1550s, now lost. The ''[[Título de Totonicapán]]'' and the 17th century theatrical work the ''[[Rabinal Achí]]'' are other notable early works in K'iche', the latter in the [[Achi|Achí dialect]].<ref>See Edmonson (1985) for a thorough treatment of colonial Quiché literature.</ref> The ''[[Annals of the Cakchiquels]]'' from the late 16th century, which provides a historical narrative of the Kaqchikel, contains elements paralleling some of the accounts appearing in the ''Popol Vuh''. The historical and prophetical accounts in the several variations known collectively as the books of [[Chilam Balam]] are primary sources of early Yucatec Maya traditions.<ref>Read Edmonson and Bricker (1985) for a thorough treatment of colonial Yucatec literature.</ref> The only surviving book of early lyric poetry, the [[Songs of Dzitbalche]] by Ah Bam, comes from this same period.<ref>Curl (2005).</ref> In addition to these singular works, many early grammars of indigenous languages, called "''artes''", were written by priests and friars. Languages covered by these early grammars include Kaqchikel, Classical Quiché, Tzeltal, Tzotzil and Yucatec. Some of these came with indigenous-language translations of the Catholic catechism.<ref>Suárez (1983), p5.</ref> Almost no literature in indigenous languages was written in the postcolonial period (after 1821) except by linguists and ethnologists gathering oral literature.<ref>Suárez (1983), p. 163–168.</ref> The Mayan peoples had remained largely illiterate in their native languages, learning to read and write in Spanish, if at all. However, since the establishment of the Cordemex (1980) and the Guatemalan Academy of Mayan Languages (1986), native language literacy has begun to spread and a number of indigenous writers have started a new tradition of writing in Mayan languages. Notable among this new generation is the [[K'iche' language|K'iche']] poet [[Humberto Ak'ab'al]], whose works are often published in dual-language Spanish/K'iche' editions.<ref>{{cite web|url = http://www.mcd.gob.gt/MICUDE/directorios/directorio_cultural_deportivo/letras/inst15040512/|title = Humberto Ak´abal|accessdate = 2007-02-23|date = [[March 26]] [[2007]]|publisher = Guatemala Ministerio de Cultura y Deportes|language = Spanish}}</ref> ==See also== *[[Mayan sign languages]] ==Notes== {{reflist|2}} <!--See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Footnotes for an explanation of how to generate footnotes using the <ref(erences/)> tags--> ==References== {{Wikisource1913CatholicEnc|Maya Indians}} {{ref indent}}<!-- BEGIN hanging indent style. Pls use a colon (:) instead of asterisk (*) for bullet markers in the references list --> {{refbegin}} <!-- BEGIN 'references-small' style --> :{{cite book |author={{aut|Barrera Vásquez, Alfredo}} |authorlink=Alfredo Barrera Vásquez |coauthors={{aut|Juan Ramón Bastarrachea Manzano }} and {{aut|William Brito Sansores}}|title= Diccionario maya Cordemex : maya-español, español-maya|year=1980|publisher=Ediciones Cordemex|location=Mérida, Yucatán, México |isbn= |oclc=7550928|doi= |id= | }} {{es icon}} {{myn icon}} :{{cite web |author={{aut|Bolles, David}} |year=1997– |title=Combined Dictionary–Concordance of the Yucatecan Mayan Language |publisher=Foundation for the Advancement of Mesoamerican Studies, Inc. (FAMSI) |format=revised 2003 |url=http://www.famsi.org/reports/96072/index.html |accessdate=2006-12-12}} {{myn icon}} {{en icon}} :{{cite web |author={{aut|Bolles, David}} |coauthors=and {{aut|Alejandra Bolles}} |year=2004 |title=A Grammar of the Yucatecan Mayan Language |publisher=The Foundation Research Department |work=Foundation