View source for Qʼeqchiʼ language

{{Short description|Mayan language spoken in Guatemala and Belize}}
{{Infobox language
| name             = Qʼeqchiʼ
| nativename       = {{lang|kek|Q'eqchi'}}
| states           = [[Guatemala]], [[Belize]], [[Mexico]]
| region           = [[Alta Verapaz]], [[Petén (department)|Petén]], [[Izabal (department)|Izabal]], [[Baja Verapaz]], [[Quiché (department)|El Quiché]]; [[Toledo District|Toledo]]; [[Campeche]], [[Quintana Roo]], [[Chiapas]]
| ethnicity        = [[Qʼeqchiʼ people|Qʼeqchiʼ]]
| speakers         = {{sigfig|1.347,600|2}} million
| date             = 2019 census
| ref              = e24
| script           = [[Latin script|Latin]]
| familycolor      = Mayan
| fam1             = [[Mayan languages|Mayan]]
| fam2             = Quichean–Mamean
| fam3             = [[Quichean languages|Greater Quichean]]
| nation           = {{flag|Guatemala}}<ref>[http://pdba.georgetown.edu/Constitutions/Guate/reforms99.html Proyecto de Reformas a la Constitución Política]</ref><br>{{flag|Mexico}}
| agency           = [[Instituto Nacional de Lenguas Indígenas]]<br>[[Academia de Lenguas Mayas de Guatemala|Academía de las Lenguas Mayas de Guatemala]]
| iso3             = kek
| glotto           = kekc1242
| glottorefname    = Kekchi
| notice           = IPA
| map              = Mayan Language Map.png
| mapcaption       = Map of Mayan languages. Qʼeqchiʼ is in pink, at the lower-center part of the map.
| altname          = Kekchi
}}

The '''Qʼeqchiʼ language''', also spelled '''Kekchi''', '''Kʼekchiʼ''', or '''Kekchí''', is one of the [[Mayan languages]] from the [[Quichean languages|Quichean]] branch, spoken within [[Qʼeqchiʼ people|Qʼeqchiʼ]] communities in [[Mexico]], [[Guatemala]] and [[Belize]].<ref>{{Cite news |title=Atlas de los Pueblos Indígenas de México: Q'eqchi' – Lengua |newspaper=Atlas de los Pueblos Indígenas de México. Inpi |url=https://atlas.inpi.gob.mx/qeqchis-lengua/}}</ref>

==Distribution==
The area where Qʼeqchiʼ is spoken spreads across northern Guatemala into southern Belize. There are also Qʼeqchiʼ speaking communities in Mexico.

In Mexico, Q'eqchi' is spoken in the states of [[Campeche]], [[Quintana Roo]] and [[Chiapas]], mainly in the communities of Quetzal-Etzná and Los Laureles, in the [[Campeche Municipality]] and in Maya Tecun II and [[Santo Domingo Kesté]] in the [[Champotón Municipality]], state of [[Campeche]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Catálogo de las lenguas indígenas nacionales: Variantes lingüísticas de México con sus autodenominaciones y referencias geoestadísticas: Q'eqchi' |url=https://www.inali.gob.mx/clin-inali/html/v_qeqchi.html}}</ref>

It was calculated that the core of the Qʼeqchiʼ-speaking area in northern Guatemala extends over 24,662 square kilometers<ref name="Richards 2003 p 76-77">{{cite book|last1=Richards|first1=Michael|title=Atlas Lingüístico de Guatemala|date=2003|publisher=Instituto de Lingüística y Educación|location=Guatemala|url=http://www.liceosiglo21.com/IDIOMA%20MAYA/atlas/Atlas%20Ling%FC%EDstico.pdf|pages=76–77|access-date=2016-05-18|archive-date=2016-06-11|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160611174639/http://www.liceosiglo21.com/IDIOMA%20MAYA/atlas/Atlas%20Ling%FC%EDstico.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref> (about 9,522 square miles). The [[Department (country subdivision)|departments]] and specific municipalities where Qʼeqchiʼ is regularly spoken in Guatemala include:<ref name="Richards 2003 p 76-77" />
{| class="wikitable"
!Department
!Municipalities where Qʼeqchiʼ is spoken
|-
|[[Alta Verapaz Department|Alta Verapaz]]
|Chahal, Chisec, Cobán, Fray Bartolomé de las Casas, Lanquín, Panzós, Chamelco, Carchá, Cahabón, Senahú, Tucurú
|-
|[[Baja Verapaz Department|Baja Verapaz]]
|Purulhá
|-
|[[Petén Department|Petén]]
|La Libertad, Poptún, San Luis, Sayaxché
|-
|[[Quiché Department|Quiché]]
|Ixcán, Playa Grande, Uspantán
|-
|[[Izabal Department|Izabal]]
|El Estor, Livingston, Morales
|}
In the country of [[Belize]], Qʼeqchiʼ is spoken in the [[Toledo District]].<ref name="Richards 2003 p 76-77" /> Qʼeqchiʼ is the first language of many communities in the district, and the majority of Maya in Toledo speak it.

