The Ancient Maya App translates ancient Maya words into glyph blocks. For example, you can enter “Ko’ox kanik u masil maya” and it is converted to:
This works for ancient Mayan words. But, languages evolve over time. When new phonetic sounds are added they can’t be written with the existing symbols. Groups like Mayas for Ancient Mayan deliver workshops on writing in the traditional style. New monuments are erected with the old writing. The stela commemorating Oxlajpiq/Oxlajb’ak’tun in Iximche is an excellent example. We will collaborate with the communities doing this work to understand how they are writing modern languages with old glyphs. We will also understand how modern Mayan languages are written using the Spanish alphabet. We will analyze one modern lowland language (Maayat’aan/Yucatec) and one modern highland language (K’iche’). Each of these languages has an official orthography. From each orthography we obtain a required phoneme list. By comparing the modern phoneme list to the ancient Mayan syllabary identify new sounds that require new glyphs. Then we collaborate with epigraphers that are native speakers to create new glyphs. In some cases a modern lowland language and a modern highland language added the same phonemes (as both were influenced by Spanish). In these cases we will use the same new glyphs across all modern languages.
Below are resources and updates:
- Orthography: Normas de Escritura para la Lengua Maya (Maayat’aan) from Mexico’s Instituto Nacional de Lenguas Indígenas [English version]
- Orthography: HISTORIA DE LA COMUNIDAD LINGÜÍSTICA K’ICHE’ from The Academia de Lenguas Mayas de Guatemala. [English version]
Maayat’aan/Yucatec Summary
Maya vowels can be short or long, and the distinction is phonemic.
- Short vowels: a, e, i, o, u
- Long vowels: aa, ee, ii, oo, uu
Maya consonants include a variety of sounds, some of which are not found in Spanish or English. The orthography includes special symbols to represent these sounds accurately.
- Stops: p, t, k, b, d, g
- Ejectives: p’, t’, k’
- Fricatives: s, x, h
- Affricates: ts, ch, tz’
- Nasals: m, n
- Laterals: l
- Glides: w, y
And here’s the above lists ordered alphabetically so they match the K’iche’ summary.
a, aa, e, ee, i, ii, o, oo, u, uu
b, ch, d, g, h, k, k’, l, m, n, p, p’, s, t, t’, ts, tz’, w, x, y
Not used: c, f, j, ñ, q, r, v, z
K’iche’ Summary
Vowels
a, aa, e, ee, i, ii, o, oo, u, uu, ä
Consonants
b’, ch, ch’, j, k, k’, l, m, n, p q, q’ r, s, t, t’, tz, tz’, w, x, y
Not Used
c, d, f, g, h, ñ, v, z