for the Advancement of Mesoamerican Studies, Inc. (FAMSI) |format=revised online edition, 1996 Lee, New Hampshire |url=http://www.famsi.org/research/bolles/grammar/index.html |accessdate=2006-12-12}} {{myn icon}} {{en icon}} :{{Cite book |author={{aut|Campbell, Lyle}} |authorlink=Lyle Campbell |year=1997 |title=American Indian Languages: The Historical Linguistics of Native America (Oxford Studies in Anthropological Linguistics, 4) |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]]|location= New York |isbn=0-195-09427-1}} :{{cite journal |author={{aut|Campbell, Lyle}} |authorlink=Lyle Campbell |coauthors=and {{aut|[[Una Canger]]}} |year=1978 |title=Chicomuceltec's last throes |journal=[[International Journal of American Linguistics]] |volume=44 |pages=pp.228–230 |issn=0020-7071 |doi=10.1086/465548}} :{{cite journal |author ={{aut|Campbell, Lyle}} |authorlink=Lyle Campbell |coauthors= and {{aut|[[Terrence Kaufman]]}} |year=1976 |title=A Linguistic Look at the Olmec |journal=[[American Antiquity]] |volume=41 |issue=1 |pages=pp.80–89 |issn=0002-7316 |doi=10.2307/279044}} :{{cite journal |author ={{aut|Campbell, Lyle}} |authorlink=Lyle Campbell |coauthors= and {{aut|[[Terrence Kaufman]]}} |date= October 1985 |title=Mayan Linguistics: Where are We Now? |journal=Annual Review of Anthropology |volume=14 |issue=1 |pages=187 |doi=10.1146/annurev.an.14.100185.001155}} :{{cite journal |author ={{aut|Campbell, Lyle}} |authorlink=Lyle Campbell |coauthors={{aut|[[Terrence Kaufman]]}} and {{aut|Thomas C. Smith-Stark}} |year=1986|title=Meso-America as a Linguistic Area|journal= Language |volume=62 |issue=3 |pages=pp. 530–570|doi=10.2307/415477}} :{{cite conference|author={{aut|Choi, Jinsook}}|year=2002|title=''The Role of Language in Ideological Construction of Mayan Identities in Guatemala''|url=http://studentorgs.utexas.edu/salsa/proceedings/2002/papers/choi.pdf |format=[[PDF]]|booktitle=Texas Linguistic Forum 45: Proceedings of the Tenth Annual Symposium about Language and Society—Austin, April 12–14|pages:22–31}} :{{cite book |author={{aut|Coe, Michael D.}} |authorlink=Michael D. Coe |year=1987 |title=The Maya |publisher=[[Thames & Hudson]] |location=London |edition=4th edition (revised) |isbn=0-500-27455-X}} :{{cite book |author={{aut|Curl, John}} |year=2005 |title=Ancient American Poets |publisher=Bilingual Press |location=Tempe AZ|isbn=1-931010-21-8}} :{{cite web |author={{aut|Dienhart, John M.}} |year=1997 |title=The Mayan Languages- A Comparative Vocabulary |format=electronic version |url=http://www.hum.sdu.dk/projekter/maya/mayainfo.html |publisher=[[Odense University]] |accessdate=2006-12-12}} :{{cite book |author={{aut|Edmonson, Munro S.}} |authorlink=Munro S. Edmonson|year=1968 |chapter=Classical Quiché |pages=pp.249–268 |title=Handbook of Middle American Indians, Vol. 5: Linguistics |editor=Norman A. McQuown (Volume ed.) |others=[[Robert Wauchope (archaeologist)|R. Wauchope]] (General Editor) |publisher=University of Texas Press |location=Austin |isbn=0-292-73665-7}} :{{cite book |author={{aut|Edmonson, Munro S.}} |authorlink=Munro S. Edmonson |year=1985 |chapter=Quiche Literature |title=Supplement to the Handbook of Middle American Indians, Volume 3 |editor=Victoria Reifler Bricker (volume ed.)|publisher=[[University of Texas Press]]|location=Austin|isbn=0-292-77593-8}} :{{cite book |author={{aut|Edmonson, Munro S.}} |authorlink=Munro S. Edmonson |coauthors=and {{aut|Victoria R. Bricker}}|year=1985 |chapter=Yucatecan Mayan Literature |title=Supplement to the Handbook of Middle American Indians, Volume 3 |editor=Victoria Reifler Bricker (volume ed.)