This language is known as Mayan language Yucatec, in the first instance it is said like this mainly to differentiate it between the numerous Mayan languages, also because it is spoken in several states of Mexico in which Yucatán, Campeche and Quintana Roo stand out.
History of the Mayan language
Despite the fact that it is a very old language, there are a multitude of people interested in learning not only the culture, customs and religion of the Mayan civilization, but also they are trapped by the fact of going further and acquiring much more knowledge, for That is why they seem very interested (even today) in wanting to learn the Mayan language.
The history of the Mayan language comes from ancient times, is considered one of the oldest native languages, this language along with the other languages of the Mayan family, are part of a derivation of a very old language called Proto-Mayan, this generates a close union in all languages that come from said language, given that despite their locality or town, the language they present is usually very similar, although with some phonetic differences.
El origin of the Mayan language in general can be dated through writings found in Mexico, Guatemala and Belize, these writings were found in their temples and Mountains, are thousands of years old, some even date back to 100 BC. C and 100 AD. C specifically in the preclassic period.
Although the Mayan family is extensive and covers a large territory in several countries, each town was autonomous, they had economy and wealth completely independent of each other. The only thing that the peoples of the time shared were their customs, culture, coincidentally they also shared their beliefs and of course the Mayan language. Despite being independent and autonomous, all the towns were called Mayans due to the customs with which they identified.
What are the characteristics of the Mayan language?
The Mayans not only used the language to communicate, they also used other methods that are more complex, they tried to give messages with a certain level of difficulty to understand them, using different tools. Each town belonging to the Mayan family could have a different way of issuing messages to transmit their ideas, however in most cases there was no problem when it came to understanding each other.
The characteristics of the language usually have minimal varieties depending on the places where the Mayan language is spoken, one of the most obvious is that the language is thrifty and synthetic, this is because there is usually no great union or vowel tracking and the words are usually extremely short and direct, there is no need to use question marks in the case of of the questions since the language has forms that are specific in those cases.
However, it should be noted that despite the fact that there were different peoples of Mayan origin around the different territories of Central America, they all shared almost the same pronunciations for an enormous variety of words, such as their different gods, clothing, even for the different social classes that existed in the different Mayan civilizations. Said vocabulary, moved to the present without undergoing major changes in terms of its pronunciations.
The words in the Mayan language in case of having the same letters, repeated or followed, they use an apostrophe to separate them. Like Spanish, it has 5 vowels, these can be long and have 2 types of tones, there are 2 vowels that, like many consonants, are pronounced in a complex way with the lower part of the throat. In this language, deaf consonant sounds are abundant.
- in the phonological: A quality that all Mayan languages share is that some of their consonants and few vowels are glottalized, this means that the sound comes from the lower part of the throat. Normally it is the letters p, t and k that are intoned that way
- In writing: Since the arrival and conquest of the Spanish a few centuries ago, in the Mayan language the letters of the Spanish alphabet are used. In ancient times they used slightly more complex systems to understand in writing such as the ideogram.
In Yucatan, the Mayan language presents complexity, due to the fact that they use different forms of communication where they present ideas that are generally very complex, even some of the forms are to refer to names and to another very different material thing.
Who influenced the Mayan language?
La Mayan language Around 5 or 6 centuries ago, they were faced with several changes, this as a consequence of interactions with other peoples, among which the Toltec, Xiúes and the Nahuatl stand out in great participation. Later they would receive a strong impact from the Spanish in the conquest, that would mark a resounding change not only in the language but also in the Mayan culture.
It also meant a change in their literature, which in principle was based on writing and drawing in detail in the Mayan language the events, legends and supposed revelations that the people could have, this in order to transmit the message from generation to generation between the same Mayan family that were divided into towns in different locations. After the contributions that the Spanish presented to it during the conquest, they changed their messages and writings on the wall.
It is believed that in order to transfer the message through time, messages that were referring to the arrival of the Spanish at that time. It is also believed that when the Spanish arrived, they were interested in quickly learning the Mayan language, as part of a plan that had the purpose of being able to communicate with the Mayan peoples and thus gain an advantage in the conquest.
