Itzaj Maya Documentation
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Research Year:  1998
Culture:  Maya
Chronology:  Post Classic
Location:  Petén, Guatemala
Site:  Itzaj Maya Language, San José

Summary

The primary objective of this project was to complete a draft of a reference grammar of the Itzaj Maya language with the assistance of don Fernando Tesucún, a native of San José, Petén, and one of the last fluent speakers of the language. The Itzaj Maya preserved Mayan culture, including writing, until they were conquered in 1697, approximately a century and a half after their neighbors were overwhelmed by the Spanish invaders. The grammar follows a published text collection and a dictionary for Itzaj Maya, and is the final component of documentation for this endangered language.

Fernando Tesucún came to Carbondale, Illinois, for two months of intensive linguistic research during June and July, 1998. During this time, the Principal Investigator completed drafts of the final chapters of the grammar in consultation with don Fernando. Together they rechecked all of the data used in the examples. They alternated working together on data checking and clarification of grammatical points, and working alone on individual tasks. Mr. Tesucún transcribed and translated a number of audiotapes and videotapes of Itzaj conversations and narratives that had been recorded previously. This work was a secondary objective of the research and will be used in developing a CD-ROM documenting Itzaj Maya language and culture.

The resulting Itzaj Maya Grammar is a comprehensive grammar and it is hoped that it will serve as a reference for anthropologists, linguists, epigraphers, and others interested in Itzaj Maya language and culture.

Click to download the report in PDF format:

Itzaj Maya Documentation  (144 KB)

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Submitted 11/01/1998 by:
Charles Andrew Hofling
Assistant Professor of Anthropology and Linguistics
Department of Anthropology
Southern Illinois University at Carbondale

NOTE:  The Itzaj Maya Grammar  will not be presented in its entirety. FAMSI will present the Table of Contents, Preface, Acknowledgements, and the Sources Cited.

For a copy of the complete documentation contact:
The University of Utah Press, Salt Lake City

Itzaj Maya Grammar by Charles Andrew Hofling  ©2000   ISBN 0-87480-666-6
Itzaj Maya-Spanish-English Dictionary by Charles Andrew Hofling with Félix Fernando Tesucún  ©1997   ISBN 0-87480-550-3