Proto-Mayan

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Proto-Mayan is the hypothetical common ancestor of the 30 living Mayan languages, and the direct ancestor of the dead Classic Maya language documented in the Maya Hieroglyphical inscriptions.

1 Phonology
- 1.1 Sound rules
- 1.2 Developments
2 Grammar
3 References
4 External links

[edit] 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,

	Bilabial		Alveolar		Palatal		Velar		Uvular		Glottal
	plain	ejective	plain	ejective	plain	ejective	plain	ejective	plain	ejective	plain
Stops	p [p]	b' ɓ	t [t]	t' [t']	ty [tʲ]	ty' [tʲ']	k [k]	k' [k']	q [q]	q' [q']	' [ʔ]
Affricate			ts [ʦʰ]	ts' [ʦ’]	ch [ʧʰ]	ch' [ʧ’]
Fricative			s [s]		x [ʃ]				j [X]		h [h]
Nasal	m [m]		n [n]				nh [ŋ]
Liquids			l [l] r [r]
Glide					y [j]		w [w]

[edit] Sound rules

The following set of sound changes from proto-Mayan to the modern langauges are used as the basis of the classification of the mayan languages. The colored fields show that a sound change has happened in this branch - when two or more branches have the same change it suggests that this soundchange is a shared innovation and that those branches have shared a common development.

Overview of soundrules from Proto-Mayan to modern Mayan language groups
Soundrule	Cholan-Tzeltalan		Q'anjob'alan-Chujean		K'ichean-Mamean
	Ch'olan	Tzeltalan	Q'anjob'alan	Chujean	K'ichean		Mamean
					Core K'iche'	Kaqchikel- Tz'utujil	Mam	Ixil
*w > b
*h > w/_o,u
*ŋ > h
q > k, q' > k'
*ŋ > n
e: > i, o: > u
*a: > ɨ
*-t > -tʃ
*ŋ > x
CVʔVC > CVʔC
*r > t
*r > j
*t > tʃ
*tʃ > tʂ
*-h > -j
*-ɓ > -ʔ/VCV_#

[edit] Developments

The palatalized plosives [tʲ'] and [tʲ] are not carried down into any of the modern families. Instead they are reflected differently in different branches allowing a reconstruction of these phonemes as palatalized plosives. In the eastern branch (Chujean-Q'anjob'alan and Cholan) they are reflected as [t] and [t']. In Mamean they are reflected as [ts] and [ts'] and in Yukatek and K'ichean as [ʧʰ] and [ʧ’].^[1]

reflexes of Proto-Mayan [tʲ'] and [tʲ] ^[2]
Proto-Mayan	Q'anjob'al	Mam	K'iche'	English
*tʲeːʔ	teʔ	tseʔ	cheːʔ	tree
*tʲaʔŋ	tan	tsaʔX	chaːX	ashes

The Proto-Mayan liquid [r] is reflected as [j] in the eastern languages (Chujean- Q'anjob'alan and Cholan), Huastecan and Yukatek but as [ʧʰ] in Mamean and [r] in K'ichean and Poqom. ^[3]

reflexes of Proto-Mayan [r] ^[4]
Proto-Mayan	Yukatek	Ixil	K'iche'	English
*raʔʃ	jaʔʃ	tʃaʔʃ	raʃ	green
*kar	kaj	tʃaj	kar	fish

Proto-Mayan velar nasal *[ŋ] is reflected as [x] in the western branches (K'ichean Mamean), as [n] in Q'anjob'alan, Cholan and Yukatekan, and only conserved as [ŋ] in Chuj and Poptí. ^[5] In Huastecan *[ŋ] is reflected as [h].

reflexes of Proto-Mayan [ŋ] ^[6]
Proto-Mayan	Q'anjob'al	Ixil	Poptí	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. ^[7]

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

In Mamean a chain shift took place changing *[r] into [t], *[t] into [tʃ], *[tʃ] into [ʈʂ] and *[ʃ] into [ʂ]. These retroflex affricates and fricatives later diffused into Q'anjob'alan. ^[8]

In polysyllabic words Kaqchikel and Tz'utujil have changed a final proto-Mayan *[w] and *[ɓ] into [j] and *[ʔ] respectively.^[9]

Huastecan is the only branch to have changed Proto-Mayan *[w] into [b]. Wastek also is the only mayan laguage to have a phonemic labialized velar phoneme [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 [k^wi:ʃ]was written <cuyx> in colonial Wastek and pronounced [kuwi:ʃ].

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 Q'anjob'alan-Chujean (except for Mocho' and Akateko), Kaqchikel and Cholan. Some languages have reduced the vowel length disctinction into a tense lax distinction that was later lost for most vowels, Kaqchikel however retains a a centralized lax schwa-like vowel as a reflex of proto-Mayan [a]^[10]. 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 [ʔ].

[edit] Grammar

[edit] 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).