Admission requirements
Propedeutic year must be completed
Description
Yucatec Maya (Mayathan) is one of the languages of the Mayan language family and is spoken on the Yucatán peninsula in Mexico by approximately 800.000 people. Yucatec Maya is a verb-initial language with a structure that is partly ergative (‘split-ergative’). It has an elaborate system of numeral classifiers and distinguishes several types of possession (alienable, inalienable). It has distinctive tone and glottalized consonants.
The present course includes a short introduction to the history of the Mayan language of Yucatán and a detailed overview of the grammar of contemporary Yucatec, including its basic vocabulary. The reading lessons are based on the language course Spoken Yucatec Maya by R.W. Blair and R. Vermont-Salas (produced by the University of Chicago in 1965-1967).
Course objectives
The student acquires knowledge and insight into the grammar and sound system of Yucatec Maya with due attention for its historical background and development. He/she is enabled to interpret and translate elementary Yucatec texts with the help of a dictionary. He/she obtains a basis of knowledge and familiarity with the Yucatec language on which a practical user knowledge can be developed in a fieldwork situation, particularly in a context of anthropological or archaeological field research. He/she acquires the linguistic basis that is necessary to undertake a study of colonial and pre-colonial Yucatec and its native hieroglyphic writing system.
Timetable
Mode of instruction
Oral lectures with reading material
Assessment method
Written examination with open questions after the conclusion of the course
Blackboard
Only for practical communications.
Reading list
V. Bricker, E. Po’ot Yah and O. Dzul de Po’ot, A Dictionary of the Maya Language as spoken in Hocabá, Yucatán (University of Utah Press, Salt Lake City 1998).
No previous reading required. Order via Amazon.com or borrow from University Library
Registration Rigistration student via uSis
Contact information
For more information contact teacher: Adelaar
Remarks
—