View source for Itzaʼ language

{{short description|Mayan language}}
{{Infobox language
| name             = Itzaʼ
| altname          = Itza, Itzaj
| nativename       = {{lang|itz|Itza'}}
| states           = [[Guatemala]]
| region           = [[Petén (department)|Petén]]
| ethnicity        = 2,930 [[Itza people|Itza]] (2019 census)
| speakers         = 410
| date             = 2019 census
| ref              = e24
| familycolor      = Mayan
| fam1             = [[Mayan languages|Mayan]]
| fam2             = [[Yucatecan languages|Yucatecan]]
| fam3             = Mopan–Itza
| iso3             = itz
| glotto           = itza1241
| glottorefname    = Itza
}}

'''Itzaʼ''' (also known as '''Itza''' or '''Itzaj''') is an [[Endangered language|endangered]] [[Mayan languages|Mayan language]] spoken by the [[Itza people]] near [[Lake Petén Itzá|Lake Peten Itza]] in north-central [[Guatemala]] and neighboring [[Belize]]. The language has about 1,000 fluent speakers, all older adults.<ref name="Ethnologue">{{cite web |title=Itza' |url=https://www.ethnologue.com/language/itz |website=Ethnologue |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190606074420/https://www.ethnologue.com/language/itz |archive-date=2019-06-06 |language=en |url-status=dead}}</ref>

Itzaʼ was the language of administration across much of the [[Yucatán Peninsula]] during the supremacy of [[Chichen Itza]].  Later, the Itza people had the last independent Maya nation in [[Mesoamerica]] until 1697.<ref name=":1">{{Cite book|title=Itzaj Maya Grammar|last=Hofling|first=Charles Andrew|publisher=University of Utah Press|year=2000|isbn=0-87480-666-6|location=Salt Lake City}}</ref> During this time, the Itza people resettled their ancestral home in the [[Petén Basin]].<ref name=":1" /> The subjugation of the Itza capital by the Spanish forced the Itza people to flee or live amongst the Spaniards, such as in [[San José, El Petén|San Jose, Guatemala]], where the only modern speakers of the language live.

The modern Itza people are the last of the Lowland Maya to be able to directly trace their heritage back to the [[pre-Columbian era]].<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Atran, Medin, Ross, Lynch, Coley, Ucan Ek, Vapnarsky|first=Scott, Douglas, Norbert, Elizabeth, John, Edilberto, Valentina|year=1999|title=Folkecology and Commons Management in the Maya Lowlands|jstor=48105|journal=Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America|volume=96|issue=13|pages=7598–7603|doi=10.1073/pnas.96.13.7598|pmc=22132|pmid=10377461|bibcode=1999PNAS...96.7598A|doi-access=free}}</ref> The Itzaʼ language reflects this history in its nomenclature for the natural world: Itzaʼ words referring to agriculture and agricultural practices remain unchanged since first being recorded.<ref name=":22">{{Cite journal|last=Atran, Chase, Fedick, Knapp, McKillop, Marcus, Schwartz., Webb|first=Scott, Arlen F., Scott L., Gregory, Heather, Joyce, Norman B., Malcolm C.|year=1993|title=Itza Maya Tropical Agro-Forestry|jstor=2744279|journal=Current Anthropology|volume=34|pages=633–700|doi=10.1086/204212|s2cid=147519787}}</ref> Additionally, Itzaʼ possesses a rich vocabulary for crops and animals that encodes specific information about different varietals and individuals of the species.<ref name=":22"/>

==Classification==
Itzaʼ belongs to the Yucatecan branch of Mayan Languages. The other languages in the Yucatecan branch are [[Yucatec]], [[Lacandon language|Lacandon]], and [[Mopan language|Mopan]]. All Yucatecan languages are closely linked with each other. However, people speaking Itzaʼ and those speaking Yucatec have difficulties understanding each other.
There are 12 different branches of Mayan language, all with sub families like Itzaʼ.