|publisher=[[University of Texas Press]]|location=Austin|isbn=0-292-77593-8}} :{{Cite book |author={{aut|England, Nora C.}} |year=1994 |title=Autonomia de los Idiomas Mayas: Historia e identidad. (Ukuta'miil Ramaq'iil Utzijob'aal ri Maya' Amaaq'.) |publisher=Cholsamaj |location= Guatemala City |edition=2nd edition |isbn=84-89451-05-2}} {{es icon}} :{{Cite book |author={{aut|Fabri, Antonella}} |year=2003 |chapter=Genocide or Assimilation: Discourses of Women's Bodies, Health, and Nation in Guatemala|editor=Richard Harvey Brown (ed.) |title=The Politics of Selfhood: Bodies and Identities in Global Capitalism|publisher=[[University of Minnesota Press]]|isbn=0-8166-3754-7}} :{{cite book |author={{aut|Fernández de Miranda, María Teresa}} |year=1968 |chapter=Inventory of Classificatory Materials |pages=pp.63–78 |title=Handbook of Middle American Indians, Vol. 5: Linguistics |editor=Norman A. McQuown (Volume ed.) |others=[[Robert Wauchope (archaeologist)|R. Wauchope]] (General Editor) |publisher=University of Texas Press |location=Austin |isbn=0-292-73665-7}} :{{cite book |author={{aut|Gordon, Raymond G., Jr.}} (Ed.) |year=2005 |title=Ethnologue: Languages of the World |edition=Fifteenth edition |format=online version |url=http://www.ethnologue.com |publisher=[[SIL International]] |location=Dallas, TX |isbn=1-55671-159-X |oclc=60338097|accessdate=2006-12-06}} :{{cite book |author={{aut|Gossen, Gary}} |year=1985 |chapter=Tzotzil Literature |title=Supplement to the Handbook of Middle American Indians, Volume 3 |editor=Victoria Reifler Bricker (ed.)|publisher=[[University of Texas Press]]|location=Austin|isbn=0-292-77593-8}} :{{cite book |author={{aut|Grenoble, Lenore A.}} |coauthors=and {{aut|Lindsay J. Whaley}} |year=1998 |chapter=Preface |chapterurl=http://assets.cambridge.org/97805215/91027/frontmatter/9780521591027_frontmatter.pdf |format=[[PDF]]|pages=xi-xii|title=Endangered languages: Current issues and future prospects.|editor=Lenore A. Grenoble and Lindsay J. Whaley (eds.) |publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=0-521-59102-3}} :{{cite journal |author={{aut|Houston, Stephen D.}} |authorlink=Stephen D. Houston |coauthors={{aut|John Robertson}} and {{aut|David Stuart}} |year=2000 |title=The Language of Classic Maya Inscriptions |journal=[[Current Anthropology]] |volume=41 |issue=3 |pages=pp.321–356 |issn=0010-3204}} :{{cite journal |author={{aut|Kaufman, Terrence}}|authorlink=Terrence Kaufman |year=1976 |title=Archaeological and Linguistic Correlations in Mayaland and Associated Areas of Meso-America |journal=World Archaeology |volume=8 |issue=1|pages=pp. 101–118 |issn=0043-8243}} :{{cite book |author={{aut|Kettunen, Harri}} |coauthors= and {{aut|Christophe Helmke}} |year=2005 |title=Introduction to Maya Hieroglyphs |format=[[PDF]] |publisher=Wayeb and Leiden University |url=http://www.mesoweb.com/resources/handbook/index.html|accessdate=2006-10-10}} :{{cite book |author={{aut|Lenkersdorf, Carlos}} |year=1996 |title=Los hombres verdaderos. Voces y testimonios tojolabales. Lengua y sociedad, naturaleza y cultura, artes y comunidad cósmica |publisher=Siglo XXI |location=Mexico City |isbn=968-23-1998-6}} {{es icon}} :{{cite book |author={{aut|Longacre, Robert}} |year=1968 |chapter=Systemic Comparison and Reconstruction |pages=pp.117–159 |title=Handbook of Middle American Indians, Vol. 5: Linguistics |editor=Norman A. McQuown (Volume ed.) |others=[[Robert Wauchope (archaeologist)|R. Wauchope]] (General Editor) |publisher=University of Texas Press |location=Austin |isbn=0-292-73665-7}} :{{cite book |author={{aut|McQuown, Norman A.