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Chuj language

Chuj [tʃux] is a Mayan language spoken by around 40,000 members of the Chuj peopleinGuatemala 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, Chuj forms the Western branch of the Mayan family. The Chujean branch emerged approximately 2,000 years ago.^[3] 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.^[4]

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.^[5] There are language conservation and revitalization efforts taking place in San Mateo Ixtatán, through groups like the Academia de Lenguas Mayas de Guatemala.^[6]

The letter 'h' is conventionally used in words with initial vowels to distinguish them from words that begin with a glottal stop.

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.^[10]

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.^[11] There is no overt copula in Chuj and copula constructions are expressed through non-verbal predicates.

top/foc

ix

CL

Malin

Maria

kʼaybʼum

teacher

ix.

CL

a ix Malin kʼaybʼum ix.

top/foc CL Maria teacher CL

Maria is a teacher.

top/foc

ix

CL

hin-nun

my-mother

niwakil

large

ix.

CL

Ay ix hin-nun niwakil ix.

top/foc CL my-mother large CL

My mother is large.

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.

Chuj has four attested Tense-Aspect markers.^[9][12] Finite clauses inflect obligatorily for Tense-Aspect.

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.

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

PL

winh

CL.MASC

unin

child

ix-s-loʼ

PFV-a3s-eat

[teʼ

CL.wood

manzan]

apple

hebʼ

PL

winh.

CL.MASC

Hebʼ winh unin ix-s-loʼ [teʼ manzan] hebʼ winh.

PL CL.MASC child PFV-a3s-eat CL.wood apple PL CL.MASC

As for the boys, they ate the apple.

Pronouns

Prosp-b3s-a3s-eat

teʼ

CL.wood

ix.

CL.FEM

Ol-s-lo teʼ ix.

Prosp-b3s-a3s-eat CL.wood CL.FEM

She (Elsa) will eat it (the apple).

Source:^[14]

Nokʼ Xankatat yetʼ nokʼxeʼen
Xenhxni xekxni xanhxni hinbʼeyi
Xankatak xanhbʼ wekʼ a stixalu
Xchi nokʼ xankat a nokʼ xeʼen,
Xwila xwabi, xelabʼa to ojinwekla,
to jinxekla manhx ojinwekla.

• 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^{[permanent dead link]}

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