Q'anjob'al language

Infobox Language
name=Q'anjo'bal (Kanjobal)
nativename=Q'anjob'al
states=Guatemala
region=Huehuetenango
speakers=approx. 77,700
familycolor=American
fam1=Mayan
fam2=Western Mayan
fam3=Q'anjob'alan-Chujean
fam4=Q'anjob'alan
iso2=kjb
iso3=kjb

Q'anjob'al (also Kanjobal) [Other variant names include "Santa Eulalia Kanjobal", "Kanhobal", "Qanjobal", "Conob", and "Eastern Kanjobal".] is a Mayan language spoken primarily in Guatemala and part of Mexico. According to 1998 estimates compiled by SIL International in "Ethnologue", there were approximately 77,700 native speakers, primarily in the Huehuetenango Department of Guatemala. [Centered around the "municipio" of Santa Eulalia; owing to recent emigrations there are communities of Q'anjob'al speakers in the United States. See Gordon (2005).] Q'anjob'al is a member of the Q'anjob'alan branch of the Mayan language family. The Mayan language family includes 31 languages, two of which are now extinct. The Q'anjob'alan branch includes not only Q'anjob'al itself but also Chuj, Akatek, and Jakaltek, also spoken in Guatemala. The Q'anjob'alan languages are noted for being among the most conservative of the Mayan language family, although they do include some interesting innovations. [Robertson (1992), p.154.]

Phonology

Q'anjob'al consists of 26 consonant sounds and 5 vowel sounds. The letters of the alphabet are as follows:
a, b', ch, ch', d, e, h, i, j, k, k', l, m, n, o, p, q, q', r, s, t, t', tx, tx', tz, tz', u, w, x, xh, y, and ' (glottal stop).
The ' in ch', k', q', t', tx', and tz' represents an ejective or glottalic egressive, i.e., the consonant is accompanied by a puff of air from the glottis. The letter "r" in Q'anjob'al is used only in borrowings, primarily in words borrowed from Spanish, such as "roxax", rose, from Spanish 'rosa'. The letters "tx" and "x" represent retroflex consonants, pronounced with the tongue curled backward in the mouth. It is believed such retroflection in Q'anjob'al is an influence from the Mamean Mayan languages. [Robertson (1992), p.58.]

In the charts below, each of the Q'anjob'al phonemes is represented by the character or set of characters that denote it in the standard orthography.

Ergative pronoun prefixes for verbal roots beginning with a vowel:

Note that the third person absolutive pronoun affix is 0, i.e., unmarked or empty.

Examples:

transitive (ergative)

"X-0-in maq' naq winaq". (Mateo 2008: p.c.)
COMP-A3S-E1S hit CL:masc man
'I hit the man.'

intransitive (absolutive) "X-in way-i". (Mateo 2008: p.c.)
COMP-A1S sleep-STAT
'I slept.'

possessive (ergative)

before vowel:
"w-aqan"
E1S-foot
'my foot'

before consonant:
"s-q'ab"'
E3S-hand
'his/her hand'

However, while verbs are classified as either ergative or absolutive and take their own respective sets of pronoun affixes, this rule is altered in certain cases, such as when a verb becomes progressive:

"Ch-in kuy-w-i". [Comunidad Lingüística Q'anjob'al (2005), p.76.]
INC-A1S study-SFX-STAT
'I study'.

but,

"Ipan hin-kuy-w-i". [Comunidad Lingüística Q'anjob'al (2005), p.76.]
PROG E1S-study-SFX-STAT
'I am studying'.

In Q'anjob'al, aspect (whether an action has been completed or not) is more important than tense. Thus, in most utterances, one will indicate whether the action is ongoing (present), or whether it is over and completed (past), or may happen in the future, in which case it is considered 'unreal', or of irrealis mood, the event still only in the realm of thought or imagination.

Present
"Ch(i)" is used to indicate that an event is incomplete or ongoing in the present:

"Chi-0 toj naq unin b'ay y-atut-al kuy-oj". [Comunidad Lingüística Q'anjob'al (2005), p.154.]
INC-A3S go CL:masc child to E3S-house-ABS study-NZR
'The boy goes to school'.

