A Brief Linguistic Comparison of Three Mayan Languages (2019)
Courtesy of Google Images

A Brief Linguistic Comparison of Three Mayan Languages (2019)

*The original copy of this article was accidentally erased due to the faulty AI of Linkedin.com and the following remake of this article will lack many of the components that the original article contained. This was originally one of my most viewed and appreciated articles here on Linkedin.com and it was a shame that the original was erased. The main points of interest of the original article will be intact within this copy.

Mayan Languages are a very bleak and obscure topic compared to the other Languages of the World and resources are very few and at some times nonexistent. We hope with this academic article that we may shed some light on the topic of similarities between Mayan Languages within the much broader Mayan Language Linguistic Family Tree. Although when people think of a Mayan Language or Languages, they think of an archaic and obsolete Language that was spoken many years ago and that very well may have become extinct within the Common Era. Although older dialects of Mayan are indeed extinct, Mayan Languages are alive and well and are spoken by thousands upon thousands of Indigenous people in Guatemala, Mexico, Honduras, El Salvador and Belize. There is not only one Mayan Language, but over 25 different Languages that all have their own history, language, culture and customs that differ from one another to many varying degrees. For every Language or Cultural Group, there are multiple dialects that can vary from region to region or from village to village. Although it would be a mistake to generalize all Mayan Languages as Mayan as Anthropologists have done for many years, many groups do not identify themselves as the Maya as do the Yucatecan speaking peoples of the Península de Yucatán of Mexico. 'Maayat'aan' is the name of the Yucatec Language spoken in Belize, Mexico and in sparse areas of Guatemala (especially Péten). 'Maayat'aan' literally means 'The Speech of the Maya' and therefore the Yucatec Maya speakers refer to themselves as 'the Maya'. Other Cultural Groups do not identify as such, but only by the name that they give themselves such as 'The Tz'utujiil People' or 'The Ch'ol'. For example, the Tz'utujiil people of Sololá, Guatemala call themselves 'Ajtz'utujiil' which means 'a Tz'utujiil person' or 'One that speaks Tz'utujiil'. 'Aj-' in Tz'utujiil refers to a person and, of course, '-tz'utujiil' is what the Tz'utujiil people use to identify themselves and their cultural heritage.

Within this academic article we will show examples of how Tz'utujiil, Ch'ol and Yucatec compare and contrast between themselves.

Tz'utujiil Maya is part of the Eastern Branch of Mayan Languages and is closely related to K'ichee' (Quiche) Maya and Kaqchikel Maya. Ch'ol Maya is part of the Western Branch of Mayan Languages and is closely related to Chontal, Ch'orti' and Ch'olti'. Ch'olti' is a dead language and has been extinct since the turn of the century. Yucatec, also known as 'Maayat'aan' formed its own branch many years ago and it is referred to as the Yucatecan Branch of Mayan Languages and the Language is closely akin to Lakantun, Itza' and Mopan, which are also Languages within the same linguistic group.

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A Chart of the Mayan Language Linguistic Family Tree. Courtesy of Google Images, 2019.

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Another Chart of the Mayan Language Linguistic Family Tree. Courtesy of Google Images, 2019.

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A Map of Southern Mexico and Guatemala and the areas populated by primary Linguistic Cultural Groups. Courtesy of Google Images, 2019.

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A Chart of Mayan Language Native Speakers by Population Size. Courtesy of Google Images, 2019.

I) Common Similarities and Differences

There are three ways that Mayan Language Vocabulary can compare and contrast between Languages:

1) All Languages share a common root word (Very similar).

Tz'utujiil: Tz'ijb' (Writing)

Ch'ol Maya (Lak T'an): Ts'ijb (Writing)

Yucatec (Maayat'aan): Tz'iib (Writing)

2) Several of the Languages share a common root while others do not (Varying similarity).

Tz'utujiil: Tz'i' (Dog)

Ch'ol Maya (Lak T'an): Ts'i' (Dog)

Yucatec (Maayat'aan): Péek (Dog)

3) All Languages compared use a different root word that may be specific to only the individual Language (No similarity).

