Ixil language

{{Infobox language

| name = Ixil

| nativename = Ixhil

| pronunciation = {{IPA| [iʂil] }}

| states = Guatemala, Mexico

| region = Quiché Department

Campeche, Quintana Roo

| ethnicity = 133,329 Ixil (2019 census)

| speakers = {{sigfig|115,000|2}}

| date = 2019 census

| ref = e24

| familycolor = Mayan

| fam1 = Mayan

| fam2 = Eastern Mayan

| fam3 = Greater Mamean

| fam4 = Ixilan

| minority = {{flag|Mexico}}
{{flag|Guatemala}}

| agency = Instituto Nacional de Lenguas Indígenas

Academia de Lenguas Mayas de Guatemala

| iso3 = ixl

| glotto = ixil1251

| glottorefname = Ixil

| script = Latin

| dia1 = Chajuleño

| dia2 = Nebajeño

}}

File:Mayan languages tree en.svg. Ixil is part of the Mamean subfamily, colored indigo in this image.]]

Ixil (Ixhil) is a Mayan language spoken in Mexico and Guatemala.Colby, Benjamin N., Pierre L. van den Berghe. 1977. Ixiles y Ladinos: El Pluralism Social en el Altiplano de Guatemala. Guatemala: Editorial "Jose de Pineda Ibarra". p. 57. It is the primary language of the Ixil people, which mainly comprises the three towns of San Juan Cotzal, Santa María Nebaj, and San Gaspar Chajul in the Guatemalan highlands and numerous towns in the states of Campeche and Quintana Roo in southeast México.{{Cite web |title=Catálogo de las lenguas indígenas nacionales: Ixil |url=https://www.inali.gob.mx/clin-inali/html/v_ixil.html}} There is also an Ixil speaking migrant population in Guatemala City, Mexico City and the United States. Although there are slight differences in vocabulary in the dialects spoken by people in the three main Guatemalan Ixil towns, they are all mutually intelligible and should be considered dialects of a single language. According to historical linguistic studies Ixil emerged as a separate language sometime around the year 500AD.

Distribution

Ixil language is spoken in Mexico in some municipalities of the states of Campeche and Quintana Roo. In the state of Campeche is spoken in the communities of Los Laureles and Quetzal-Edzná from the Campeche municipality and in Maya Tecún in Champotón municipality, while in Quintana Roo is spoken in the towns of Maya Balam and Kuchumatán, Bacalar municipality.

In Guatemala, the municipalities where Ixil is spoken the most are San Gaspar Chajul, San Juan Cotzal and Santa María Nebaj, Quiché department.

Phonology

class="wikitable" style="text-align: center" \|+ Ixil vowels{{sfnp\|Ayres\|1991\|p=1}} ! ! Front ! Central ! Back
High \| {{IPAlink\|i}} {{IPAlink\|iː}} \| \| {{IPAlink\|u}} {{IPAlink\|uː}}
Close-mid \| {{IPAlink\|e}} {{IPAlink\|eː}} \| \| {{IPAlink\|o}} {{IPAlink\|oː}}
Open \| \| {{IPAlink\|a}} {{IPAlink\|aː}} \|

class="wikitable" style="text-align: center"

