Normas de Escritura para la Lengua Maya (Maayat’aan) Machine Translation

STANDARDIZATION OF MAYAN LANGUAGE WRITING

Writing Standards for the Maya Language (Maayat’aan)

The National Institute of Indigenous Languages, based on the provisions of the articles in the Political Constitution of the United Mexican States; the General Law of Indigenous Peoples’ Linguistic Rights; the Organic Law of the Federal Public Administration; the Federal Law of Parastatal Entities; the Federal Law of Administrative Procedure; the Regulations of the Federal Law of Parastatal Entities, and the Organic Statute of the National Institute of Indigenous Languages, issues the following:

Considering

That the American Convention on Human Rights, signed in Costa Rica in 1969, which Mexico has been a part of since 1981, commits the States parties to respect the rights and freedoms recognized therein and to ensure their free and full exercise to all persons subject to its jurisdiction, without discrimination based on race, color, sex, language, or religion. The same convention establishes the linguistic rights of individuals to be assisted by interpreters in judicial processes.

That Convention 169 on Indigenous and Tribal Peoples in Independent Countries, adopted on June 27, 1989, by the General Conference of the International Labor Organization and ratified by Mexico on July 11, 1990, mandates the participation of indigenous peoples in coordinated and systematic action to protect their rights and ensure the respect of their integrity. Governments that ratify the convention must take necessary measures to ensure that members of these peoples have the opportunity to read and write in their mother tongue or community language and to master the national language or one of the official languages of the country. The convention also calls for the preservation, promotion, and development of indigenous languages.

That by decree published in the Official Gazette of the Federation on August 14, 2001, the Political Constitution of the United Mexican States was reformed and added to recognize the unique and indivisible character of the Mexican Nation, its multicultural composition grounded in its indigenous peoples, and their rights.

That one of the rights recognized in Section “A” of Article 2 of our Constitution is the right to self-determination, and consequently, the autonomy to preserve and enrich their languages, knowledge, and all elements that constitute their culture and identity.

That on March 13, 2003, the General Law of Indigenous Peoples’ Linguistic Rights was published in the Official Gazette of the Federation, recognizing and protecting the individual and collective linguistic rights of indigenous peoples and communities.

That this law creates the National Institute of Indigenous Languages (INALI) as a decentralized public body with legal personality and its own assets, aimed at promoting the strengthening, preservation, and development of the indigenous languages spoken in the national territory, fostering knowledge and enjoyment of the nation’s cultural wealth, and advising all levels of government on public policies in this area.

That INALI has the authority to design strategies and instruments for the development of national indigenous languages, in coordination with all levels of government and indigenous peoples and communities, as well as to produce and promote the creation of grammars, standardization of writings, and promotion of literacy in national indigenous languages as established in Article 14, sections a), c), and f) of the General Law of Indigenous Peoples’ Linguistic Rights.

That on January 14, 2008, the Official Gazette of the Federation published the Catalog of National Indigenous Languages: Linguistic Variants of Mexico with their Autodenominations and Geostatistical References, listing the 11 linguistic families, the 68 linguistic groups corresponding to these families, and the 364 linguistic variants belonging to this set of groups.

That the Organic Statute of the National Institute of Indigenous Languages establishes the basic structure, powers, and functions of the institute, including its authority to coordinate and promote the normalization of national indigenous languages, in coordination with the speaking communities, language scholars, and educational institutions.

That the incorporation of the mother tongues of indigenous peoples into government domains—normative, administrative, educational, judicial, health, among others—requires tools that ensure the effective use of the language both orally and in writing, aiming to promote its use in private and public spheres.

That expanding the use of orthographic conventions for the writing of indigenous languages aims to strengthen the initiatives and decisions of indigenous peoples to enrich their languages, knowledge, and all elements that constitute their culture and identity.

That INALI promotes, with the writing standards of national indigenous languages, the achievement of social agreements around the orthographic conventions that foster and expand the written use of languages and allow their users to advance securely and expediently in the recovery and/or appropriation of broader usage domains.

That with the writing standards of national indigenous languages, knowledge, recognition, and appreciation of the country’s linguistic diversity is generated, as well as the dissemination and revitalization of national indigenous languages.

That with the writing standards of national indigenous languages, indigenous peoples and communities are provided with a fundamental support to expand the use of the language and enable advancement in its development and in new fields: scientific, technological, and legal, in accordance with current communicative needs.

