Meaning in Mayan Languages

256 Pages·1973·23.789 MB·

by  Munro S. Edmonson

JANUA LINGUARUM
STUDIA MEMORIAE
NICOLAI VAN WIJK DEDICATA
edenda curat
C. H. VAN SCHOONEVELD
Indiana University
Series Practica, 158

MEANING IN
MAYAN LANGUAGES
Ethnolinguistic Studies
Edited by
MUNRO S. EDMONSON
1973
MOUTON
THE HAGUE · PARIS
© Copyright 1973 in The Netherlands.
Mouton & Co. Ν.V., Publishers, The Hague.
No part of this book may be translated or reproduced in any form, by print, photoprint, microfilm,
or any other means, without written permission from the publishers.
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOG CARD NUMBER: 72-88201
Printed in Hungary
PREFACE
The papers in this volume were initially composed for a symposium on Mayan Ethno-
linguistics for the national meetings of the American Anthropological Association in
New Orleans. The symposium was planned at the preceding national meeting in
Seattle, having been initially proposed by Dr. Brent Berlin of the University of Califor-
nia in Berkeley. It was held on November 21, 1969, and generated an enthusiastic re-
sponse from those who attended. The present papers reproduce the symposium, but
reflect the comments, corrections and reconsiderations springing from a stimulating
exchange of views. One paper presented then was withdrawn from the proposed publi-
cation, Dr. Terence S. Kaufman's "Some Current Hypotheses on Mayan Diversifi-
cation".
The manuscript has been edited by Dr. Munro S. Edmonson of Tulane University,
who wishes to acknowledge a special debt for the assistance of Dr. Victoria R. Bricker
in the task, and to express gratitude for a Ford Foundation grant to the Middle Amer-
ican Research Institute of Tulane for the secretarial and editorial expenses involved.
Thanks are also due to Mrs. Mary Margaret Smith and Miss Iris Eldness for their care
in producing the final draft and to Mr. G. Stanley Beck for his work on some of the
illustrations. The editor is also grateful to the contributors for their promptness and
cooperation.

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Preface 5
Orthographic Note 10
I. MUNRO S. EDMONSON
Introduction 11
References 21
II. MARSHALL E. DURBIN
Sound Symbolism in the Mayan Language Family 23
Introduction 23
Sound Symbolism 24
Data and Analyses 32
Implications 39
References 48
III. MICHAEL G. OWEN
Semantic Aspects of Yucatec Dual-Object Constructions 51
The Verbal Suffix -T in Yucatec 51
Some Syntactic Properties of -T Verb Stems 52
A Semantic Theory of -T Verb Stems 54
Implications of the Semantic Theory for Syntax and Morphology 56
References 57
IV. JOHN FOUGHT
Chorti Semantics : Some Properties of Roots and Affixes 59
Contrast and the Paradigm 59
Linking and Nesting Relations 62
Personal Affixes, Grammatical Categories, and Semantic Components .. 65
8 TABLE OF CONTENTS
Roots and Thematic Affixes: The ACT Feature 71
Some Derived Active Expressions 74
Field Testing 77
Some Implications and Conclusions 79
References 82
V. CHRISTOPHER DAY
The Semantics of Social Categories in a Transformational Grammar of Ja-
caltec 85
Data for the Model 86
The Model 89
Explanatory Adequacy 98
Descriptive Adequacy 100
Observational Adequacy 101
Summary and Conclusion 102
References 104
VI. BRIAN STROSS
Acquisition of Botanical Terminology by Tzeltal Children 107
Introduction 107
Tzeltal Plant Taxonomy and Nomenclature 108
Geographical Context 115
Botanical Socialization 115
Plant Trail Task 118
Response Types 124
Summary 133
Developmental Trends 134
Development in Typical Child 135
Conclusion 139
References 141
VII. BRENT BERLIN, DENNIS E. BREEDLOVE, ROBERT M. LAUGHLIN AND PETER
H. RAVEN
Cultural Significance and Lexical Retention in Tzeltal-Tzotzil Ethnobotany 143
Introduction 143
The Comparative Inventory 145
Analytic Categories 146
Cognate Sets of Tzeltal-Tzotzil Plant Names 152
Cultural Significance and Lexical Retention 160
References 164
TABLE OF CONTENTS 9
VIII. NICHOLAS A. HOPKINS
Compound Place Names in Chuj and other Mayan Languages 165
Introduction 165
Sources and Identification of Chuj Place Names 166
The Nature of Chuj Geographical Nomenclature 167
Compound Chuj Place Names 171
Comparative Data on Compound Mayan Place Names 176
References 181
IX. VICTORIA REIFLER BRICKER
Three Genres of Tzotzil Insult 183
Joking Insults 183
Ridicule and Criticism 191
Formal and Informal Discourses 194
Functional Differences 196
The Same Content in Different Genres 200
References 203
X. GARY H. GOSSEN
Chamula Tzotzil Proverbs : Neither Fish nor Fowl 205
Introduction 205
The Proverb in the Taxonomy of Chamula Oral Tradition 208
Proverbs and Contexts 211
Dynamic of Proverbs 224
Summary and Conclusions 229
References 232
XI. MUNRO S. EDMONSON
Semantic Universale and Particulars in Quiche 235
References 246
Index 247
ORTHOGRAPHIC NOTE
STOPS AFFRICATES SPIRANTS NASALS LIQUIDS SEMI-
VOWELS
BVoiced ilabiaVoiceless l Dental Dental Velar Velar Uvular Uvular CooCooii Alveolar Alveolar Alveopolatol Alveopolatol Retroflex Retroflex Apical Apical Alveopalatal Alveopalatal Retroflex Retroflex Laryngeal Laryngeal Velar Velar Uvular Uvular Bilabial Bilabial <<0S<<0S>> 00 Velar Velar Loterai Loterai Flap Flap Labial Labial Alveopalatal Alveopalatal
¡Plain IGlottalized | TQ53 " ÑmοΕcC 'Lo Γ ο•Zο J ' IGlottalized ¡Plain . I MooQ(CD L ' ¡Plain çoRCCQD>D "- [Plain Globalized (Ploin ¡Glottolized 2o Glottolized
Chorti b Ρ ΡΡ t k ? ts tx s X h m η Q Ι r w y
Chuj b Ρ ρ' t t' k k' ? t t' c ci s h X m η Ν I r w y
Jacaltec b' Ρ t t' k k' q' ? c c' l· Í' ÇV ÇV 1 s i h X X m η 1 1 r w y
Quiche b Ρ ΡI t t' k k' q q I ? tz tz ch ch' ζ X h m η 1 r w y
Tzeltal b Ρ ΡI t t' k k' ? c c' CV Vci s vs h m η 1 r w y
Tzotzil b' Ρ ΡI t t' k k' ? c c' I Ï' s ï h H m η 1 r w y
\t) M
Yucatec b Ρ ρ' t t' k k' ? tz tz' |«3| VC s X h m η 1 r w y
(z) (zi fcl
Vowels are written identically in all the languages quoted :
i u
e o
a
Vowel length is indicated by doubled vowels, and phonemic pitch in Yucatec by /v/
for high tone and /v/ for low. The symbols (z), (z'), and (c) and (c') in Yucatec are
given special meanings by Durbin as noted in the parentheses in the table.
Phrasing is indicated in Chorti by the symbols' for rising and · for falling intona-
tion,' for weak and" for havy stress, + for pause and - - for hesitation.
The Spanish letters, b, d, g and f are widely used in loan words. The symbol /H/
in Tzotzil is a voiceless labialized backed velar fricative.