==History==
The government of Guatemala banned the speaking of Itzá in the 1930s and two generations of Itzá Maya have grown up learning only Spanish. The late 1980s brought an increase in interest among Maya people, including the Itzá, in preserving their cultural heritage. The Guatemalan government has set up an institution, the [[Academia de Lenguas Mayas de Guatemala]], to help develop and preserve various Mayan languages, including Itzaʼ.<ref>"Language: Itza, Guatemala." Unesco.org. Discovery Channel, 2004. Web. 02 May 2016.
</ref>

==Geographic distribution==
Itzaʼ is spoken on the north shore of Lake Petén Itzá in [[San José, El Petén|San José]], [[Petén Department]], Guatemala. Among the ethnic population of 2,000, there are only about 1,000 Itzaʼ speakers remaining, most of which also use Spanish.<ref name="Ethnologue"/>

== Phonology ==

=== Consonants ===
The following chart shows the consonant phonemes of Itza:<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=http://www.famsi.org/spanish/mayawriting/dictionary/boot/itza_based-on_hofling1991.pdf|title=Itzá Maya Texts, with a Grammatical Overview|last=Hofling|first=Charles Andrew|date=1991|website=Foundation for the Advancement of Mesoamerican Studies, Inc.}}</ref> Where the orthography differs from the IPA notation, the orthography used by the [[Academia de Lenguas Mayas de Guatemala]] is noted in brackets.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|-
! rowspan="2" colspan="2" | 
! rowspan="2" | [[Bilabial consonant|Bilabial]]
! colspan="2" | [[Alveolar consonant|Alveolar]]
! rowspan="2" | [[Palatal consonant|Palatal]]
! rowspan="2" | [[Velar consonant|Velar]]
! rowspan="2" | [[Glottal consonant|Glottal]]
|-
! <small>plain</small>
! <small>affricated</small>
|-
! rowspan="3" | [[Plosive]]/<br>[[Affricate]]
! <small>plain</small>
| {{IPAlink|p}}
| {{IPAlink|t}}
| {{IPAlink|t͡s}} {{angbr|tz}}
| {{IPAlink|t͡ʃ}} {{angbr|ch}}
| {{IPAlink|k}}
| rowspan="2" | {{IPAlink|ʔ}} {{angbr|ʼ}}
|-
! <small>[[Ejective consonant|ejective]]</small>
| {{IPAlink|pʼ}}
| {{IPAlink|tʼ}}
| {{IPAlink|t͡sʼ}} {{angbr|tzʼ}}
| {{IPAlink|t͡ʃʼ}} {{angbr|chʼ}}
| {{IPAlink|kʼ}}
|-
! <small>[[Implosive consonant|implosive]]</small>
| {{IPAlink|ɓ}} {{angbr|bʼ}}
| 
| 
| 
| 
| 
|-
! colspan="2" | [[Fricative]]
| 
| colspan="2" | {{IPAlink|s}}
| {{IPAlink|ʃ}} {{angbr|x}}
| 
| {{IPAlink|h}}
|-
! colspan="2" | [[Nasal consonant|Nasal]]
| {{IPAlink|m}}
| colspan="2" | {{IPAlink|n}}
| 
| 
| 
|-
! colspan="2" | [[Approximant]]
| 
| colspan="2" | {{IPAlink|l}}
| {{IPAlink|j}}
| {{IPAlink|w}}
| 
|}

The phonemes /d, g, f, v, r, ɲ/ have been adopted from Spanish and are present only in loanwords.<ref name=":0" />

=== Vowels ===
The following chart shows the vowel phonemes of Itza. All vowels except /ə/ have long equivalent, and vowel length is contrastive.
{| class="wikitable" align="center" style="float: none; text-align: center"
!
![[Front vowel|Front]]
![[Central vowel|Central]]
![[Back vowel|Back]]
|-
![[Close vowel|High]]
|{{IPAlink|i|i iː}}
|
|{{IPAlink|u|u uː}}
|-
![[Close-mid vowel|Mid]]
|{{IPAlink|e|e eː}}
|{{IPAlink|ə}}
|{{IPAlink|o|o oː}}
|-
![[Open vowel|Low]]
|
|{{IPAlink|a|a aː}}
|
|}
The Itza language does not contain tone or pitch.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Bricker|first=Victoria|date=January 1994|title=Reviewed Work(s): Itzá Maya Texts with a Grammatical Overview by Charles Andrew Hofling|journal=International Journal of American Linguistics|volume=60|pages=87–92|doi=10.1086/466222}}</ref>