Past
"Max" or "x-" (both forms are used in free variation) are used to indicate that an event is complete or has taken place in the past:

"Max-ex mulnaj-i". [Comunidad Lingüística Q'anjob'al (2005), p.78.]
COM-A2P work-STAT
'You (pl.) worked.'

"X-0 way-i". [OKMA (2000), p.77.]
COM-A3S sleep-STAT
'He/she slept.'

Future/Irrealis
The prefix "hoq-" with the subject pronoun in combination with the suffix "-oq" placed after the verb are used to indicate that the event spoken of has not yet happened, but remains only in the realm of the 'unreal' with only the potential for occurrence in the future:

"Hoq-0 saqch-oq heb"'. [Comunidad Lingüística Q'anjob'al (2005), p.76.]
IRR-A3 play-IRR A3P
'They will play.'

Negative
Negative particles include "k'am" and "manaq":

"K'am chi-0 y-oche-j". [Comunidad Lingüística Q'anjob'al (2005), p.205.]
NEG INC-A3S E3S-want-SFX
'He/she doesn't want it.'

"Manaq ix chi-0 toj kuy-oj". [Comunidad Lingüística Q'anjob'al (2005), p.203.]
NEG she INC-A3S go study-NOM
'It is not she who goes to study.'

Interrogative
Questions can be formed simply by placing the verb in sentence-initial position:

"Ch-0-oche-j cha-ch kanal-w-i w-etoq"? [Comunidad Lingüística Q'anjob'al (2005), p.202.]
INC-A3S-E2S-SFX INC-A2S dance-SFX-STAT E1S-with
'Do you want to dance with me?'

There is also a question particle, "mi":

"Watx' mi ha-kul"?
good INTER E2S-stomach
'Is your stomach good?'
(Used as common form of greeting, like English 'How are you?')

Affixation
Many different affixes are used in Q'anjob'al, both prefixes and suffixes. Among these are aj-, used to denote the doer or leader of an action: "ajtz'ib", 'writer' (< "tz'ib"', 'write'), "ajb'e", 'spiritual guide' (< "b'e", 'road'); "-b'al", used to indicate the location where something happens: "tzomb'al," 'market' (< "tzon", 'buy'); "-al", "-alil", "-il", used to derive abstract nouns from adjectives, adverbs, numerals, transitive verb roots, and nouns: "syalixhal", 'his/her smallness' (< "yalixh", 'small'); "swinaqil", 'husband' (< "winaq", 'man'); "-k'ulal", to derive nouns from intransitive verbs, adjectives, other nouns, etc.: "watxk'ulal", 'friendliness'; "-oj", nominalizer, turning verbs into nouns: "kuyoj", 'studying' (< "kuy", 'study').

Word order

Q'anjob'al has a relatively free word order. Possible word orders that can occur in Q'anjob'al are verb-subject-object (VSO), verb-object-subject (VOS), subject-verb-object (SVO), and subject-object-verb (SOV). The verb-first orders (VSO and VOS) are predominant, while the other orders may occur when other forms of emphasis or focality are desired by a speaker.

Classifiers

Some Q’anjob’al nouns require that certain classifiers be used with them. Among these are "no" (animals), "te" (trees/wood), "ix" (female), "naq" (male), "ch'en" (stone/metal), "xim" (corn), and "an" (plants).

"no’ chej"
CL-animal horse
'the horse'

"te’ na"
CL-wood house
'the house'

"ix unin"
CL-fem child (girl)
'the girl'

"naq unin"
CL-masc child (boy)
'the boy'

"ch’en tumin"
CL-metal money
'the money'

"an kaq"
CL-plant flower
'the flower'

If the plural marker "heb"’ is used, this in itself is considered a classifier and no other classifier is needed.