Tz'utujiil: Jab'eliil (Beauty)

Ch'ol Maya (Lak T'an): Ity'ojolel (Beauty)

Yucatec (Maayat'aan): Jatz'utziil (Beauty)

II) Similarities with Verb Structure and Verbal Roots

All Mayan Languages share the same complex Verbal Structure and they all share common characteristics with Verbal Clusters and how they are formed.

Tz'utujiil: Tz'ijb'aaneem, Tz'ijb'aani [intransitive]; Tz'ijb'axik, Tz'ijb'aaj [transitive] (to Write)

Ch'ol Maya (Lak T'an): Ts'ijbujel [intransitive]; Ts'ijbu? [transitive] (to Write)

Yucatec (Maayat'aan): Tz'iib [intransitive]; Tz'iibtik [transitive] (to Write)

The Construction of the Verbal Cluster is one of the key facets that all Mayan Languages share. It is one of the most common characteristics.

The basic construction of the Verbal Cluster is as follows:

(Tense) + (Person) + (Verbal Root)

The following example will use the previous verb demonstrated in this section and will compare the three languages following the rules of verbal construction.

Tz'utujiil: N-in-tz'ijb'aan (I write); N-in-tz'ijb'aj (I write it)

Ch'ol Maya (Lak T'an): Mi-k-ts'ijbujel (I write); Mi-k-ts'ijbu? (I write it)

Yucatec (Maayat'aan): K-in-tz'iib (I write); K-in-tz'iibtik (I write it)

There are usually three main tenses in every Mayan Language with exceptions for every language. The Prefix that shows the tense of the verbal construction will change and the Infix that shows the person may or may not change depending on the Language.

The following will demonstrate the changes to the Tense of the Verbal Structure between the three Languages:

Tz'utujiil: X-in-tz'ijb'aan (I wrote); X-in-tz'ijb'aj (I wrote it)

Ch'ol Maya (Lak T'an): Tsa-k-ts'ijbuji (I wrote); Tsa-k-ts'ijbu (I wrote it)

Yucatec (Maayat'aan): Tz'-in-tz'iib (I wrote); Tz'in-tz'iibtik (I wrote it)

There are multiple suffixes, infixes and particles that can be added to different parts of the verbal structure in order to change the meaning. Mayan Language Verbs are quite complex, but this is one of the most common traits that all Mayan Languages share between themselves.

The placement of the direct object within a verbal cluster will also indicate which Languages are more closely related when comparing and contrasting several Mayan Languages.

With the following example we will demonstrate the differences and similarities between the three Languages when a direct object is added to the verbal cluster; in this case, the direct object will be 'you'. The underlined portions of the cluster will indicate the placement of the direct object.

NOTE: Don't forget the steps for the verbal cluster, which are:

Tense + Person + Verbal Root

Tz'utujiil: N-atnw-ajob'eej (I love you) --Tz'utujiil is the outlier within this sample. The placement of the infix or Person + Direct object infix is a common characteristic of K'ichee' Maya, Kaqchikel and Tz'utujiil, which all three are Sister Languages and they are of the Eastern Branch of Mayan Languages. Compared to the other two languages the differences are quite obvious. In the case of Tz'utujiil the rules for the structure of the verbal cluster would be: Tense + (Direct Object + Person Infix) + Verbal Root. In Tz'utujiil there is a long list of these dual infixes that express both the Direct Object and the Person (Subject).

Ch'ol Maya (Lak T'an): *Mi-j-k'uxbi?-et (I love you)

Yucatec (Maayat'aan): *K-in-yakuuntik-eech (I love you)

*It is easy to see that both Ch'ol Maya and Yucatec share a similar placement of the direct object within the verbal cluster. There is also evidence of a consonant shift between the two languages; from [T] to [CH]. Consonant shifts will be discussed more in the next section of this article. It can be seen that both Ch'ol Maya and Yucatec follow these rules for the structure of the verbal cluster when it includes a Direct Object: Tense + Person + Verbal Root + Direct Object.