== Grammar ==

=== Nouns ===
[[Possession (linguistics)|Possession]] is marked with the same ergative particle as is used in verbal constructions.<ref name=":3">{{Cite journal|last=Hofling|first=Charles A.|year=1990|title=Possession and Ergativity in Itzá Maya|jstor=1265229|journal=International Journal of American Linguistics|volume=56|issue=4|pages=542–560|doi=10.1086/466174|s2cid=144152977}}</ref> Possession constructions are marked differently based on whether the possession is inherent or non-inherent. Body parts, family members, and personal property are marked as being possessed differently than are parts of a whole. Additional possession constructions exist and are used generally where the possessor is inanimate.<ref name=":3" />

All nouns in Itzaʼ possess [[grammatical gender]]. The masculine and feminine genders are overtly marked by a prefix, while the neutral gender is unmarked.<ref name=":5">{{Cite journal|last=Lois|first=Ximena|year=1998|title=Gender Markers as "Rigid Determiners" of the Itzaj Maya World|jstor=1265685|journal=International Journal of American Linguistics|volume=64|issue=3|pages=224–282|doi=10.1086/466358|s2cid=144347125}}</ref> Gender is not marked on all nouns: typically, [[proper noun]]s and professions have marked gender, while other categories do not. The gender markers of Itzaʼ also play the role of [[rigid designator]]s: specific individuals across all possible worlds will have overtly marked gender, while references to classes of objects will not.<ref name=":5" />

=== Verbs ===
Itzaʼ is an [[Ergative–absolutive language|ergative-absolutive language]] demonstrating [[split ergativity]]. Ergative [[Grammatical person|person]] markers indicate [[Intransitive verb|intransitive]] subjects in the [[imperfective aspect]] and all [[Transitive verb|transitive]] subjects, while absolutive person markers indicate intransitive subjects in the [[perfective aspect]] and in [[dependent clause]]s and all objects.<ref name=":1" />

Itzaʼ employs the [[Irrealis mood|irrealis]] [[grammatical mood]] to mark the future tense: the mood is coupled with a temporal adjective to form a future construction. The past tense is similarly constructed by using the perfect tense and temporal adjectives. Similarities in the irrealis and perfect constructions may suggest that the Itzaʼ consider the past and future to be similar, which reflects the Itzaʼ worldview that [[Maya calendar|time is cyclical]].<ref name=":6">{{Cite journal|last=Hofling|first=Charles Andrew|year=1998|title=Irrealis and Perfect in Itzaj Maya|jstor=30028624|journal=Anthropological Linguistics|volume=40|issue=2|pages=214–227}}</ref>

=== Sentence structure ===
Itzaʼ has VOS [[word order]], although VSO is also common and all word orders are possible.<ref name=":1" /> [[Topicalization]] is marked by the addition of a suffix and the movement of the topicalized word to the sentence initial position.<ref name=":1" />

Generally, modifiers precede the words they modify: adjectives, numerals, [[determiner]]s, and negation all follow this pattern. [[Possessive]]s, [[demonstrative]]s, and [[relative clause]]s all typically follow the words they modify; adjectives can also occur in this position.<ref name=":1" />

==Vocabulary==
Itzaʼ possesses a rich vocabulary of agriculture and taxonomy. Itza has specific words to encode various properties of different varietals and individuals within a species. Plants and animals of different size, color, and taste are referred to with different terms.<ref name=":22"/> Additionally, agricultural terms in Itzaʼ have been virtually uninfluenced by contact with the Spanish, allowing some insight into the commonplace vocabulary of pre-contact Itza.<ref name=":22" />

=== Sample ===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
!English<ref>{{Cite web |title=Itza Maya Language and the Itza Mayan Tribe (Itzaj, Itzah, Itzas) |url=https://www.native-languages.org/itzaj.htm |access-date=2024-06-14 |website=www.native-languages.org}}</ref>
!Itza 
|-
|One 
|Jun
|-
|Two 
|Ka
|-
|Three 
|'Ox
|-
|Four 
|Kan
|-
|Five 
|Job
|-
|Man 
|Winik
|-
|Woman 
|Ixch'up
|-
|Dog 
|Pek'
|-
|Sun 
|K'in
|-
|Moon 
|Ix'uj
|-
|Water 
|Ja'
|-
|White 
|Säk
|-
|Yellow 
|K'än
|-
|Red 
|Chäk
|-
|Black 
|B'ox
|-
|Eat 
|Janäl
|-
|See 
|Il
|-
|Hear 
|U'yaj
|-
|Sing 
|K'äy
|-
|Gray
|Kus
|-
|Pink
|Chäkpuse'en
|-
|Green
| rowspan="2" |Ya'ax
|-
|Blue
|}