|+ Ixil vowels{{sfnp|Ayres|1991|p=1}}

! Front

! Central

! Back

High

| {{IPAlink|i}} {{IPAlink|iː}}

| {{IPAlink|u}} {{IPAlink|uː}}

Close-mid

| {{IPAlink|e}} {{IPAlink|eː}}

| {{IPAlink|o}} {{IPAlink|oː}}

Open

| {{IPAlink|a}} {{IPAlink|aː}}

class="wikitable" style="text-align: center" \|+ Ixil consonants (Nebaj dialect){{sfnp\|Ayres\|1991\|p=2–7}}
colspan="2" \| ! Labial ! colspan="2" \| Alveolar ! Post- alveolar ! Retroflex ! Palatal ! Velar ! Uvular ! Glottal
colspan="2" \| Nasal \| {{IPAlink\|m}} {{angbr\|m}} \| colspan="2" \| {{IPAlink\|n}} {{angbr\|n}} \| \|\| \|\| \|\| \|\| \|\|
rowspan="2" \| Plosive/ Affricate ! plain \| {{IPAlink\|p}} {{angbr\|p}} \| {{IPAlink\|t}} {{angbr\|t}} \| {{IPAlink\|t͡s}} {{angbr\|tz}} \| {{IPAlink\|t͡ɕ}} {{angbr\|ch}} \| {{IPAlink\|ʈ͡ʂ}} {{angbr\|tx}} \| \| {{IPAlink\|k}} {{angbr\|k}} \| {{IPAlink\|q}} {{angbr\|q}} \| rowspan="2" \| {{IPAlink\|ʔ}} {{angbr\|'}}
glottalized \| {{IPAlink\|ɓ}} {{angbr\|bʼ}} \| {{IPAlink\|tʼ}} {{angbr\|tʼ}} \| {{IPAlink\|t͡sʼ}} {{angbr\|tzʼ}} \| {{IPAlink\|t͡ɕʼ}} {{angbr\|chʼ}} \| {{IPAlink\|ʈ͡ʂʼ}} {{angbr\|txʼ}} \| \| {{IPAlink\|kʼ}} {{angbr\|kʼ}} \| {{IPAlink\|qʼ}} {{angbr\|qʼ}}
colspan="2" \| Fricative \| {{IPAlink\|β}} ~ {{IPAlink\|v}} {{angbr\|v}} \| colspan="2" \| {{IPAlink\|s}} {{angbr\|s}} \| {{IPAlink\|ɕ}} {{angbr\|xh}} \| {{IPAlink\|ʂ}} {{angbr\|x}} \| \| \| {{IPAlink\|χ}} {{angbr\|j}} \|
colspan="2" \| Flap \| \| colspan="2" \| {{IPAlink\|ɾ}} {{angbr\|r}} \| \|\| \|\| \|\| \|\| \|\|
colspan="2" \| Approximant \| ({{IPAlink\|w}} {{angbr\|v}}) \| colspan="2" \| {{IPAlink\|l}} {{angbr\|l}} \| \| \| {{IPAlink\|j}} {{angbr\|y}} \| \| \|

class="wikitable" style="text-align: center"

|+ Ixil consonants (Nebaj dialect){{sfnp|Ayres|1991|p=2–7}}

colspan="2" |

! Labial

! colspan="2" | Alveolar

! Post-
alveolar

! Retroflex

! Palatal

! Velar

! Uvular

! Glottal

colspan="2" | Nasal

| {{IPAlink|m}} {{angbr|m}}

| colspan="2" | {{IPAlink|n}} {{angbr|n}}

| || || || || ||

rowspan="2" | Plosive/
Affricate

! plain

| {{IPAlink|p}} {{angbr|p}}

| {{IPAlink|t}} {{angbr|t}}

| {{IPAlink|t͡s}} {{angbr|tz}}

| {{IPAlink|t͡ɕ}} {{angbr|ch}}

| {{IPAlink|ʈ͡ʂ}} {{angbr|tx}}

| {{IPAlink|k}} {{angbr|k}}

| {{IPAlink|q}} {{angbr|q}}

| rowspan="2" | {{IPAlink|ʔ}} {{angbr|'}}

glottalized

| {{IPAlink|ɓ}} {{angbr|bʼ}}

| {{IPAlink|tʼ}} {{angbr|tʼ}}

| {{IPAlink|t͡sʼ}} {{angbr|tzʼ}}

| {{IPAlink|t͡ɕʼ}} {{angbr|chʼ}}

| {{IPAlink|ʈ͡ʂʼ}} {{angbr|txʼ}}

| {{IPAlink|kʼ}} {{angbr|kʼ}}

| {{IPAlink|qʼ}} {{angbr|qʼ}}

colspan="2" | Fricative

| {{IPAlink|β}} ~ {{IPAlink|v}} {{angbr|v}}

| colspan="2" | {{IPAlink|s}} {{angbr|s}}

| {{IPAlink|ɕ}} {{angbr|xh}}

| {{IPAlink|ʂ}} {{angbr|x}}

| {{IPAlink|χ}} {{angbr|j}}

colspan="2" | Flap

| colspan="2" | {{IPAlink|ɾ}} {{angbr|r}}

| || || || || ||

colspan="2" | Approximant

| ({{IPAlink|w}} {{angbr|v}})

| colspan="2" | {{IPAlink|l}} {{angbr|l}}

| {{IPAlink|j}} {{angbr|y}}

Sample Words

Source:{{Cite web |title=Ixil Words |url=https://www.native-languages.org/ixil_words.htm |access-date=2023-11-23 |website=www.native-languages.org}}

class="wikitable"

|+English Ixil

|One

|Wa'l

Two

|Ka'wa'l

Three

|Oxhwal

Man

|Winaq

Woman

|Ixoq

Dog

|Tx'i'

