Chʼolan languages
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| Chʼolan | |
|---|---|
| Cholan | |
| (most widely accepted) | |
| Geographic distribution | Maya Highlands, Lowlands / former Guatemala, Mexico / now |
| Ethnicity | Maya peoples |
Native speakers | 229,500 (2002–2005) |
| Linguistic classification | Mayan
|
| Proto-language | Proto-Ch’olan |
| Subdivisions |
|
| Language codes | |
| Glottolog | chol1286 |
| Notes | Acceptance, classification, subdivisions per Aissen, England & Zavala Maldonado 2017, pp. 44–45. Speakers, current distribution per Becquey 2012, para 1. |
The Chʼolan languages form a branch of the Mayan family of languages, comprising four languages, namely, Chʼol, Chʼoltiʼ, Chʼortiʼ, and Chontal. Notably, the language of Mayan hieroglyphs is now deemed the ancestor of one or more of the Ch’olan languages.
Classification
The Ch’olan languages are split into two branches, namely, the Eastern and Western Ch’olan languages, each of which is comprised of two languages. Chʼortiʼ and Chʼoltiʼ are the two Eastern Ch’olan languages, while Chʼol and Chontal are the two Western Ch’olan languages.
The inclusion of the Ch’olan languages within the Chʼolan–Tseltalan, Western Mayan, and Core Mayan families is ‘the most widely accepted classification’ as of 2017.[1] Nonetheless, while it is generally accepted that the Western Mayan family is comprised of Ch’olan–Tseltalan and Greater Q’anjob’alan languages, ‘this has never been completely confirmed.’[2] Furthermore, some linguists formerly grouped Huastecan, Cholan–Tseltalan, and Yucatecan languages, but this is now deemed erroneous.[2][note 1]
History
xx
The language of Mayan hieroglyphs is now deemed the ancestor of one, two, or all of the Ch’olan languages.[3][note 2]
See also
Notes and references
Explanatory footnotes
- ^ The grouping was proposed ‘because Huastecan shares several sound changes with Ch’olan–Tseltalan and with Yucatecan,’ but this is now thought to have been due to language contact rather than shared innovation (Aissen, England & Zavala Maldonado 2017, pp. 45).
- ^ That is, it was (i) proto–Ch‘olan or Ch‘olan, and so ancestor of all Ch‘olan languages, (ii) proto–Eastern Ch‘olan or Eastern Ch‘olan, and so ancestor of Ch‘orti‘ and Ch‘olti‘, (iii) proto–Western Ch‘olan or Western Ch‘olan, and so ancestor of Ch‘ol and Chontal, or (iv) the proto-language of exactly one of the Ch‘olan languages, and so ancestor of one such. The language is sometimes listed as an extinct, rather than ancestral, language, similarly to how Latin is sometimes deemed a dead language, rather than the common ancestor of modern Romance languages (Aissen, England & Zavala Maldonado 2017, pp. 44–45).
Short citations
- ^ Aissen, England & Zavala Maldonado 2017, pp. 44.
- ^ a b Aissen, England & Zavala Maldonado 2017, pp. 45.
- ^ Aissen, England & Zavala Maldonado 2017, pp. 44–45, 52–53.
Full citations
- Aissen J, England NC, Zavala Maldonado R, eds. (2017). The Mayan Languages. Routledge Language Family Series. London and New York: Routledge. ISBN 9781315192345. LCCN 2016049735.
- Becquey C (5 December 2012). "Quelles frontières pour les populations cholanes?". Ateliers d’anthropologie. 37. doi:10.4000/ateliers.9181.
External links
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