On Learning a Mayan Language

Guatemala has a thriving Mayan culture made up of 22 distinct cultures and languages. Most of the women (and some of the men) of these groups continue to wear their traditional dress or traje. By these outfits, the well-trained eye can tell from which part of Guatemala the wearer hails.

The municipality in which I live is 97% Mayan Mam. Nearly all of the women and some of the men still wear the local traje. For the women this is a deep red boxy shirt with tassels coming off the bottom and ornate embroidery on the top, a black skirt with small blue and yellow stripes, and a beautifully woven belt covered in embroidered flowers. In addition to their stunning clothing, the Mam of my town speak their traditional language in almost all conversations and interactions.

Children are taught Spanish in their bi-lingual primary schools, but many of the older generations (especially the women) do not speak Spanish. I could probably survive in my town with only Spanish (the 3% of non-indigenous peoples of my municipality live in the town where my house is), but it is becoming increasingly clear to me that the Mam language is going to be a crucial skill for gaining the trust of my non-Spanish speaking neighbors. Though the Mam culture is very private and wary of outsiders, I have noticed that when I use the few Mam phrases I’ve learned they open up with smiles and further conversation.

Therefore, I’m once again launching into the often confusing and frustrating world of learning a new language! My teacher meets me 3 times a week for 2 hours each time to try and pass along his knowledge of his ancient and linguistically challenging language. Whereas English as 5 vowels, Mam has 10. English has 22 consonants; Mam has 27, 7 of which are glotalized, meaning the sound comes from the back of the throat (try saying the letter K and then pushing the sound further back down your throat…you just said a letter in Mam!) However, despite all of the challenges, I think I’m actually catching on…slowly!

I’ve learned to say basic things like what I am currently doing or planning to do in the near future, my numbers from 1-20, and how to buy fruits and veggies in the market. I’m also learning some basic phrases to use in my office such as “come on in,” “sit down please,” and “wait here while I get someone who speaks Mam.” Saying “sit down please” has proven to be something of a challenge though, for the glotalized syallable that it contains.

What I’m trying to say is… Please sit down = q´eka
What I’m actually saying is…Please lay down = kyeka

I’ve given you the literal translation of my error…use your imagination and you can probably figure out the colloquial phrase that I’ve been saying, causing eruptions of laughter or faces of horror from everyone in earshot! I suppose you’ve got to say a few inappropriate things before you begin to say things properly! So I’ll keep plugging away. I’ll keep you posted on my progress.