Mayan Language & Writing

The basics
There are some thirty different, but related, languages which comprise the Mayan language
family. There are several million Mayan language speakers; the largest concentration of them is
in Guatemala, where 40% of the population speaks a Mayan language. The most common
Mayan language is K'iche'. K'iche' (Quiché in Spanish) is spoken mostly in the highlands of
Guatemala. The second most common is Yucatec, spoken by Maya in the Yucatan Peninsula of
Mexico.

How different are these languages? Look at these samples from omniglot.com:
Mam
Kyaqiilqe winaq nchi itz'aj tuj kopib'il, juunx kychuwiinqal b'ix kyokleen, kyja'tzan tuj tb'aanal
xiinv'il tu'n kyanq'iin tuj b'ank'u'j kyxool.
K'iche'
Chijunil li poyanam juntaq'eet wankil xloq'al naq nake'yo'la, ut kama' ak reheb' naq wan
xna'leb'eb ut nake'reek'a rib', tento naq te'xk'am rib' sa' usilal chirib'ilrib'eb'.
Yucatec
Tuláakal wíinik ku síijil jáalk'ab yetel keet u tsiikul yetel Najmal Sijnalil, beytun xan na'ata'an
sijnalil yetel no'oja'anil u tuukulo', k'a'abet u bisikuba bey láaktzilil yetel tuláakal u baatzile'.
Translation (of all the above texts)
All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason
and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.
(Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights)

LOCATION MODERN MAYA GROUPS

Yucatan (Mexico) Yucatec
Chiapas (Mexico) Tzotzil, Tojolabal, Ch’ol, Tzeltal, Zoque, Mame, Mocho, Kakchiquel
Tabasco (Mexico) Chontal
Belize Yucatec, Kek’chi, Mopan
Honduras Ch’orti’
Guatemala Highlands Achi, Akateck, Chuj, Ixil, Jakaltek, Kakchiquel, K’iche’, Mam,
Poqomam, Poqomchi’, Q’anjob’al, Q’eqchi’, Tz,utujil, Uspantek
Guatemala Lowlands Q’eqchi’, Ch’orti’, Itza

Profiles of selected Maya groups

YUCATEC ITZA
Yucatec is spoken by about 800,000 people in Itza is a language of the Petén Basin of
southeastern Mexico and in Belize. The Guatemala. It is an endangered language. The
language is related to Itza and Mopan. The Itza have retained many of the traditional
Yucatec refer to themselves simply as “Maya” practices of the ancient Maya, including
and about 60% of the population in Yucatan agricultural practices and traditional medicine.
state are of Yucatec heritage.

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MOPAN K’ICHE’
Mopan is spoken by about 10,000 Maya in K’iche’ is the most commonly spoken Mayan
Belize. The Mopan were driven out of Belize language today. About one million people
by the British early in the colonial era but later speak K’iche’, mostly in the highlands of
returned from Guatemala to escape harsh Guatemala. The famous written work of the
conditions. Maya, the Popul Vuh, was written in K’iche’.

Pronunciation hints: the apostrophe is a "stop." It doesn't make a sound. It is a pause. Think of it
as the pause when you say "uh oh." So, when you see a word like "K'iche'" it is pronounced "k...
ee-chay" where the "k" is just the "k" sound not "kay" like the letter's name in English. An accent
mark over a vowel shows you which syllable to emphasize.

The glyphs
The ancient Mayan language is written in glyphs. The symbols are carved into stone and
written on codices (bark paper books). The glyphs were very hard for scholars to decipher,
partially because many of the codices were destroyed by the Spanish after they took over the
area. An attempt by the Spanish to translate the Maya writings in the 16th century was only
partially successful, because it assumed the writing was an alphabet. We now know that Maya
glyphs are a combination of symbols for syllables and for entire words. Another complication is
that sometimes there is more than one glyph for a sound. And, sometimes, there are multiple
ways to write the same word. Glyphs can be joined together to form words or separated as the
writer chooses. It seems as if the Maya wrote left to right, top to bottom like we do; but, in a
zigzag pattern. There are about 200 syllable glyphs and 500 word glyphs which have been
determined thus far. Not all of the glyphs have been deciphered yet. The story of how the 'code
was cracked' is an interesting one indeed!