[[Terrence Kaufman]] described Qʼeqchiʼ as having two principal dialect groups: the eastern and the western. The eastern group includes the varieties spoken in the municipalities of Lanquín, Chahal, Chahabón and Senahú, and the western group is spoken everywhere else.{{sfn|Stewart|1980|p=xiii}}

==Phonology==
Below are the Qʼeqchiʼ [[phoneme]]s, represented with the [[International Phonetic Alphabet]]. To see the official alphabet, see the chart in the [[Qʼeqchiʼ language#Orthographies|Orthographies section]] of this article.

===Consonants===
Qʼeqchiʼ has 29 consonants, 3 of which were loaned from Spanish. 
{|class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|+caption| Qʼeqchiʼ consonant phonemes{{sfn|Stewart|1980|p=2}}{{sfn|Tzoc Choc|Álvarez Cabnal|Carlos Federico|Sacul Caal|2003|p=12}}{{Sfn|Caz Cho|2007|p=19}}
|-align="center"
!colspan=2|
![[Bilabial consonant|Bilabial]]
![[Alveolar consonant|Alveolar]]
![[Postalveolar consonant|Post-alv.]]/<br>[[Palatal consonant|Palatal]]
![[Velar consonant|Velar]]
![[Uvular consonant|Uvular]]
![[Glottal consonant|Glottal]]
|-
!colspan=2|[[Nasal stop|Nasal]]
|{{IPA link|m}} 
|{{IPA link|n}}
|
|
|
|
|-
!rowspan=3|[[Plosive]]
!{{small|[[Voicelessness|voiceless]]}}
|{{IPA link|p}} 
|{{IPA link|t}}
|
|{{IPA link|k}} 
|{{IPA link|q}} 
|{{IPA link|ʔ}}
|-
!{{small|[[Glottalic consonant|glottalized]]}}
|{{IPA link|pʼ}}{{efn|In their respective [[Linguistic description|descriptive grammars]] of Qʼeqchiʼ, both Juan Tzoc Choc{{sfn|Tzoc Choc|Álvarez Cabnal|Carlos Federico|Sacul Caal|2003|pp=8, 17}} and Stephen Stewart{{Sfn|Stewart|1980|pp=2, 4–5}} have the bilabial implosive as a voiced {{IPAslink|ɓ}}. The report on Qʼeqchiʼ dialect variation by Sergio Caz Cho, however, only discusses this consonant as a voiceless {{IPAslink|ɓ̥}}.{{Sfn|Caz Cho|2007|pp=19, 21–22}}}}
|{{IPA link|tʼ}}
|
|{{IPA link|kʼ}} 
|{{IPA link|qʼ}} 
|
|-
!{{small|[[Voice (phonetics)|voiced]]}}{{efn|The non-glottalized voiced plosives {{IPA|/b d ɡ/}} have appeared as a result of influence from Spanish.{{sfn|Stewart|1980|p=2}}}}
|{{IPA link|b}}
|{{IPA link|d}}
|
|{{IPA link|ɡ}}
|
|
|-
!rowspan=2|[[Affricate]]
!{{small|[[Voicelessness|voiceless]]}}
|
|{{IPA link|ts}}
|{{IPA link|tʃ}} 
|
|
|
|-
!{{small|[[Glottalic consonant|glottalized]]}}
|
|{{IPA link|tsʼ}}
|{{IPA link|tʃʼ}} 
|
|
|
|-
!colspan=2|[[Fricative]]
|
|{{IPA link|s}} 
|{{IPA link|ʃ}}
|
|{{IPA link|χ}}
|{{IPA link|h}}
|-
!rowspan=2|[[Liquid consonant|Liquid]]
!{{small|[[Tap and flap consonants|tap]]}}
|
|{{IPA link|ɾ}}
|
|
|
|
|-
!{{small|[[Lateral consonant|lateral]]}}
|
|{{IPA link|l}}
|
|
|
|
|-
!colspan=2|[[Semivowel]]
|{{IPA link|w}} 
|
|{{IPA link|j}} 
|
|
|
|}
{{notelist}}