Sun

|Q'ij

Moon

|Ich'

Water

|Ja

Deer

|Che

Jaguar

|B'alam

Monkey

|K'oy

Rabbit

|Umul

Mouse

|Ch'o

Bird

|Tz'ikyin

Fish

|Txay

Bee

|Uskab

Black

|Q'eq

White

|Saq

Red

|Kaq

Yellow

|Q'an

Green

|Cha'x

Blue

|Cha'x

Grammar

Ixil pronominals are discerned between ergative ones and absolutive ones.[https://www.jstor.org/pss/3519723 "Toward a Dialectology of Ixil Maya: Variation across Communities and Individuals" Thomas E. Lengyel] A notable feature of the language's grammar is its ambiguity in discerning reflexive from reciprocal pronouns."Reflexive and Reciprocal Elements in Ixil", ERIC: [http://eric.ed.gov/ERICWebPortal/custom/portlets/recordDetails/detailmini.jsp?_nfpb=true&_&ERICExtSearch_SearchValue_0=ED353802&ERICExtSearch_SearchType_0=no&accno=ED353802 ED353802], Glenn Ayres, 1990.

Notes

Bibliography

Asicona Ramírez, Lucas, Domingo Méndez Rivera, Rodrigo Domingo Xinic Bop. 1998. Diccionario Ixil de San Gaspar Chajul. La Antigua Guatemala: Proyecto Linguistico Francisco Marroquín.
{{cite book |last=Ayres |first=Glenn Thompson |year=1991 |title=La Gramática Ixil |url=https://archive.org/details/LaGramaticaIxil |place=La Antigua Guatemala |publisher=CIRMA}}
Cedillo Chel, Antonio, Juan Ramírez. 1999. Diccionario del idioma ixil de Santa María Nebaj. La Antigua Guatemala: Proyecto Linguistico Francisco Marroquín.
England, Nora C. 1994. Ukutaʼmiil Ramaqʼiil Utzijobʼaal ri Mayaʼ Amaaqʼ: Autonomia de los Idiomas Mayas: Historia e identidad. (2nd ed.). Guatemala City: Cholsamaj.
Maximiliano Poma S., Tabita J.T. de la Cruz, Manuel Caba Caba et al. 1996. Gramática del Idioma Ixil. La Antigua Guatemala: Proyecto Linguistico Francisco Marroquín.
Oxlajuuj Keej Mayaʼ Ajtzʼiibʼ (OKMA). 1993. Mayaʼ chiiʼ. Los idiomas Mayas de Guatemala. Guatemala City: Cholsamaj.
Programa de Rescate Cultural Maya-Ixil. 1995. Aqʼbʼal Eluʼl Yol Vatzsaj: Diccionario Ixil. Guatemala City: Cholsamaj.

External links

[http://www.famsi.org/research/mltdp/item91/ Doctrina y Confesionario en lengua Ixil]
[http://www.language-archives.org/language/ixl OLAC resources in and about the Ixil language]
ELAR archive of [http://elar.soas.ac.uk/deposit/0209 Ixil Maya language documentation materials]
[http://www.ailla.utexas.org/search/collection.html?c_id=104 Ixil Maya Conversation / Narrative Collection] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150427223129/http://www.ailla.utexas.org/search/collection.html?c_id=104 |date=2015-04-27 }} at the Archive of the Indigenous Languages of Latin America, containing audio recordings and digital texts.

Category:Mayan languages

Category:Indigenous languages of Central America

Category:Mesoamerican languages

Category:Verb–subject–object languages

Category:Agglutinative languages

Category:Languages of Guatemala

Category:Quiché Department

Category:Languages of Mexico

Category:Indigenous languages of Mexico

Category:Ixil