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Ch'ol Language

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The Ch'ol (Chol) language is a member of the western branch of the Mayan language family used by the Ch'ol people in the Mexican state of Chiapas. There are two main dialects:

  • Ch'ol of Tila spoken by 43,870 people of whom 10,000 are monolinguals in the villages of Tila, Vicente Guerrero, Chivalito and Limar in Chiapas.
  • Ch'ol of Tumbalá spoken by 90,000 people of whom 30,000 are monolinguals in the villages of Tumbalá, Sabanilla, Misijá, Limar, Chivalita and Vicente Guerrero.

Records of the language known as Ch’ol, a Mayan language, can be traced back to 1789 in Tila, Chiapas Mexico.[1] The word ch’ol refers to both the language and the speakers.[2] The speakers call the language lak ty’an, which translates to ‘our speech’.[2]  Prior to the Spanish conquests, populations that spoke the language ranged from the Usumacinta River, to the mouth of the Lacantun River, and along the Tulija River.[1]  As a result of the Spanish conquests, and a number of other factors, the majority of the ch’ol speaking population were confined to Tila and Tumbala, Chiapas.[1] The estimated number of modern speakers is between 100,000 and 200,000 people.[2]  Ch’ol is one of three Mayan languages that are classified under the Cholan category.[3] It is an ergative language that also has accusative patterns in the main verbs which shows split-ergativity.[4]

The Cholan branch of the Mayan languages is considered to be particularly conservative and Ch'ol along with its two closest relatives the Ch'orti' language of Guatemala and Honduras, and the Chontal Maya language of Tabasco are believed to be the modern languages that best reflect their relationship with the Classic Maya language.[5]

Ch'ol
Chol
Ch'ol
Native toChiapas, Mexico
RegionNorthern Chiapas
EthnicityIndigenous Maya
Native speakers
100,000-200,000 (2000 – date of reference or census)[reference]
Proto-Mayan
  • Ch'olan-Tseltalan
    • Chol-Chontal
      • Ch'ol
Dialects
  • Tila
  • Tumbala
Official status
Official language in
Mexico
Language codes
ISO 639-3639-3
ctu cti, ctu
Glottologchol1282  default 2nd ref

Speakers

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The people who speak ch'ol as their primary language refer to themselves as choles. The estimated number of modern speakers is between 100,000 and 200,000. Currently, the largest Chol town is Tila, which is located in northern Chiapas, Mexico. Tila has an estimated 35,000 residents, and they speak Chol in their daily life.[6] Ch'ol is the first language learned by the children and is spoken in their homes and villages. Due to the growing need to leave the village for higher education, children learn Spanish at an early age.[2] A majority of choles live in rural areas where they grow corn and beans and raise livestock, primarily chickens and turkey. The rural choles are known to have a lesser understanding of the spanish language. During colonial times, the Choles occupied the heart of the Maya Old Empire, which is where the most famous Maya art was found.[7]

It is beleived that the Choles may have a greater ethnological importance than any other division of the Maya group. This is because they had been influenced very slightly or not at all by Mexican Cultural contacts although the outside influence increases each year.[7]

Region

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As I previously stated, a majority of the Choles reside in the state of Chiapas, Mexico. They are also located in Tabasco and Campeche, Mexico. The Ch'ol communities in Chiapas are primarily located in the municipalities of Tila, Palenque, Sabanilla, Salto de Agua, and Tumbalá.[8]

Dialects

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Chol consists of two distinct dialects, one being Tila and the other being Tumbalá. These dialects are not very different from one another, there is only slight differences between their phonology and morphology.

Álvarez states the differences in the following quote, "The phonological differences include, for example, that in Tumbalá the affricate stop [ʧ] and the fricative [ʃ] are realized as retroflexes. Such a salient feature is easily noticeable for the speaker of the Tila variety. In their morphology, these dialects have a different realization of the progressive and the perfective aspect. In Tumbalá, the progressive morpheme is realized as wo(li), while in the Tila variety it is chonko(l). In Tumbalá, the perfective is realized as tsa’ but in Tila it is realized as tyi."[8] 

Phonology

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Their are twenty consonants with five ejectives and one glottal stop in the Ch'ol phonemic inventory, along with six phonemic vowel sounds. The ejective consonants are contrastive in relation with the other fifteen consonants. An example of this relationship is that ty'an means 'word', and tyan translates to 'lime'.[2] The sixth vowel found in Ch'ol is one of the main aspects that distinguishes it from the other Cholan languages.[3]

vowels: (i, ɨ, u, e, o, a) lengthened aspirated counterparts: (iʰ, ɨʰ, uʰ, eʰ, oʰ, aʰ)[9]

Morphology

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The basic word order is VOS. However, word order varies and VOS is not always grammatical: factors including animacy, definiteness, topicalization and focus contribute to determining which word order is appropriate. [10]

The system of agreements for all Mayan languages are ergative–absolutive. Ch'ol is different because it displays aspectually based splits. The normal ergative–absolutive alignment is present with perfective clauses, while imperfective and progressive clauses show a nominative–accusative alignment.[11]

