Overview

Mayan civilization, renowned for its mathematics, writing, architecture, religion, calendrics, and agriculture, fascinates scholars and a wide lay public as archaeology and glyphic decipherment reveal more of its secrets. In this pathfinding study of the Mayan language family, John S. Robertson explores major changes that have occurred in the core of Mayan grammar from the earliest, reconstructed ancestral language down through the colonial languages to the modern languages that are spoken today. Building on groundwork already laid in phonological studies and in the study of the pronominal system, Robertson's examination of tense/ aspect/ mood/voice is the next logical step in the general linguistic study of Mayan. Robertson offers careful consideration of all the major subgroups of Mayan, from Yucatecan to Quichean, as they are spoken today. He also draws extensively on colonial documents assembled by bilingual Spanish-Mayan speaking clerics. These documents provide a check on the accuracy of both the reconstructed ancient language, Common Mayan, and the theoretical evolution of the modern languages from this ancestor. The study will also be of value to students of the Maya glyphs, since it discusses the grammatical system that most probably underlies the glyphic representations. Beyond its obvious interest for Mayan linguistics, the study proposes a theory of language change that will be important for all students of comparative linguistics. Robertson's work sets forth the basic, universal assumptions that provide for an appropriate description of the grammatical systems of all languages. It will be a significant reference for future researchers.

Full Product Details

Author:   John S. Robertson
Publisher:   University of Texas Press
Imprint:   University of Texas Press
Dimensions:   Width: 15.20cm , Height: 1.50cm , Length: 22.90cm
Weight:   0.454kg
ISBN:  

9780292769588

ISBN 10:   029276958
Pages:   264
Publication Date:   01 August 2014
Audience:   Professional and scholarly ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   In Print  
This item will be ordered in for you from one of our suppliers. Upon receipt, we will promptly dispatch it out to you. For in store availability, please contact us.

Table of Contents

Abbreviations Preface Chapter 1. Introduction The Comparative Historical Method and the Mayan Languages Chapter 2. Deductive Principles of Language Change The Peircian Notion of Sign The Organization of Linguistic Signs into Grammatical Systems Systems of Oppositions Opposition and Classification A Definition of Index, Icon, and Symbol Conformative, Reciprocal, and Constructive in Grammatical Systems Principles of Diachronic Change Influence Markedness Reversal The Hierarchical Status of Syntagmatic Combination and Paradigmatic Cumulation Introductive Change Displacement Summary Chapter 3. The System of TAMV in the Common Language Predicates and Arguments Voice and Transitivity Arguments of Predicates and Prepositions Aspectual vs. Nonaspectual Predication ERGATIVE and ABSOLUTIVE Pronouns Split Ergativity INHERENT vs. REDUCTIVE VOICE OBJECT INCORPORATION Substantival Transitivity Substantival Voice The Reconstruction of the Markers for Single and Double Arguments The Four Major Prefixal Categories COMPLETIVE/INCOMPLETIVE The Relationship between COMPLETIVE Aspect and PAST Tense OPTATIVE FUTURE TAMV in the Context of More than One Predication The Category ABS-VOICE The Category NOM-VOICE The Category ABS-MOOD The Category NOM-MOOD The Relationship between NOM-VOICE and NOM-MOOD Another Kind of Nominalization The Relationship between NOM-VOICE (Progressive) and the INCOMPLETIVE The Influence of NOM-MOOD on the FUTURE Chapter 4. Mamean Mam COMPLETIVE Influence of the PROGRESSIVE on the INCOMPLETIVE Summary of Mam Awakatek The INCOMPLETIVE Dependent and Independent Clauses in the PROXIMATE PAST Influence of the INCOMPLETIVE by NOM-VOICE Displacement of FUTURE by OPTATIVE The Directional Verbs: ABS-MOOD and NOM-MOOD Summary of Awakatek Ixil INCOMPLETIVE, COMPLETIVE, OPTATIVE, and FUTURE Directional Verbs Conclusion Chapter 5. K'iche'an K'iche' Colonial K'iche': INCOMPLETIVE, OPTATIVE, and COMPLETIVE Colonial K'iche' FUTURE Modern K'iche' COMPLETIVE, INCOMPLETIVE, OPTATIVE, and FUTURE The Directional Verbs Summary of Colonial K'iche' Colonial Kaqchikel COMPLETIVE, INCOMPLETIVE, OPTATIVE, and FUTURE Summary of Kaqchikel Tz'utujil COMPLETIVE, INCOMPLETIVE, OPTATIVE, and FUTURE Summary of Tz'utujil Poqom COMPLETIVE FUTURE Another INCOMPLETIVE Modern Poqomchi' Summary of Poqom Q'eqchi' INCOMPLETIVE and COMPLETIVE OPTATIVE and FUTURE From Colonial to Modern Q'eqchi' COMPLETIVE, INCOMPLETIVE, OPTATIVE, and FUTURE Summary of Q'eqchi' Chapter 6. Q'anjob'alan Q'anjob'al COMPLETIVE and PROXIMATE PAST INCOMPLETIVE OPTATIVE and FUTURE The Directional Verbs Summary of Q'anjob'al Jakaltek COMPLETIVE and PROXIMATE PAST FUTURE Summary of Jakaltek Chuj COMPLETIVE and PROXIMATE PAST INCOMPLETIVE OPTATIVE FUTURE Summary of Chuj Chapter 7. Cholti and Chorti' Cholti PROGRESSIVE, INCOMPLETIVE, and FUTURE From Cholti to Chorti' Loss of INCOMPLETIVE/COMPLETIVE/FUTURE The Negative in Common Mayan, Cholti, and Chorti' The Fate of the Common Mayan Suffixes *-ik, *-O, *-oq, and -A? Summary of Cholti/Chorti' Chapter 8. Tzeltalan Pre-Tzeltalan COMPLETIVE and PROXIMATE PAST Pronominal Affixation The INCOMPLETIVE in Tzeltalan The FUTURE and the OPTATIVE in Tzeltalan From the Colonial to the Modern Tzeltalan Languages From Colonial to Modern Tzeltal COMPLETIVE/INCOMPLETIVE with TRANSITIVE/INTRANSITIVE The Tzeltalan INCOMPLETIVE Summary of Tzeltalan Tojolab'al Chapter 9. Yukatek Maya Colonial Yukatekan Voice: Replacement of NOMINATIVE VOICE by RELATIVE VOICE Replacement of the INCOMPLETIVE by the NOMINATIVE VOICE Colonial Yukatek Maya FUTURE The COMPLETIVE in Colonial Yukatek Maya From Colonial to Modern Yukatek Maya Summary of Yukatek Maya Chapter 10. Huastec Summary of Huastec Chapter 11. Summary Chaining Bibliography Index

Reviews

Author Information

John S. Robertson is Professor Emeritus of Linguistics at Brigham Young University and author of numerous studies of the Mayan languages.

Tab Content 6

Author Website:  

Countries Available

All regions