Mayan languages

The Mayan languages form a language family spoken in Mesoamerica and northern Central America. Mayan languages are spoken by at least 6 million Maya peoples, primarily in Guatemala, Mexico, Belize and Honduras. In 1996, Guatemala formally recognized 21 Mayan languages by name, and Mexico recognizes eight more within their territory.

The Mayan language family is one of the best-documented and most studied in the Americas. Modern Mayan languages descend from the Proto-Mayan language, thought to have been spoken at least 5000 years ago; it has been partially reconstructed using the comparative method.

Mayan languages form part of the Mesoamerican language area, an area of linguistic convergence developed throughout millennia of interaction between the peoples of Mesoamerica. All Mayan languages display the basic diagnostic traits of this linguistic area. For example, all use relational nouns instead of prepositions to indicate spatial relationships. They also possess grammatical and typological features that set them apart from other languages of Mesoamerica, such as the use of ergativity in the grammatical treatment of verbs and their subjects and objects, specific inflectional categories on verbs, and a special word class of "positionals" which is typical of all Mayan languages.

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Latest News for: maya languages

‘It starts at the top’: Extremist views are all that many young Israelis have ever known

Egypt Independent 29 Mar 2025
Jerusalem CNN... “Those children will grow up to be terrorists,” Sarah said ... Days before, at another demonstration just outside of the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, Maya, another 16-year-old girl, went even further with her language ... They said ... ....

Letters: Boebert’s “pimp cane” comment about Rep. Green was racist. She should resign.

Denver Post 12 Mar 2025
An official language can be uniting ... If this were true, why would Mexico and every country in Central America, South America, and Spain designate Spanish as their official language? Mexico has other languages like Maya.
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