"heb’ unin"
PL child
'the children'

Reduplication

Reduplication, or duplication of a root word, is a minor process in the formation of Q'anjob'al vocabulary, as in the following:

"on-on"
'pig'
(onomatopoeic: based on the sound it makes)

"pux-pux"
'belly of animal'

"tx'a-tx'a"
'chewing gum'

Vocabulary

Q'anjob'al consists of groups of roots that can take affixes. Words are traditionally classified as nouns, adjectives, adverbs, intransitive and transitive verbs, particles, and positionals. Positionals are a group of roots which cannot function as words on their own; in combination with affixes they are used to describe relationships of position and location. Particles are words that do not take affixes; they mostly function in adverbial roles, and include such things as interrogative particles, affirmative/negative words, markers of time and location, conjunctions, prepositions and demonstratives.

Locatives are often formed by placing a noun after a possessed body-part term: "s-ti b'e", 'edge of the road' < 'its-mouth road' and "s-jolom witz", 'mountaintop' or 'summit' < 'its-head mountain'. Similarly, compound nouns may be formed by placing a noun after another possessed noun: "y-atutal kuyoj", 'school' < 'its-house studying'.

Numbers

*1 "jun"
*2 "kab"'
*3 "oxeb"'
*4 "kaneb"'
*5 "oyeb"'
*6 "waqeb"'
*7 "uqeb"'
*8 "waxaqeb"'
*9 "b'aloneb"'
*10 "lajoneb"'

"anima", person
"ch'en", rock/stone
"ej", water/river
"ix", woman
"ixim", corn
"kaq", flower
"k'u", sun/day
"mam", father
"mis", cat
"na", house (also "atut")
"pat", tortilla
"ssat kan", sky ("lit". snake's eye)
"son", marimba
"te"', tree
"tx'i"', dog
"tx'otx"', earth/land
"tx'utx"', mother
"unin", child
"waykan", star
"winaq", man
"witz", mountain
"xajaw", moon/month

Abbreviations used

A1S absolutive first person singular
A1P absolutive first person plural
ABS abstractivizer
CL classifier
COM complete
E1S ergative first person singular
E1P ergative first person plural
INC incomplete
INT interrogative
IRR irrealis
NEG negative
NZR nominalizer
PL plural
PROG progressive
SFX suffix
STAT status

Notes

References

: cite book |author = aut|Comunidad Lingüística Q'anjob'al |year= 2005 |title=Gramática descriptiva q’anjob’al = Yaq’b’anil stxolilal ti’ q’anjob’al |publisher =Academia de Lenguas Mayas de Guatemala (ALMG), Comunidad Lingüística Q'anjob'al |location= Guatemala City |oclc=70631325 es icon: cite book |author=aut|Gordon, Raymond G., Jr.|coauthors=(ed.) |year=2005 |chapter=Q'anjob'al, Eastern|title= |editor= SIL International|edition=Fifteenth edition |format=online version |others=Barbara F. Grimes (contributing ed.) |chapterurl=https://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=kjb |publisher=SIL International |location=Dallas, TX |isbn=1-55671-159-X |oclc=60338097|accessdate=2008-09-22: cite book |author=aut|Oxlajuuj Keej Maya’ Ajtz’iib’ [OKMA] |authorlink=Oxlajuuj Keej Maya' Ajtz'iib' |year=2000 |title=Variación dialectal en q'anjob'al = Sk'exkixhtaqil yallay koq'anej |others=Saaqjumay [Sonia Raymundo González] , Adán Francisco Pascual, Pedro Mateo Pedro, and B'alam Q'uq' [Eladio Mateo Toledo] (authors/contribs.), Nora C. England (advisor), Guisela Ascensio Lueg (Spanish revision)|series=Informes de variación dialectal series|location=Guatemala City|publisher=Cholsamaj |isbn=99922-53-08-8 |oclc=49332799 es icon : cite book |author = aut|Robertson, John S. | year = 1992 |title = The History of Tense/Aspect/Mood/Voice in the Mayan Verbal Complex
publisher = University of Texas Press |location = Austin |isbn = 0-292-72075-0 |oclc=26160695

External links

* [http://www.almg.org.gt/UserFiles/File/index.htm Comunidad Lingüística Q'anjob'al] , community/sub-committee for Q'anjob'al at Academia de Lenguas Mayas de Guatemala [ALMG]