Mamean languages

Last updated
Mamean
Greater Mamean
Geographic
distribution
Mesoamerica
Linguistic classification Mayan
  • Eastern
    (Quichean–Mamean)
    • Mamean
Subdivisions
  • Mamean proper
  • Ixilan
Glottolog grea1277 [1]

The (Greater) Mamean family is a branch of the Eastern Mayan language group.

Contents

Languages

Genealogy of Mayan languages. Mayan languages tree en.svg
Genealogy of Mayan languages.

Phonology

Vowels

Vowels system of Mamean languages
Letter Mam
(Todos Santos)
Tektiteko
(Tectitán)
Awakatek
(Aguacatán)
Ixil
(Chajul)
i/ɪ//i//ɪ//ɪ/
ii/iː//iː//iː//iː/
u/ɯ//u//ɯ//ɯ/
uu/u͍ː//yː//ʉː//yː/
e/ɛ//e//e̞//ɛ/
ee/eː//eː//eː//eː/
o/ɤ̞//o//ɤ//ɔ/
oo/o͍ː//øː//ɵː//oː/
a/a//a//ä//a/
aa/ɑ͍ː//aː//ɐː//ɐː/

Consonants

Consonant inventory of the Mamean languages
Letter Mam
(Todos Santos)
Tektiteko
(Tectitán)
Awakatek
(Aguacatán)
Ixil
(Chajul)
p/pʰ~ɸʰ//p̪ʰ//pʰ~ɸʰ//pʰ/
N/AN/A/pʼ/N/A
b/β/N/AN/AN/A
/ɓ//ɓ//ɓ//ɓ/
m/m//m//m//m/
w/ʋ, ʍ, f//v, ʍ, f//v, w//v, f/
t/tʰ//tʰ//tʰ//tʰ/
/tʼ, ɗ//tʼ//tʼ, ɗ//tʼ/
n/n~ŋ//n~ŋ//n~ɴ//n~ŋʰ/
s/s, z//s//s//sʰ, z/
tz/tsʰ//tsʰ//tsʰ//tsʰ/
tzʼ/tsʼ//tsʼ//tsʼ//tsʼ/
r/ɾ~r//ɾ//ɾ//ɾ/
l/l, ɹ, ɬ//l, ɬ//l, ɬ//l, ɹ, ɬʰ/
xh/ʃʰ, ɕʰ//ʃʰ//ɕʰ//ɕʰ~ʃʰ/
ch/tʃʰ, tɕʰ//tʃʰ//tɕʰ//tɕʰ/
chʼ/tʃʼ, tɕʼ//tʃʼ//tɕʼ//tɕʼ/
x/ʐ, ʂ//ʂ, ʑ//ʂ, ʐ//ʐ, ʂ/
tx/ʈʂʰ//ʈʂʰ//ʈʂʰ//ʈʂʰ/
txʼ/ʈʂʼ//ʈʂʼ//ʈʂʼ//ʈʂʼ/
y/j//j//j//j~ʝ/
k/kʰ//kʰ//kʰ//kʰ/
/kʼ//kʼ//kʼ~ɠ//kʼ/
nhN/A/ŋ//ŋ//ŋʰ/
ky/kʲ, kɕʲ//kʲʰ//kʲ//kʰʲ~kç/
kyʼ/kʼʲ~kɕʼ//kʼʲʰ//ɠʲ//kʰʲʼ, kʼʝ/
q/qʰ//qʰ//qʰ//qʰ/
/ʛ//qʼ, ʛ//ʛ//ɢʼ/
j/χʰ, ʁ//χ//χ//χʰ/
hN/AN/A/ʜ, h/N/A

See Mayan languages#Mamean for details.

Related Research Articles

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Classified under the Mamean branch family of languages, Tektitek is a Mayan language spoken by the Tektitan people of Huehuetenango, Guatemala. It is very closely related to the Mam language. A number of Tektitek speakers have settled in Mexico. Due to the close proximity of Huehuetenango to the Mexican border the speakers of the language have appropriated aspects of Mexican Spanish into the language. While 4,900 speakers were recorded in 2010 by Ethnologue, Juventino de Jesus Perez Alonzo estimated that there were just 2,000 speakers of the language left at that time. He noted however, that measures are being taken to teach the children in Huehuetenango the Tekitek language. According to the Endangered Languages Project, the language is currently threatened. Little is known about the culture, but there are resources that provide vocabulary as well as other educational tools.

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The (Greater) Quichean languages are a branch of the Mayan family of Guatemala.

The Qʼanjobalan a.k.a. Kanjobalan–Chujean languages are a branch of the Mayan family of Guatemala.

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The Yucatecan languages are a branch of the Mayan family of Mexico, Belize, and Guatemala.

References

  1. Hammarström, Harald; Forkel, Robert; Haspelmath, Martin, eds. (2017). "Greater Mamean". Glottolog 3.0 . Jena, Germany: Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History.