Ergative Pronouns in the Mayan Language Family:

Ergative Pronouns are a common trait within the Mayan Language Family Tree. The majority of Verb Stems that begin with a vowel will receive an Ergative Pronoun [Set B Affix] rather than the regular primary Pronouns [Set A Affix] used to conjugate verbs that begin with a consonant.

*These Pronoun examples are only from the Tz'utujil Language.

Set A [Primary] -- 1st Person Sing. & Pl. / 2nd Person Sing. & Pl. / 3rd Person Sing. & Pl.

1) [I] -in- / [We] -oq-/-oj- [with verb stems that begin with 'K']

2) [You; sing.] -at- / [You; pl.] -ix-

3) [He, She, It] --- / [They] -ee-

Set B [Ergative] -- only with Verb Stems that begin with a vowel

1) [I] -w-; -nw-; -inw / [We] -q-

2) [You; sing.] -aw- / [You; pl.] -ew-

3) [He, She, It] -r- / [They] -k-

Examples of Ergativity:

*-w- will be used for these samples

Tz'utujil: Nwaajo' (I want) -- Verb Stem: Ajo'xik [to want / love]

Ch'ol Maya (Lak T'an): Ma' w?l (You say) -- Verb Stem: ?l [to say]

Yucatec (Maayat'aan): K'aat in waantikeech (I want to help you) -- Verb Stem: Aantik [to help]

Intransitive vs. Transitive Verbs:

The majority of Verbs can be split between Intransitive and Transitive Verb Stems. All Mayan Languages have dual Verb Stems with the exception of some verbs that may only have an Intransitive Form. Intransitive merely means that the action is being done with no indication that the action is being done to a Person or Object. Transitive Verbs inherently mean that the action is being done to a Person or Object specifically.

Tz'utujiil: Tzijoneem [intransitive] (to Speak); Tzijob'exik [transitive] (to Speak to someone)

Tz'utujiil: B'enaq; -B'e [only intransitive] (to Go)

Ch'ol Maya (Lak T'an): Ch'?kojel [intransitive] (to Curse); Ch'?k [transitive] (to Curse someone)

Ch'ol Maya (Lak T'an): Majlel; Sami- [only intransitive] (to Go)

Yucatec (Maayat'aan): Janaal [intransitive] (to Eat); Jantik [transitive] (to Eat something)

Yucatec (Maayat'aan): Binel; Bin [only intransitive] (to Go)

III) Common Root Similarities and the Consonant Shift

Although each Mayan Language is quite different from other Mayan Languages; with the exception of Sister Languages within their own linguistic group that may share a broader amount of similarities to each other than to Mayan Languages outside of their own group, there are word roots that are carried throughout every Mayan Language that stem from Proto-Maya from which all Mayan Languages originally developed.

Tz'utujiil: Kamik [K#M] (to Die)

Ch'ol Maya (Lak T'an): *Ch?mel [CH#M] (to Die)

Yucatec (Maayat'aan): Kiimil [K#M] (to Die)

*This is a common trait associated with the Ch'olan Languages. Many Languages from the Western Branch of Mayan Languages experienced a consonant shift within many roots. One of the most common consonant shifts is [K] to [CH].

Below is another example of the consonant shift that is very common in Western Branch Mayan Languages:

Tz'utujiil: K'uum [K'##M] (Pumpkin)

Ch'ol Maya (Lak T'an): *Ch'ujm [CH'##M] (Pumpkin)

Yucatec (Maayat'aan): K'uum [K'##M] (Pumpkin)

IV) Noun Classifiers

Another common trait within Mayan Languages is the usage of Noun Classifiers. This is also a common trait of Mandarin Chinese, where a particle is added to the numeral when counting nouns. Each Classifier describes different objects or, as well, it can specify if the thing(s) being counted are humans, animals, trees or objects with specific shapes or dimensions. Altogether it is a very complicated system and there are many Mayan Languages that have dropped the usage of this system entirely. Besides the complex sounds and pronunciation of Mayan Vocabulary, this is also one of the features that make Mayan Languages difficult to learn for non-native speakers.