Population that dominates the Mayan language
In modern times there are almost a million people who speak the mayan language, this thanks to the numerous efforts that have been made in Guatemala, Belize and mainly in Mexico to try to spread the language despite the disappearance of the civilization that originated it, as well as trying to preserve its history, customs and culture. Today its ancient temples and pyramids have become tourist sites in the Protected natural areas of Mexico,
In 2003, a law on linguistic law was approved in Mexico, which indicates that all indigenous languages, including all those of the Mayan family, would be recognized as national languages. Since then there have been enormous advances in the teaching and dissemination of the language, especially in the places where it is most widely spoken, which are Yucatan, Campeche and part of Guatemala.
After carrying out censuses, the number of approximately 800 people in the Mexican territory who speak the language fluently has been reached. Mayan language, while outside of Mexico there are around 5.700 people, Guatemala being the country that after Mexico has the largest number of people who dominate the language
Academies have been inaugurated where they are committed to teaching, motivating and spreading the language, there are also schools where they teach the language, they use very practical teaching methods such as riddles in Mayan language and the poems. Even today, there is the possibility of learning the language online, without having to participate in face-to-face classes.
Letters and words it shares with the Hispanic alphabet
The Mayan alphabet after the encounter with the Spaniards received a change, to the point that today almost all its words can be compatible with the Spanish alphabet. Next we will see the letters of the Mayan alphabet with their different intonations and we will know some of their most used words:
mayan alphabet
- AB Ch Ch' EIJK K' LMNOP P' ST T' Ts Ts' UWXY '
- ab ch ch' eijk k' lmnop p' st t' ts ts' uwxy '
intonations
- ab t͡ʃʰ t͡ʃʼ eih kʰ kʼ lmno pʰ pʼ s tʰ tʼ t͡sʰ t͡sʼ uw ʃ j ʔ
Numbers with their translation in Yucatec Maya
- June (one)
- Kaʻa (two)
- oox (three)
- Khan (four)
- Jo'o (five)
- Wak (six)
- uuk (seven)
- Waxak (eight)
- Bolon (nine)
- Lajun (ten)
- Buluk (eleven)
- Lajka'a or ka'alajun (twelve)
- oxlajun (thirteen)
- Kanlajun (fourteen)
- Jo'olajun (fifteen)
- Waklajun (XNUMX)
- U'uklajun (seventeen)
- Waxaklajun (eighteen)
- Bolonlajun (nineteen)
- Junk'aal (twenty)
Mayan language words
Among the most popular words in the Mayan language we can find the name of the animals, the denomination of the material artifacts or tools, and even words that have been included in the language. Next we will make a brief summary of how some words are written in the Yucatec Mayan language:
- Animals
- T'eel = rooster
- Kusts ha' = Duck
- Ts'unu'um = Hummingbird
- Pan ch'eel = Toucan
- Am = Spider
- Yik'el kaab = Bee
- Xuux = Wasp
- Ik'el = Insect
- Uk' = Louse
- Kaan = Snake
- Miis = Cat
- Ku'uk = Squirrel
- Wakax = Bull
- Tsíimiin = Horse
- T'u'ul = Rabbit
- Chak mo'ol = Jaguar
- Dog = Peek'
- Ch'o' = Mouse
- Keej = Deer
- Soots = Bat
- Ma'ax = monkey
- Words of the current daily life of people
- Xiik' = Armpit
- Kiirits' = Dirty
- K'aas = Ugly
- Otoch = Rate
- Janal = Food
- Naj = House
- Tuunich = Stone
- Mayak che = Table
- Joonaj = Gate
- Noo'k = Clothes
- Ha' = Water
Mayan language in modern times
Words that have been added to the Mayan language in modern times:
- Maseewal, pronounced macehualli, means indigenous in Spanish.
- Tamale, pronounced tamalli and means (tamale).
- Chimal, pronounced chimalli and means (shield)
- Posol, pronounced pozolli (This word is related to the word potzonalli which means something that is foamy)
- Hipil, pronounced huipilli and means in the Yucatan peninsula
- Kotom, pronounced coton, can also be cotomitl (shirt)
- Kama'ach, pronounced camachalli (jaw)
mayan poems
The mayan poems They are known for being generally short and to the point. Most of the time they are used to recite romantic prayers or to give short stories about events or legends. Some people think that the Mayans recited poems for their lovers and for the gods.
This practice occupies a very important place in Mayan culture and literature, mainly in Mexico, specifically in Yucatan, Quintana Roo and Campeche. At present, the Mayan egua is followed to recite poems of a romantic nature mainly.
Among the best known poems we can find:
- a night of eclipse
- The owl
- I will be