}} |year=1968 |chapter=Classical Yucatec (Maya) |pages=pp.201–248 |title=Handbook of Middle American Indians, Vol. 5: Linguistics |editor=Norman A. McQuown (Volume ed.) |others=[[Robert Wauchope (archaeologist)|R. Wauchope]] (General Editor) |publisher=University of Texas Press |location=Austin |isbn=0-292-73665-7}} :{{cite encyclopedia |author={{aut|Mooney, James}}|year=1911 |title=Maya Indians |encyclopedia=[[Catholic Encyclopedia]] |url=http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/10082b.htm |edition=New Advent online reproduction |volume=vol. X |location=New York |publisher=Robert Appleton and Company |oclc=19420805|accessdate=2007-06-06}} :{{cite book |author={{aut|Oxlajuuj Keej Maya' Ajtz'iib' (OKMA)}} |year=1993 |title=Maya' chii'. Los idiomas Mayas de Guatemala |publisher=Cholsamaj |location=Guatemala City |isbn=89451-52-4}} :{{cite conference|author={{aut|Sapper, Karl}} |authorlink=Karl Sapper |year=1912 |title=Über einige Sprachen von Südchiapas |booktitle=Proceedings of the Seventeenth International Congress of Americanists (1910) |pages=pp.295–320}} {{de icon}} :{{cite book |author={{aut|Schele, Linda}} |authorlink=Linda Schele |coauthors= and {{aut|David Friedel}} |year=1990 |title=A Forest of Kings: The Untold Story of the Ancient Maya |publisher=William Morrow |location=New York |isbn=0-688-07456-1}} :{{cite book|author={{aut|Soustelle, Jacques}}|authorlink=Jacques Soustelle |title=The Olmecs: The Oldest Civilization in Mexico | year=1984 | location=New York | publisher=Doubleday and Co | isbn=0-385-17249-4}} :{{cite web |author={{aut|Spence, Jack}} |coauthors={{aut|David R. Dye, Paula Worby, Carmen Rosa de Leon-Escribano, George Vickers}}, and {{aut|Mike Lanchin}} |year=1988 |month=August |title=Promise and Reality: Implementation of the Guatemalan Peace Accords |url=http://hemisphereinitiatives.org/promise.htm#accord |publisher=Hemispheres Initiatives |accessdate=2006-12-06}} :{{cite book |author={{aut|Suaréz, Jorge A.}} |year=1983 |title=The Mesoamerican Indian Languages (Cambridge Language Surveys) |publisher=Cambridge University Press |location=Cambridge |isbn=0-521-22834-4}} :{{cite book |author={{aut|Tozzer, Alfred M.}} |authorlink=Alfred Tozzer |year=1977 |origyear=1921 |title=A Maya Grammar |edition=(unabridged republication) |publisher=[[Dover Publications]] |location=New York |isbn=0-486-23465-7}} {{refend}} <!-- END 'references-small style --> {{ref indent-end}}<!-- END hanging indent style --> ==External links== {{MayaHorizontal}} *[http://www.almg.org.gt/ The Guatemalan Academy of Mayan Languages] - Spanish/Mayan site, the primary authority on Mayan Languages {{es icon}} *[http://maya.hum.sdu.dk/ The Mayan Languages- A Comparative Vocabulary] contains more than 40,000 entries for 31 Mayan languages *[http://www.ethnologue.com/show_family.asp?subid=90711 Ethnologue Mayan language family tree, with ISO codes] *[http://www.rosettaproject.org/archive/Mayan Mayan languages from the Rosetta Project] *[http://hemisphereinitiatives.org/promise.htm#accord Officializing Mayan Languages in the Guatemalan Peace Accord] *[http://www.utexas.edu/courses/stross/ant389_files/maylanbib.htm Online bibliography of Mayan languages at the University of Texas] [[Category:Mesoamerican languages]] [[Category:Mayan languages| ]] {{Link FA|pt}} [[ca:Llengua maia]] [[cs:Mayské jazyky]] [[da:Maya (sprog)]] [[de:Maya-Sprachen]] [[es:Lenguas mayenses]] [[fr:Langues mayas]] [[ko:마야어족]] [[id:Bahasa Maya]] [[it:Lingua maya]] [[ku:Zimanên mayayî]] [[mk:Мајански јазик]] [[nl:Mayatalen]] [[ja:マヤ語族]] [[pl:Języki majańskie]] [[pt:Línguas maias]] [[ru:Майяские языки]] [[sk:Mayské jazyky]] [[fi:Mayakielet]] [[sv:Mayaspråk]] [[zh:馬雅語族]]