The following example will use the number 1 or 'Juun' with the common non-specific classifier that is used with counting objects that do not fit in any of the other criteria for certain Classifiers.

Tz'utujiil: Juun Wuuj (a Book / one Book) *Tz'utujiil does not use the Noun Classifier System

Ch'ol Maya (Lak T'an): Jump'ejl Jun (a Book / one Book); -p'ejl / -p'ej [non-specific classifier]

Yucatec (Maayat'aan): Jump'éel Ju'un (a Book / one Book); -p'éel [non-specific classifier]

At this time, the article has reached its end. We do hope in the future to add more information and examples from these three Mayan Languages. This article itself will continue to be developed over time.

Also, Check out our new book which thoroughly covers the topic of this linguistic comparison; with the inclusion of K'iche' Maya:

"A Comparison of Four Mayan Languages: From México to Guatemala, 1st Edition" (Published August 2020) by Mateo G.R. "Nim B'ajlom" & Sandra Chigüela [413 Pages]

Also, see are most up-to-date version with additional material:

"A Comparison of Four Mayan Languages: From México to Guatemala, Version 2.0, 1st Edition" (Published in 2021) by Mateo G.R. "Nim B'ajlom" & Sandra Chigüela [444 Pages]

All of Our Books are Available at Amazon.com, Booksamillion.com, Barnes and Noble's Online Store, etc.

We hope are readers enjoyed this article and we hoped that this article was very educational and interesting for those who have studied linguistics or for those who have a great interest in Mayan Languages or Foreign Languages in general.

Thank you and may you all have a blessed week!

MATEO G.R. "NIM B'AJLOM" & SANDRA CHIGüELA (Founders of BiiNP)

Mateo G.R. "Nim B'ajlom"

Retired Translator & Interpreter, Retired Author & Active Indigenous Human Rights Advocate at B'ajlom ii Nkotz'i'j Publications (BiiNP)

3 年

Thank you Luna Smith - at Sigma Global Languages for liking our article! May you have a blessed week! Stay safe and healthy!

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Mateo G.R. "Nim B'ajlom"

Retired Translator & Interpreter, Retired Author & Active Indigenous Human Rights Advocate at B'ajlom ii Nkotz'i'j Publications (BiiNP)

4 年

Thank you Julie JKM for liking our publication! We greatly appreciate it! May you have a blessed week! Stay safe and healthy!

Mateo G.R. "Nim B'ajlom"

Retired Translator & Interpreter, Retired Author & Active Indigenous Human Rights Advocate at B'ajlom ii Nkotz'i'j Publications (BiiNP)

4 年

Gracias Antonio Trápaga por darle un like a nuestra Publicación! Lo apreciamos tanto! Q tenga Usted una semana sumamente bendecida! Quédate a salvo y con buena salud!

Mateo G.R. "Nim B'ajlom"

Retired Translator & Interpreter, Retired Author & Active Indigenous Human Rights Advocate at B'ajlom ii Nkotz'i'j Publications (BiiNP)

4 年

?Gracias Aldo Castellanos Zavala por darle un like a nuestra publicación! ?Lo apreciamos tanto! Q tenga Usted una semana sumamente bendecida! ?Quédate a salvo y con buena salud!

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Mateo G.R. "Nim B'ajlom"

Retired Translator & Interpreter, Retired Author & Active Indigenous Human Rights Advocate at B'ajlom ii Nkotz'i'j Publications (BiiNP)

4 年

The Complete Book Version of this Article will be coming out in the year 2021...if there happens to be any setbacks the release date may be pushed back until December of 2022. Just a heads up to several people that have asked me about the complete book version that I have mentioned in the past.

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