Butler, L.K., Bohnemeyer, J, and Jaeger, T.F. 2014. Syntactic constraints and production preferences for optional plural marking in Yucatec Maya. Berlin: Akademie-Verlag. (original) (raw)

The syntax of non-verbal predication in Yucatec Maya

2017

The objective of this paper is to fill a void in the formal syntactic literature on Mayan languages by proposing a syntactic structure for clauses with non-verbal predicates in Yucatec Maya. The paper attempts to integrate the rich descriptions of non-verbal predicate constructions found in more functionally-oriented accounts (Lehmann 2002 [1998]; Verhoeven 2007; Vapnarsky 2013) with insights from the generative literature on argument licensing and clause structure in Mayan languages (Coon 2016 for an overview) as well as small clauses (Citko 2011 for an overview). I conclude that non-verbal sentences in Yucatec are matrix small clauses embedded under an Infl node, which is the locus for finiteness/ stative aspect rather than tense morphology. This simple structure, coupled with independently motivated operations that have been proposed for small clauses and argument licensing/word order in Mayan languages, is able to account for a range of properties of these sentences that improve...

A syntactic description of Yucatec Maya

Las Cláusulas Relativas en Maya Yucateco, 2015

This is the English translation of chapter 2 of my 2015 book Las Cláusulas Relativas en Maya Yucateco (Relative Clauses in Yucatec Maya). It provides a basic description of the core syntactic phenomena observed in this language, including clause structure, unmarked word order, topic and focus, interrogative clauses, negation, and subordinate clauses.

Discontinuous noun phrases in Yucatec Maya

Journal of Linguistics, 2020

Languages differ in whether or not they allow discontinuous noun phrases. If they do, they further vary in the ways the nominal projections interact with the available syntactic operations. Yucatec Maya has two left-peripheral configurations that differ syntactically: a preverbal position for foci or wh-elements that is filled in by movement, and the possibility to adjoin topics at the highest clausal layer. These two structural options are reflected in different ways of the formation of discontinuous patterns. Subextraction from nominal projections to the focus position yielding discontinuous NPs is possible, but subject to several restrictions. It observes conditions on extraction domains, and does not apply to the left branch of nominal structures. The topic position also appears to license discontinuity, typically involving a non-referential nominal expression as the topic and quantifiers/adjectives that form an elliptical nominal projection within the clause proper. Such constructions can involve several morphological and syntactic mismatches between their parts that are excluded for continuous noun phrases, and they are not sensitive to syntactic island restrictions. Thus, in a strict sense, discontinuities involving the topic position are only apparent, because the construction involves two independent nominal projections that are semantically linked.

Numeral Classifiers in Yucatec Maya: Microvariation and syntactic change

Journal of Historical Syntax, 2024

Numeral classifiers in Yucatec Maya are subject to two processes of language change that create variation in the contemporary language. The first process is the use of a general classifier instead of specific sortal classifiers. The second process is the use of the general classifier along with mensural classifiers. Our study examines the microvariation of the contemporary language in space and time, based on data from the Atlas of Yucatec Maya and draws inferences about the entity of change in diachronic perspective. Our findings show that these processes are partially interconnected, reflecting the emergence of a general marker of Cardinality (Krifka 1995, Bale & Coon 2014, Bale, Coon & Arcos 2019). The dispersion of these phenomena in geographical space shows that they only partially overlap, suggesting that the underlying processes may apply independently from each other. Furthermore, the use of the general classifier in expressions of measure does not apply equally to all mensural classifiers. Hence, a further source of variation comes from mensural classifiers: some of them lose their function as classifiers and are only used as measure nouns. Contemporary variation can thus be understood as the cumulative effect of these processes.

La sintaxis de la predicación no verbal en maya yucateco

Cuadernos de Lingüística de El Colegio de México, 2017

Two Kinds of Syntactic Ergativity in Mayan

2017

Some Mayan languages are syntactically ergative, i.e. they prohibit straightforward A'-extraction of transitive ergative subjects (Polinsky 2016). Observe (1) from Q'anjob'al (Coon et al. 2014). (1) Q'anjob'al (S = intransitive subject; O = transitive object; A = transitive subject) a. Maktxel i max way-i t i ? 1 S-extraction who ASP sleep-ITV 'Who slept?' *We thank Doña Rosario de Chocojay for her patience in providing the Tz'utujiil judgements, as well as (alphabetically)

Yucatec; A Maya Grammar (Tozzer) (1921)

