| Proto-Mayan | |
|---|---|
| Reconstruction of | Mayan languages |
| Region | Mesoamerica |
Proto-Mayan is the hypothetical common ancestor of the 30 livingMayan languages, as well as theClassic Maya language documented in theMaya inscriptions. While there has been some controversy with Mayan subgrouping, there has been a general agreement that the following are the main five subgroups of the family: Huastecan, Yucatecan, Cholan-Tzeltalan, Kanjobalan-Chujean, and Quichean-Mamean.[1]
The Proto-Mayan language is reconstructed (Campbell and Kaufman 1985) as having the following sounds:
Five vowels:a,e,i,o andu.Each of these occurring as short and long:aa,ee,ii,oo anduu. It is unlikely the language had a tonal system.
| Type | Bilabial | Alveolar | Palatal | Velar | Uvular | Glottal | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sound | plain | implosive | plain | ejective | plain | ejective | plain | ejective | plain | ejective | plain | |
| Stop | p [p] | bʼ [ɓ] | t [t] | tʼ [tʼ] | ty [tʲ] | tyʼ [tʲʼ] | k [k] | kʼ [kʼ] | q [q] | qʼ [qʼ] | ʼ [ʔ] | |
| Affricate | ts [tsʰ] | tsʼ [tsʼ] | ch [tʃʰ] | chʼ [tʃʼ] | ||||||||
| Fricative | s [s] | x [ʃ] | j [χ] | h [h] | ||||||||
| Nasal | m [m] | n [n] | nh [ŋ] | |||||||||
| Liquid | l [l] r [r] | |||||||||||
| Glide | y [j] | w [w] | ||||||||||
The following set ofsound changes from proto-Mayan to the modern languages are used as the basis of the classification of the Mayan languages. Each sound change may be shared by a number of languages; a grey background indicates no change.
| Huastecan | Yucatecan | Cholan–Tzeltalan | Qʼanjobʼalan–Chujean | Kʼichean–Mamean | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chʼolan | Tzeltalan | Qʼanjobʼalan | Chujean | Kʼichean | Mamean | ||||
| Core Kʼicheʼ | Kaqchikel- Tzʼutujil | Mam | Ixil | ||||||
| *w > b | |||||||||
| *h > w/_o,u | |||||||||
| *q > k, *qʼ > kʼ | |||||||||
| *ŋ > h | *ŋ > n[dubious –discuss] | *ŋ > x | |||||||
| *ty > tʃ, *tyʼ > tʃʼ | *ty > ty/t, *tyʼ > tyʼ/tʼ | *ty > t, *tyʼ > tʼ | *ty > tʃ, *tyʼ > tʃʼ | *ty > tz, *tyʼ > tzʼ | |||||
| *e: > i, *o: > u | |||||||||
| *a: >ɨ | |||||||||
| *-t > -tʃ | *t > tʃ | ||||||||
| *-h > -j | *-h > -j | ||||||||
| CVʔVC > CVʔC | |||||||||
| *r > t | |||||||||
| *r > j | |||||||||
| *tʃ > tʂ | |||||||||
| *-ɓ > -ʔ/VCV_# | |||||||||
The palatalized plosives[tʲʼ] and[tʲ] have not been retained in most of the modern languages, a notable exception being theCh'ol language. Instead they are reflected differently in different branches allowing a reconstruction of these phonemes as palatalized plosives. In the western branch (Chujean–Qʼanjobʼalan and Cholan) they are reflected as[t] and[tʼ]. In Mamean they are reflected as[ts] and[tsʼ] and in Yukatek and Kʼichean as[tʃʰ] and[tʃʼ].[2]
| Proto-Mayan | Qʼanjobʼal | Mam | Kʼicheʼ | English |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| *tʲeːʔ | teʔ | tseʔ | tʃeːʔ | tree |
| *tʲaʔŋ | tan | tsaʔχ | tʃaːχ | ashes |
The Proto-Mayan liquid[r] is reflected as[j] in the western languages (Chujean–Qʼanjobʼalan and Cholan), Huastecan and Yukatek but as[tʃʰ] in Mamean and[r] in Kʼichean and Poqom.[2]
| Proto-Mayan | Yukatek | Ixil | Kʼicheʼ | English |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| *raʔʃ | jaʔʃ | tʃaʔʃ | raʃ | green |
| *kar | kaj | tʃaj | kar | fish |
Proto-Mayan velar nasal*[ŋ] is reflected as[x] in the eastern branches (Kʼichean–Mamean), as[n] in Qʼanjobʼalan, Cholan and Yukatekan, and only conserved as[ŋ] in Chuj and Poptí.[4] In Huastecan*[ŋ] is reflected as[h].
| Proto-Mayan | Qʼanjobʼal | Ixil | Poptiʼ | English |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| *ŋeːh | ne | xeh | ŋeh | tail |
The changes of Proto-Mayan glottal fricative[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[w],[j],[ʔ],[x] or a zero-reflex.[5]
Only Kʼichean–Mamean and some Qʼanjobʼalan languages have retained Proto-Mayan uvular stops[q] and[qʼ] whereas all other branches have changed these into[k] and[kʼ] respectively.
In Mamean a chain shift took place changing*[r] into[t],*[t] into[tʃ],*[tʃ] into[tʂ] and*[ʃ] into[ʂ]. These retroflex affricates and fricatives later diffused into Qʼanjobʼalan.[6]
Inpolysyllabic words Kaqchikel and Tzʼutujil have changed a final Proto-Mayan*[w] and*[ɓ] into[j] and*[ʔ] respectively.[7]
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[kʷ], 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[kʷiːʃ] was written <cuyx> in colonial Wastek and pronounced[kuwiːʃ].
The Yucatecan languages have all shifted Proto-Mayan*[t] into[tʃ] in wordfinal position.
Several languages particularly Cholan and Yucatecan have changed short[a] into[ɨ].
All Cholan languages have changed long proto-Mayan vowels[eː] and[oː] into[i] and[u] respectively.
Vowel length distinction has been lost in Qʼanjobʼalan-Chujean (except for Mochoʼ 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 laxschwa-like vowel as a reflex of Proto-Mayan[a].[8] Two languages, Yukatek and Uspantek and one dialect of Tzotzil have introduced atone distinction in vowels between high and low tones as reflexes of former vowel length and[h] and[ʔ].
