Proto-Mayan

Proto-Mayan is the hypothetical common ancestor of the 30 living Mayan languages, as well as the extinct Classic Maya language documented in the Maya Hieroglyphical inscriptions.

Phonology

The Proto-Mayan language is reconstructed (Campbell and Kaufman 1985) as having the following sounds:

Five vowels: "a", "e", "i", "o" and "u". Each of these occurring as short and long: "aa", "ee", "ii", "oo" and "uu",

The Proto-Mayan liquid IPA| [r] is reflected as IPA| [j] in the eastern languages (Chujean- Q'anjob'alan and Cholan), Huastecan and Yukatek but as IPA| [ʧʰ] in Mamean and IPA| [r] in K'ichean and Poqom. [England (1994), p.35.]

Proto-Mayan velar nasal *IPA| [ŋ] is reflected as IPA| [x] in the western branches (K'ichean Mamean), as IPA| [n] in Q'anjob'alan, Cholan and Yukatekan, and only conserved as IPA| [ŋ] in Chuj and Poptí. [England (1994), pp.30-31.] In Huastecan *IPA| [ŋ] is reflected as [h] .

The changes of Proto-Mayan glottal fricative IPA| [h] are many and it has different reflexes according to position. In some positions it has added length to the preceding vowel in languages that preserve a length distinction. In other languages it has the reflexes IPA| [w] , IPA| [j] , IPA| [ʔ] , IPA| [x] or a zero-reflex. [England (1994), p.37.]

Only K'ichean-Mamean and some Q'anjob'alan languages have retained proto-Mayan uvular stops IPA| [q] and IPA| [q'] whereas all other branches have changed these into IPA| [k] and IPA| [k'] respectively.

In Mamean a chain shift took place changing *IPA| [r] into IPA| [t] , *IPA| [t] into IPA| [tʃ] , *IPA| [tʃ] into IPA| [ʈʂ] and *IPA| [ʃ] into IPA| [ʂ] . These retroflex affricates and fricatives later diffused into Q'anjob'alan. [ Campbell (1997), p.164.]

In polysyllabic words Kaqchikel and Tz'utujil have changed a final proto-Mayan * [w] and *IPA| [ɓ] into [j] and *IPA| [ʔ] respectively. [Campbell, Lyle, 1998, "Historical Linguistics", Thames & hudson p.170]

Huastecan is the only branch to have changed Proto-Mayan * [w] into [b] . Wastek also is the only Mayan language to have a phonemic labialized velar phoneme IPA| [k^w] , but this is known to be a postcolonial development. Comparing colonial documents in Wastek to modern Wastek it can be seen that they were originally clusters of k and a rounded vowel followed by a glide. For example the word for "vulture" which in modern Wastek is pronounced IPA| [k^wi:ʃ] was written in colonial Wastek and pronounced IPA| [kuwi:ʃ] .

The Yucatecan languages have all shifted proto-Mayan * [t] into IPA| [tʃ] in wordfinal position.

Several languages particularly Cholan and Yucatecan have changed short [a] into IPA| [ɨ] .

All Cholan languages have changed long proto-Mayan vowels IPA| [eː] and IPA| [oː] into IPA| [i] and IPA| [u] respectively.

Vowel length distinction has been lost in Q'anjob'alan-Chujean (except for Mocho' and Akateko), Kaqchikel and Cholan. Some languages have reduced the vowel length distinction into a tense lax distinction that was later lost for most vowels, Kaqchikel however retains a centralized lax schwa-like vowel as a reflex of proto-Mayan IPA| [a] [England (1994), pp.110-111.] . Two languages, Yukatek and Uspantek and one dialect of Tzotzil have introduced a tone distinction in vowels between high and low tones as reflexes of former vowel length and [h] and IPA| [ʔ] .

Grammar

Vocabulary

References

* England, Nora C., 1994, Autonomia de los Idiomas Mayas: Historia e identidad. (Ukuta'mil Ramaq'iil Utzijob'aal ri Maya' Amaaq'.) Cholsamaj. Guatemala.

* Handbook of Middle American Indians, 1967, 1969, R. Wauchope (series ed.). Vol 7 (ethnographic sketches of Mayan groups), Volume 5 (linguistic sketches and other useful materials). F 1434, H 3, LAC (ref).

*Lyle Campbell and Terrence Kaufman, Annual Review of Anthropology. 1985. "Mayan Linguistics: Where are We Now?".

[http://www.utexas.edu/courses/stross/ant389_files/maylanbib.htm Bibiliography of Maya related topics from the University of Texas Anthropology website]

External links

* [http://www.almg.org.gt/ The Guatemalan Academy of Mayan Languages] - Spanish/Mayan site, the primary authority on Mayan Languages
* [http://www.websters-online-dictionary.org/definition/Yucatec-english/ Yucatec - English Dictionary]
* [http://maya.hum.sdu.dk/ The Mayan Languages- A Comparative Vocabulary] contains more than 40,000 entries for 31 Mayan languages
* [http://www.mesoweb.com/resources/vocabulary/English-Maya.html English Words and their Classic Maya Equivalents]
* [http://www.ethnologue.com/show_family.asp?subid=90711 Ethnologue Mayan language family tree]