Mayan languages
The Mayan languages are a language family spoken in Central America and Mesoamerica.[1]
They are spoken by at least 6 million native Maya, mostly in Guatemala, Mexico, or Belize. In 1996, Guatemala formally recognized 21 Mayan languages by name,[2] and Mexico recognized eight others.
The Mayan languages are some of the best documented and most studied languages in the Americas.[3] Those spoken today come from Proto-Mayan, a language that was probably spoken at least 5000 years ago and has been partly reconstructed.
Mayan Languages Media
Approximate migration routes and dates for various Mayan language families. The region shown as Proto-Mayan is now occupied by speakers of the Qʼanjobalan branch (light blue in other figures).
Classic period Maya glyphs in stucco at the Museo de sitio in Palenque, Mexico
Genealogy of Mayan languages.
The area where Yucatec Maya is spoken in the peninsula of YucatánTemplate:Imagefact
Yucatec Maya writing in the Dresden Codex, c. 11–12th century, Chichen Itza
Dinner menu in Kaqchikel, Antigua, Guatemala
Trilingual text in Calakmul: Spanish, Yucatec Maya and English
References
- ↑ In linguistics, it is usual to use Mayan when talking about the language
- ↑ Spence, Jack. Promise and Reality: Implementation of the Guatemalan Peace Accords (1988)Hemispheres Initiatives. Retrieved 2006-12-06.
- ↑ Campbell, Lyle. American Indian Languages: The Historical Linguistics of Native America (Oxford Studies in Anthropological Linguistics, 4) (1997). New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-195-09427-1. p.165.
±
