Chuj () is a Mayan language spoken by around 40,000 members of the Chuj people in Guatemala and around 3,000 members in Mexico. Chuj is a member of the Qʼanjobʼalan branch along with the languages of Tojolabʼal, Qʼanjobʼal, Akateko, Poptiʼ, and Mochoʼ which, together with the Chʼolan branch, form the Western branch of the Mayan family. The Chujean branch emerged approximately 2,000 years ago.Stzolalil Stzʼibʼchaj Tiʼ Chuj, ALMG, 2007, p.34 In Guatemala, Chuj speakers mainly reside in the municipalities of San Mateo Ixtatán, San Sebastián Coatán and Nentón in the Huehuetenango Department. Some communities in Barillas and Ixcán also speak Chuj. The two main dialects of Chuj are the San Mateo Ixtatán dialect and the San Sebastián Coatán dialect.
The Chuj language has been influenced by Spanish, and Chuj speakers have a tendency to borrow Spanish words or code-mix. It is estimated that 70% of the Chuj language is purely Chuj.Yumal Skuychaj Tiʼ Chuj, ALMG, 2006, p.234 There are language conservation and revitalization efforts taking place in San Mateo Ixtatán, through groups like the Academia de Lenguas Mayas de Guatemala.
Phonology
Phonemic inventory
+ Vowels Front Back High Mid Low
+ Consonants Labial Alveolar Palatal Velar Uvular Glottal Nasal Plosive/Affricate Plain Glottalic Implosive Fricative Approximant Trill
Orthography OrthographyStzolalil Sloloni-Spaxtini Hebʼ Chuj, ALMG, 2007, p. 66 IPA Example Translation a atzʼamsalt bʼ bʼeyito walk ch chichrabbit chʼ chʼalthread e ewiyesterday i ixwoman j junone k kukayfirefly kʼ kʼatzitzfirewood l lolonelword m muchbird n nun parent nh nhabʼ rain o okʼfoot p pathouse r retetwoodpecker s sakwhite t tut beans tʼ tʼoysoft tz tzatzhard tzʼ tzʼiʼdog u uninchild w winak man x xanhapshoe y yaxgreen ʼ ʼonh avocado
The letter 'h' is conventionally used in words with initial vowels to distinguish them from words that begin with a glottal stop.
Grammar
Verb stem morphology
Below is a template for the verbal stem in Chuj. Verbal predicates in Chuj appear with a status suffix: -a with transitive verbs and –i with intransitive verbs. Finite clauses inflect for Tense-Aspect, person, and number.
+Verb structure
Non-verbal predicates Non-verbal predicates are non-verbal words like adjectives, nouns, positionals, or directionals that act as the main predicate and are semantically stative. These constructions do not inflect for Tense-Aspect, but do inflect for person and number. There is no overt copula in Chuj and copula constructions are expressed through non-verbal predicates.
Person-markers Chuj is an ergative-absolutive language. The subject of an intransitive verb and the object of a transitive verb are both cross-referenced with an absolutive marker, which appears in the verbal stem. The subject of a transitive verb is cross-referenced with an ergative marker in the verbal stem.
+Person markers Ergative marker Absolutive marker pre-consonantal pre-vocalic pre-consonantal/pre-vocalic 3rd person singular hin- w- hin- plural ko- k- honh- 2nd person singular ha- h- hach- plural he- hey- hex- 3rd person singular s- y- Ø plural s-... hebʼ y-... hebʼ hebʼ
Tense-Aspect Chuj has four attested Tense-Aspect markers. Finite clauses inflect obligatorily for Tense-Aspect.
+Tense-Aspect markers Marker Meaning tz- imperfective ix- perfective lan progressive ol- prospective
Nominal classifiers Chuj nominal classifiers represent a closed class of approximately a dozen words. They specify gender for humans, and the base material for objects, such as wood (teʼ) for houses and metal (kʼen) for knives.
+Nominal classifiers ClassifierDomainaʼwateranhplant [grow from ground]atzʼamsaltchanhvineixfemaleiximgrainkʼakclothkʼenmetallumearthnokʼanimalteʼwoodwajmale namewinhmale
Chuj nominal classifiers have two main functions: they act as articles for referential nouns, and as pronouns. They have a lexical origin, but have undergone semantic bleaching and may therefore refer to a larger semantic field than the nominals that they are derived from.
Articles for referential nouns
Pronouns
Vocabulary English Chuj OneJu'unTwoCha'ab'ThreeOxe'ManWinakWoman'IxDogTz'i'SunK'uMoonChi'ichWaterHa'DogTz'i'DeerChejCoyoteOkesMonkeyMaxtinRabbitTzichMouseChoBirdMuchFishChaySnakeKanBlackK'ik'WhiteSakRedChakYellowK'anBlueYa'axGreenYa'ax
Numbers San Mateo Ixtatán San Sebastián Coatán Juʼun JunStzolalil Sloloni-Spaxtini Hebʼ Chuj, ALMG, 2007, p. 145 Chaʼabʼ Chaʼabʼ/chabʼ Oxeʼ Oxeʼ Chanheʼ Chanheʼ Hoyeʼ Oʼeʼ Wakeʼ Wakeʼ Hukeʼ Hukeʼ Wajxakeʼ Wajxkeʼ Bʼalunheʼ Bʼalnheʼ Lajunheʼ Lajnheʼ
Sample text
A tongue twister in Chuj from San Sebastián Coatán Source:Yumal Skuychaj Tiʼ Chuj, ALMG, 2006, p.197
Notes
References
External links Chuj Talking Dictionary, 2014. Chuj Talking Dictionary. K’ulb’il Yol Twitz Paxil / The Academy of Mayan Languages, Living Tongues Institute for Endangered Languages. Academia de las Lenguas Mayas