Qʼanjobʼal

Q’anjob’al or Kanjobal is a Mayan language spoken in Guatemala and Mexico. It is spoken mainly in the Huehuetenango department of Guatemala in the municipalities of Santa Eulalia (Jolom Konob), San Juan Ixcoy (Yich K’ox), San Pedro Soloma (Tz’uluma’) and Santa Cruz Barillas (Yal Motx), and in the south of Chiapas in Mexico. According to the 2003 census, there were about 140,000 speakers of Q’anjob’al in Guatemala, and another 8,340 speakers in Mexico

Classification

Qʼanjobʼal is a member of the Qʼanjobʼalan branch of the Mayan language family. The Mayan language family includes 31 languages, two of which are now extinct. The Qʼanjobʼalan branch includes not only Qʼanjobʼal itself but also Chuj, Akatek, and Jakaltek, also spoken in Guatemala. The Qʼanjobʼalan languages are noted for being among the most conservative of the Mayan language family, although they do include some interesting innovations. Q’anjob’al is also known as Conob, Eastern Kanjobal, Eastern Qanjobal, K’anjobal, Kanhobal, Kanjobal, Qanjobal or Santa Eulalia Kanjobal. It closely related to Chuj, Akatek and Jakaltek, which are also spoken in Guatemala.

Vocabulary

Qʼanjobʼal consists of groups of roots that can take affixes. Words are traditionally classified as nouns, adjectives, adverbs, intransitive and transitive verbs, particles, and positionals. Positionals are a group of roots which cannot function as words on their own; in combination with affixes they are used to describe relationships of position and location. Particles are words that do not take affixes; they mostly function in adverbial roles, and include such things as interrogative particles, affirmative/negative words, markers of time and location, conjunctions, prepositions and demonstratives.

 

At Trápaga Asociados – Interpretation & Translation Agency, we work with all Mayan languages including Qʼanjobʼal .

Please contact us with any job or project inquiries.

www.asociadostrapaga.com

+502 55717516