That the writing standards contribute to increasing the social prestige of national indigenous languages, affecting the expansion of the written register and access to means for text fixation.

That access to the writing standards of national indigenous languages allows for the understanding of orthographic conventions, promotes the practice of writing and reading in indigenous languages, and the use of place names in the language, which are indispensable elements in the recovery and acquisition of usage domains that have been restricted for most national languages until now.

That promoting the standardization of the orthographic conventions of national indigenous languages’ writing systems does not aim to homogenize linguistic resources but to standardize the criteria for using those resources.

That the Maayat’aan (Maya) language belongs to the Mayan linguistic family, which is one of the most spoken in the country, with 795,499 speakers (General Population and Housing Census, INEGI, 2010).

That this language is spoken in three states: Campeche, Quintana Roo, and Yucatán.

That this writing standard is a synthesis of principles, rules, and conventions built through consensus and collaborative work among speakers, specialists, and public and private institutions.

Therefore, based on Article 14, section f) of the General Law of Indigenous Peoples’ Linguistic Rights, the National Institute of Indigenous Languages issues the Writing Standards for the Maya Language.

SIGNATORIES:

Fidencio Briceño Chel
Gerónimo Ricardo Can Tec
(Authors)

Pablo Roberto Abán Góngora
Irene Yolanda Aké Ché
Blanca Luz Campos Carrillo
José Concepción Cano Sosaya
Samuel Canul Yah
Felipe de Jesús Castillo Tzec
Briceida Cuevas Cob
Fernando Amilcar Ku Tuz
Gaspar Maglah Canul
José Miguel Quintal Morales
Lenin Bertrand Noh Cih
Feliciano Sánchez Chan

INTRODUCTION

The Maya language (Maayat’aan) belongs to the Mayan linguistic family, one of the most widespread and historically significant language families in Mesoamerica. The writing standards presented in this document aim to provide a unified system that respects the linguistic diversity of Maya while promoting its use in written form across various contexts.

PRINCIPLES AND CONVENTIONS

General Principles

Phonemic Representation: The orthography is designed to represent phonemes, the smallest units of sound that distinguish meaning in the language.
Simplicity and Consistency: The system aims for simplicity and consistency to facilitate learning and use.
Respect for Dialectal Variation: While promoting standardization, the orthography respects the existing dialectal variations and incorporates mechanisms to accommodate them.

Vowels

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

Consonants

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

ORTHOGRAPHIC RULES

Ejective Consonants: Ejective consonants are represented with an apostrophe (e.g., p’, t’, k’).
Glottal Stops: The glottal stop is represented by an apostrophe (’) in contexts where it occurs between vowels or at the beginning of a word.
Nasalization: Nasalized vowels are indicated by placing an “n” after the vowel (e.g., an, en, in).
Tone: Tone is not typically marked in Maya orthography as it is not phonemic in most dialects, but in tonal dialects, it may be indicated with diacritics.
Stress: Primary stress typically falls on the penultimate syllable and is not usually marked unless it deviates from this pattern.

USAGE IN CONTEXTS

Educational Materials

The orthography should be used consistently in all educational materials, including textbooks, storybooks, and instructional guides. This ensures that learners are exposed to a standardized system from the beginning of their education.

Official Documents

Government and official documents should use the standardized orthography to promote its acceptance and use in formal contexts. This includes legal documents, public notices, and administrative records.

Media and Publications

Newspapers, magazines, and online publications should adopt the standardized orthography to ensure consistent and widespread use of the Maya language in written form. This helps in normalizing the language’s presence in everyday media.

SIGNIFICANCE OF STANDARDIZATION

The standardization of Maya orthography is crucial for several reasons:

Cultural Preservation: It helps preserve the language by providing a consistent and recognizable written form.
Education: It facilitates the teaching and learning of Maya in schools and educational programs.
Legal Recognition: Standardized orthography supports the legal recognition and protection of the language as part of the nation’s cultural heritage.
Technological Integration: A standardized system is essential for developing digital tools, such as keyboards, fonts, and software that support Maya language use.

CONCLUSION

The writing standards for the Maya language (Maayat’aan) presented in this document represent a collaborative effort to respect and preserve the linguistic diversity of the Maya people while promoting the use of their language in written form. These standards are intended to serve as a foundation for further development and adaptation as needed by the speaking community.

SIGNATORIES:

Fidencio Briceño Chel
Gerónimo Ricardo Can Tec
(Authors)