==Discourse==
Discourse in Itzaʼ is marked by its heavy use of repetition and linguistic parallelism. Words and linguistic constructions are often repeated throughout a sentence order to draw emphasis to what is being spoken.<ref name=":1" /> The resulting sentences are thus composed of several, complete phrases such as in the sentence:
{{interlinear|indent=3|lang=itz|ablist=INC:incompletive aspect
|in-ten 	k-im-bʼel 	im-bʼen-es-eech
|EMP-1SG.PRO 	INC-1SG.A-go 	1SG.A-go-CAUS-2SG
|"I am going to take you."}}

{{interlinear|indent=3|lang=itz|ablist=INC:incompletive aspect; DTS:dependent transitive status
|in-ten 	k-im-bʼel 	inw-aʼl-e(j) 	tech
|EMP-1SG.PRO 	INC-1SG.A-go 	1SG.A-say-DTS 	2SG.IO
|"I am going to tell you."}}

The repetition of the pronoun ''in-ten'' and the verb ''k-im-bʼel'', as well as the near-repetition of the pronoun ''eech/tech'', is typical of Itzaʼ discourse.<ref name=":1" /> Such literary style is comparable to [[parataxis]] in English, a style of discourse where simple, coordinating sentences are preferred over long, subordinating sentences.

Discourse, both common and mythological, often employs framing particles—particles placed before and after a phrase in order to frame the phrase within the discourse as a whole. These particles convey the spatial and temporal relationships between new and old pieces of information in the discourse, creating larger discourse units.<ref name=":4">{{Cite journal|last=Hofling|first=Charles A.|year=1987|title=Discourse Framing in Itzá Maya Narrative|jstor=30028117|journal=Anthropological Linguistics|volume=29|issue=4|pages=478–488}}</ref>

The categories tense, aspect, and mood are interwoven in Itzaj Maya verbal and adverbial morphosyntax. Itzaj narrative discourse suggests a division between what a person knows from personal experience centered in one's home and town (the actual), and what is less known, but imaginable, further away in space-time.<ref name=":6" />

== See also ==
* [[Itza people]]
* [[Mesoamerican Linguistic Area]]

== Bibliography ==
* Charles Andrew Hofling: ''Itzá Maya texts with a grammatical overview.'' University of Utah Press, Salt Lake City 1991. 321 pp. {{ISBN|0-87480-359-4}}
* Charles Andrew Hofling, Félix Fernando Tesucún: ''Tojtʼan: diccionario maya itzaj – castellano.'' Guatemala, Cholsamaj, 2000.
* Charles Andrew Hofling: ''Itzaj Maya Grammar.'' The University of Utah Press, Salt Lake City 2000. {{ISBN|0-87480-666-6}}
* Charles Andrew Hofling, Félix Fernando Tesucún: ''Itzaj Maya–Spanish–English Dictionary.'' The University of Utah Press, Salt Lake City 1997. {{ISBN|0-87480-550-3}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*{{e18|code=639-3}}
* [http://www.native-languages.org/itzaj.htm Itzaʼ-language resources at Native-languages.org]
* [http://www.famsi.org/spanish/mayawriting/dictionary/boot/itza_based-on_hofling1991.pdf#search=%22Itza%20maya%22 Itza vocabulary by Erik Boot hosted at FAMSI]
* <nowiki>http://www.chichenitza.com/listingview.php?listingID=46</nowiki>
* [http://www.muturzikin.com/cartesamerique/2.htm Map of Maya Languages in Guatemala]

{{Languages of Guatemala}}
{{Mayan languages}}

{{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Itza Language}}
[[Category:Articles in class projects/Rutgers]]
[[Category:Agglutinative languages]]
[[Category:Mayan languages]]
[[Category:Mesoamerican languages]]
[[Category:Languages of Guatemala]]
[[Category:Itza]]
[[Category:Endangered Indigenous languages of the Americas]]