Tz'utujil language

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Tz'utujil (Tz'utujiil)
Spoken in: Guatemala 
Region: Western Highlands
Total speakers: approx. 50,000
Language family: Mayan
 Quichean-Mamean
  Greater Quichean
   Quichean
    Tz'utujil (Tz'utujiil)
Language codes
ISO 639-1: none
ISO 639-2: myn
ISO 639-3: either:
tzj – Eastern
tzt – Western

Tz'utujil (or Tz'utujiil) is a Mayan language spoken in the region to the south of Lake Atitlán in Guatemala. Tz'utujil is closely related to its larger neighbors, Kaqchikel and K'iche'.

Today approximately 50,000 speak Tz'utujil as their mother tongue. The majority of the Tz'utujil people have Spanish as their second language, although many of the older people, or those in more remote locations do not. Many children also do not learn Spanish until they go to school around the age of five although more importance is now being placed upon it due to the influx of tourism into the region. Spanish is used in written communication.

Contents

[edit] Phonology

In the charts below each of the Tz'utujil phonemes is represented by the character or set of characters that denote it in the standard orthography developed by the Guatemalan Academy of Mayan Languages (ALMG) and sanctioned by the Guatemalan government. Where different, the corresponding symbol in the International Phonetic Alphabet appears in brackets.

[edit] Vowels

Tz'utujil has five short and five long vowels.

Short Long
i ii close front unrounded vowel
e ee mid front unrounded vowel
a aa open central unrounded vowel
u uu close back rounded vowel
o oo mid back rounded vowel

[edit] Consonants

Like other Mayan languages, Tz'utujil does not distinguish voiced and voiceless stops and affricates but instead distinguishes plain and glottalized stops and affricates. The plain stops and affricates (technically "pulmonic egressive") are usually voiceless and are aspirated at the ends of words and unaspirated elsewhere. The glottalized stops and affricates are usually ejective in the case of k' , ch' , and tz' and implosive in the case of b' , t' , and q' .

  Bilabial Alveolar Palatal Velar Uvular Glottal
  plain glottalized plain glottalized plain glottalized plain glottalized plain glottalized plain
Stops p b'  [ɓ] t t'  [ɗ]   k k' q q'  [ʠ]  '   [ʔ]
Affricates   tz  [ʦ] tz'  [ʦ’] ch  [ʧ] ch'  [ʧ’]      
Fricatives   s x  [ʃ]   j  [X]  
Nasals m n        
Liquids   l   r        
Glides     y  [j] w    

[edit] Sample words and phrases

  • maltyoox - 'thank-you'
  • saqari - 'good morning'
  • xqa'j q'iij - good afternoon
  • xok aaq'a' - 'good night'
  • na'an - 'good-bye'
  • jo' - 'let's go!'
  • utz aawach - 'how are you?'
  • jee' - 'yes'
  • mani' - 'no'

[edit] References

Dayley, Jon P. (1985). Tzutujil Grammar. Berkeley, California: University of California Press. ISBN 0-520-09962-1. 

García Ixmatá, Pablo (1997). Rukeemiik ja Tz'utujiil Chii': Gramática tz'utujiil. Guatemala City, Guatemala: Cholsamaj. ISBN 99922-53-13-4. 

Pérez Mendoza, Francisco; Miguel Hernández Mendoza (1996). Diccionario Tz'utujil. Antigua Guatemala, Guatemala: Proyecto Lingüístico Francisco Marroquín/Cholsamaj. 

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