Numeral classifiers are obligatorily included in noun phrases containing numerals. They occur between the numeral and the noun. The classifiers vary according to semantic properties of the noun: -tyikil is used for persons, -tyejk for trees, etc. [12]

References

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  1. ^ a b c Hopkins, Nicholas A.; Cruz Guzmán, Ausencio; Josserand, †J. Kathryn (2008-01-01). "A Chol (Mayan) Vocabulary from 1789". International Journal of American Linguistics. 74 (1): 83–114. doi:10.1086/529464. ISSN 0020-7071. S2CID 143095868.
  2. ^ a b c d e Coon, Jessica (2004). Roots and words in Chol (Mayan): a distributed morphology approach. p. 10.
  3. ^ a b McQuown, Norman (1956). "The Classification of the Mayan Languages". International Journal of American Linguistics. 22 (3): 191–195. doi:10.1086/464365. JSTOR 1264013. S2CID 144711378 – via JSTOR.
  4. ^ Quizar, Robin; Knowles-Berry, Susan (1988). "Ergativity in the Cholan Languages". International Journal of American Linguistics. 54 (1): 73–95. doi:10.1086/466075. JSTOR 1265113. S2CID 143948108 – via JSTOR.
  5. ^ Houston, S., O. Chinchilla, Stuart D. "The Decipherment of Ancient Maya Writing", U. of Oklahoma Press, 2001.
  6. ^ Josserand, J. Kathryn; Hopkins, Nicholas A. (2005-01-01). "Lexical Retention and Cultural Significance in Chol (Mayan) Ritual Vocabulary". Anthropological Linguistics. 47 (4): 401–423. JSTOR 25132352.
  7. ^ a b Thompson, J. Eric (1938-01-01). "Sixteenth and Seventeenth Century Reports on the Chol Mayas". American Anthropologist. 40 (4): 584–604. doi:10.1525/aa.1938.40.4.02a00040. JSTOR 661615.
  8. ^ a b Álvarez, J. J. (2011, August 01). A grammar of Chol, a Mayan language. Retrieved April 28, 2017, from http://hdl.handle.net/2152/ETD-UT-2011-08-4293
  9. ^ Gallagher, Gillian; Coon, Jessica (2009-01-01). "Distinguishing Total and Partial Identity: Evidence from Chol". Natural Language & Linguistic Theory. 27 (3): 545–582. doi:10.1007/s11049-009-9075-3. hdl:1721.1/66088. JSTOR 40270295. S2CID 15125988.
  10. ^ Vázquez Álvarez, Juan Jesús. A Grammar of Chol, a Mayan Language. Austin, Texas: University of Texas at Austin, 2011; pp.21-22
  11. ^ Coon, Jessica (2010-04-01). "Rethinking Split Ergativity In Chol". International Journal of American Linguistics. 76 (2): 207–253. doi:10.1086/652266. ISSN 0020-7071. S2CID 144864177.
  12. ^ Vázquez Álvarez, Juan Jesús. A Grammar of Chol, a Mayan Language. Austin, Texas: University of Texas at Austin, 2011; p.160

Bibliography

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Hopkins, N., Cruz Guzmán, A., & Josserand, †. (2008). A Chol (Mayan) Vocabulary from 1789. International Journal of American Linguistics, 74(1), 83-114. doi:10.1086/529464

Coon, J. (2010). Rethinking Split Ergativity In Chol. International Journal of American Linguistics, 76(2), 207-253. doi:10.1086/652266

McQuown, N. (1956). The Classification of the Mayan Languages. International Journal of American Linguistics, 22(3), 191-195. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/1264013

Thompson, J. (1938). Sixteenth and Seventeenth Century Reports on the Chol Mayas. American Anthropologist, 40(4), new series, 584-604. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/661615

Quizar, R., & Knowles-Berry, S. (1988). Ergativity in the Cholan Languages. International Journal of American Linguistics, 54(1), 73-95. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/1265113

Josserand, J., & Hopkins, N. (2005). Lexical Retention and Cultural Significance in Chol (Mayan) Ritual Vocabulary. Anthropological Linguistics, 47(4), 401-423. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/25132352

Gallagher, G., & Coon, J. (2009). Distinguishing Total and Partial Identity: Evidence from Chol. Natural Language & Linguistic Theory, 27(3), 545-582. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/40270295

Álvarez , V., & Jesús, J. (2011, August 01). A grammar of Chol, a Mayan language. Retrieved February 27, 2017, from http://hdl.handle.net/2152/ETD-UT-2011-08-4293

Coon, J. (2004). Roots and words in Chol (Mayan): a distributed morphology approach.

Whittaker, A., & Warkentin, V. (1989). Chol texts on the supernatural. Norman: Summer Institute of Linguistics of the University of Oklahoma.

Warkentin, V. M., & Brend, R. M. (1974). Chol Phonology. Linguistics, 12(132). doi:10.1515/ling.1974.12.132.87

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