Pronouncing in Yucatec Mayan

Use the chart below to pronounce the words you read in Yucatec Mayan

When What you say... When What you say... When What you say...
you you you
see... see... see...
a "ah" ay "eye" - long i n "n"
aa "aaah" ey "ay" - long a p "p" - softer
e "ay" -long a oy "oy" p' "p" - harder
ee "aaay" b "b" s "s"
i "ee" ch "ch" - softer t "t" -softer
ii "eeee" ch' "ch" - stronger t' "t" - harder
o "oh" h "h" tz "ts" - softer
oo "ohhh" k "k" - softer tz' "ts" - harder
u "oo" k' "k" - harder w "w"
uu "oooh" l "l" x "sh"
' pause; no sound m "m" y "y"- as in "yes"

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Try saying a few words...
Ba'ax ka wa'alik? Hello Ma' no
(there is no word for yes!)
K'a'ak'ate Goodbye Hun... ka'... ox p'el 1...2...3
Ka'ajxi'ikte'ex utsil Have a nice day In laak friend
Teeche' a tsiikbal Do you speak Mayan? Ma'lob Ja'atskab Good morning
maaya? K'iin
Tene tin na'atik I understand Meent' uts Please
Ba’ax ka beetik? What's up? Mixba’al Thank you
XXX in k’aaba My name is XXXX Bix a k' a'aba'? What's your name?

Now, try your hand at this phrase: Tuláakal wíinik ku síijil jáalk'ab yetel keet u tsiikul yetel
Najmal Sijnalil, beytun xan na'ata'an sijnalil yetel no'oja'anil u tuukulo', k'a'abet u bisikuba
bey láaktzilil yetel tuláakal u baatzile'.

How was the ancient Mayan language translated? Watch this video and learn about the
complex writing system and the efforts to decipher it.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/ancient/cracking-maya-code.html
As you watch the video, note the influence of generations of scholars and their various theories
about the Mayan writing system. Tatiana Proskouriakoff was one of the first female
archaeologists. And David Stuart was only twelve years old when he presented his first Maya
research paper! Over a century of work has gone into learning to read Maya glyphs. Because of
that work we now can read most of the writings we find.

The writing system

The two charts below show how to write using the Maya glyphs. The symbols are phonetic, so
use them as you would sound out a word, not necessarily how you would spell it. For example,
"cat" would be "kat," "coat" would be "kot" and "face" would be "fas". The letters shown in the
chart below are for Spanish pronunciation. The sounds in the Yucatac Mayan chart work for
these glyphs. Note that more than one item may appear in a box on the charts. You may select
any one of the choices to use when you write.

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Numbers
The written number system is less complex. Dots represent the numbers 1-4 (●,●●,●●●,●●●●)
and a bar for 5 (▬). A shell represents zero ( ). Two bars represents 10. Three bars and four
dots represents 19. The Maya system is based on 20, not 10. The bars and dots can be written
vertically or horizontally and still have the same meaning.

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Let's write
Time to write your name. Write it out phonetically first and then find the Maya glyphs which
correspond to the sounds from the two preceding charts.

Now, let's add some titles. You can add these titles before your name or the names of others:
"aj" (Sir), "ix" (Lady), or "ch'ok" (young person). Add ch'ok to your name above and write your
teacher's name with title in the box below. Remember to sound out the name and write it
phonetically!

Write some words in Maya glyphs by drawing the glyphs that go with the words in each box
Tz'ib' (a scribe) Pitz (an athlete... precede with aj or Balam (a jaguar)
ix for male or female)

K'uk' (a quetzal) Winik (a person) Ajaw (a king)

The word for student is "young scribe," ch'ok tz'ib'. Write your name and the word for student
in the box below.

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Stelae
The stela (plural - stelae) is an upright stone slab use to mark a site with pictures and/or text.
The Maya used stelae to record important events (such as the end of calendar cycles) and
chronicle the triumphs and glories of kings. Some of the oldest stelae found are in Tikal,
Guatemala. Most Maya cities had clusters of stelae in the center of town, often in front of
temples. The city of Calakmul had well over one hundred stelae. The stelae were important in
religious rituals as well as proclaiming the power of the king.

Look at the stela shown at left below. Then, in the space at right, draw a stela to celebrate your
own triumphs (use your name you wrote out in glyphs to get you started). A few helpful
Classic Mayan words are listed below. Write them phonetically on your stela if they apply to
you.
Ballplayer - pitzil Brother (older/younger) - Conquering - nak
Artistic - chuwen sakun winik/itz'in winik Great - chak
Good - utz Dancer - ak'taj Wise - itz'at
Strong - kelem Sleepy - way Child - ubahil uch'ab

Stela from Xunantunich, Belize Draw your own stela