For other classifications, see p. 158-160. 2 Sapper (1897, p. 393) makes a Choi group including Chontal, Chorti, and Choi. Gates (1920, p. 606) also makes a separate group of Cholti and Chorti. 3 Gates (1920, p. 606) also includes in this group Solomeca, Jacalteca, Chuje, Chicomucelteca, and Motozintleca. 1 Seler (1887) has successfully attempted this. See also the works of Charencey. 2 See Bowditch, 1910, p. 254-258 for a discussion of this point. 3 It is needless to comment here on the "Landa Alphabet" and its failure to produce the results hoped for. 4 Zavala (1896, p. iv, v) gives the following quotations from the records of the Third Mexican Council which considered affairs relating to Yucatan. I give these verbatim as quoted by Zavala although the Latin is incorrect in several places. " Clericos in regionibus Indorum beneficia cum onere obtinentes in materna erumden regionum lingua examinent, Episcopi, et quos repererint linguoe hujusmodi ignaros, sex mensium spatio prefinito, ad discendam linguam compellant, admonentes eos, quatemus elapso termino, si linguan hujusmodi non didiscerint, beneficium quod obtinent, ipso facto, vacabit, et alteri de eo fiet pro-en el tit. de Institutionibus, num. 82; y en ella se prescribe que la provision de algun beneficio parroquial, hecha en alguna persona que no sepa el idioma de sus feligreses, ni pueda explicarse en H, aun cuando proceda del mismo Papa, sea nula y de ningun valor" (Notas al Cons. Ill mex.). "20. Item voluit, quod si contingat, ipsum (Urbano VIII) alicui personal de parochiali Ecclesia, vel quovis alio beneficio exercilium cura animarum parochianorum quomodolibet habente, prouideret, nisi ipsa persona intelligat, & intelligibiliter loqui sciat idioma loci, ubi Ecclesia, vel beneficium huiusmodi consistit, prouisio, seu mandatum, & gratia desuper, quoad parochialem Eccleisam, vel beneficium huiusmodi, nullius sint roboris vel momenti." cerd quizd pronto." Berendt (1878, p. 5) writes in this connection, "A striking instance of this method is presented by the Spanish grammarians, who, in treating the aboriginal languages, are particularly bent upon finding similarities or concordances with the Spanish or Latin grammar, and, if they do not find them, frequently invent them. 1 For a masterly treatment of this point of view, see Boas, Handbook of American Indian Languages, Bulletin 40, Bureau of Ethnology, Washington, 1911. Introduction, p. 5-83. 2 Op. cit., p. 81. Nacion Frances, Proto-Maestro de este Idioma, y hasta hoy el unico, que did su Arte a la prensa: en donde habiendo yo hallado muchos yerros de imprenta, falta de muchas reglas, y reglas, que ya prescribieron por el contrario uso; me determine d formar un nuevo Arte, con el designio de proseguir haciendo un vocabulario y otras cosas curiosas, y necesarias." 12 GRAMMAR and that of Beltran's epoch due to the factor of time? Languages, we are told, never stand still and when we take into consideration the steady advance of the Spanish language we do well to pause before stating that time is not a great factor in causing these differences. I consider, however, that time has played a relatively small part. Those differences pointed out by Beltran in his criticism of San Buenaventura's grammar are undoubtedly, due for the most part, to mistakes in the observation of the earlier grammarian. 1 This point will be made clearer in the comments made later on the specific statements of Beltran, San Buenaventura, and Coronel. 2 The differences I found in the Maya as now spoken in Yucatan from the forms given by Beltran are, with some few exceptions, due, it seems to me, to the rigid adherence to the Latin model observed by Beltran. My points of difference with Beltran are comparatively few when everything is taken into consideration. The additional data presented here are due to the breaking away from the Latin model and carrying on observations from a different angle of approach. 3 It should be clearly understood that I refer here to 1 Beltran states that some of his criticisms of San Buenaventura are due to the changes of time. He writes as follows ($49) "Para conocer a que" conjugation pertenece cada verbo, se advierta que estas son cuatro, numero & que las redujo el R. P. Fr. Gabriel de S. Buenaventura, Religioso nuestro y Frances de nation, Protomaestro de este Arte, formando el suyo (que a la Imprenta did) verdaderamente con gran trabajo y elegantia: regratiable por la conocida utilidad que nos dejd su magisterio; pero como no todo lo pudo andar, nos dejd que advertir algo, y porque los tiempos mudan las cosas, serd pretiso que haga yo algunas notas cuando sean necesarias." This statement is nattering to San Buenaventura and was evidently meant to be so. In the specific objections given throughout Beltran' s text it is clear that he considers San Buenaventura to have made actual mistakes in recording the language. The fact that he states that he was brought up among the natives (§ 148) and that San Buenaventura was a Frenchman brings out clearly his own idea that he was the better fitted to write a Maya grammar. 2 The reader will note that I have endeavored to point out in footnotes the main points where I differ from the old grammarians on the one hand and modern writers such as Seler, Palma y Palma, and Lopez, on the other. 3 Brinton (1882, p. 35, 36) writes on this point, "I must, however, not omit to contradict formally an assertion made by the traveller Waldeck, and often repeated, that the language has undergone such extensive changes that what was written a century ago is unintelligible to a native of today. So far is this from the truth that, except for a few obsolete words, the narrative of the Conquest, written more than three hundred years ago, by the chief Pech, which Palma y Palma (p. 179), " Uin y tlo, son contracciones mds usadas en el Oriente constituyendo uno de los distintivos del lenguaje y estilo en aquella parte del pais donde vivid largos anos de misionero y predicador el P. Beltran * hasta casi olvidar el castellano, 1 como H mismo pone en el prologo de su gramdtica." 2 For further details in this point, see p. 27. 3 Tozzer, 1907, p. 36. PHONETICS 19 palatal spirant (H) is an intensified h sound and is found only in one place as far as could be made out. The first dental surd, really a ts, is written with an inverted c (o). The second dental surd, ts, is pronounced like the first ch in church. The fortis forms, called by the early Spanish grammarians " las letras heridas" are found in the alveolar, t\ the two dentals, o y and ts J and the labial, p\ These are common and are characterized by a forcible expelling of the breath with glottal closure. The dental spirant, s, is pronounced like the sh in hush. The lateral (1) is thick and rather strongly sonant. 1 Long combinations of consonant sounds do not occur. k