===Vowels===
Qʼeqchiʼ has 10 vowels, which differ in [[Vowel quality|quality]] and also in [[Vowel length|length]].
{| class="wikitable" 
|+ caption |  Qʼeqchiʼ vowel phonemes{{sfn|Stewart|1980|p=2}}{{sfn|Tzoc Choc|Álvarez Cabnal|Carlos Federico|Sacul Caal|2003|p=24}}{{Sfn|Caz Cho|2007|p=20}}
!
![[Front vowel|Front]]
![[Central vowel|Central]]
![[Back vowel|Back]]
|- align="center"
![[Close vowel|Close]]
|{{IPA link|i}} {{IPA link|iː}}
|| || {{IPA link|u}} {{IPA link|uː}}
|- align="center"
![[Mid vowel|Mid]]
|{{IPA link|e}} {{IPA link|eː}}
|| || {{IPA link|o}} {{IPA link|oː}}
|- align="center"
![[Open vowel|Open]] 
| || {{IPA link|a}} {{IPA link|aː}}
||
|}

===Prosody===

With a few exceptions—[[interjection]]s, such as ''uyaluy'',{{sfn|Kockelman|2003<!-- page please |p=467–490-->}} and adjectives which have an unstressed clitic on the end{{sfn|Stewart|1980|p=21}}—[[Stress (linguistics)|stress]] always falls on the final syllable.{{sfn|Stewart|1980|p=21}}

== Grammar ==
Like many other Mayan languages, Qʼeqchiʼ is an [[ergative–absolutive language]], which means that the object of a transitive verb is grammatically treated the same way as the subject of an intransitive verb.{{sfn|Stewart|1980|p=76}}{{sfn|Tzoc Choc|Álvarez Cabnal|Carlos Federico|Sacul Caal|2003|pp=114–115}} Individual morphemes and morpheme-by-morpheme glosses in this section are given in [[International Phonetic Alphabet|IPA]], while "full words," or orthographic forms, are given in the [[Academia de Lenguas Mayas de Guatemala|Guatemalan Academy of Mayan Languages]] orthography.

=== Morphology ===
There are two kinds of [[pronouns]] in Qʼeqchiʼ: independent pronouns and [[pronominal affixes]]. The independent pronouns are much like pronouns in English or Spanish, while the pronominal affixes are attached to words such as nouns, verbs, and [[Mayan Languages#Statives and positionals|statives]] and used for [[inflection]].{{sfn|Stewart|1980|pp=23–37}}{{sfn|Tzoc Choc|Álvarez Cabnal|Carlos Federico|Sacul Caal|2003|pp=36–40}} [[Mayan Languages#Subjects and objects|Like other Mayan languages]], Qʼeqchiʼ has two sets of pronominal affixes, referred to as set A and set B. The following table provides all the pronominal affixes.
{| class="wikitable"
|+Pronominal Affixes{{sfn|Caz Cho|2007|pp=47, 53|ps=. See also Stewart 1980, p. 24, and Tzoc Choc et al. 2003, pp. 38–40}}
|-
!
! colspan="2" |Set A
! rowspan="2" |Set B
|- align="center"
!person
!prevocalic
!preconsonantal
|-
! colspan="4" |singular
|- align="center"
!1st
| w
|in
|in
|- align="center"
!2nd
| {{IPA|aːw}}
|{{IPA|aː}}
|at
|- align="center"
!3rd
|{{IPA|ɾ}}
|{{IPA|ʃ}}
|[[Null morpheme|∅]]
|-
! colspan="4" |plural
|- align="center"
!1st
|q
|qa
|{{IPA|oː}}-, -o
|- align="center"
!2nd
|{{IPA|eːr}}
|{{IPA|eː}}
|{{IPA|eʃ}}
|- align="center"
!3rd
|{{IPA|ɾ-}}   {{IPA|-eɓ}} / {{IPA|-eʔɾ}}
|{{IPA|ʃ-}}  {{IPA|-eɓ}} / e{{IPA|ʔ}}x
| {{IPA|-eʔ}} / {{IPA|-eɓ}}
|}

When these affixes are attached to transitive verbs, set A affixes indicate the ergative agent while set B indicates the absolutive object.
{| class="wikitable"
|+Transitive Verbs{{sfn|Stewart|1980|pp=33–36}}
! colspan="6" |Prevocalic
! colspan="6" |Preconsonantal
|-
! rowspan="2" |translation
! rowspan="2" |full word
! colspan="4" |[[morpheme]] breakdown
! rowspan="2" |translation
! rowspan="2" |full word
! colspan="4" |[[morpheme]] breakdown
|- align="center"
![[Tense–aspect–mood|Tense/aspect]]
!Set B
!Set A
!base
![[Tense–aspect–mood|Tense/aspect]]
!Set B
!Set A
!base
|- align="center"
|we saw you
|xatqil
|{{IPA|ʃ}}
|at
|q
|il
|I called you
|xatinbʼoq
|{{IPA|ʃ}}
|at
|in
|{{IPA|ɓoq}}
|- align="center"
|they saw you
|xateʼril
|{{IPA|ʃ}}
|at
|{{IPA|eʔɾ}}
|il
|s/he called you
|xatxbʼoq
|{{IPA|ʃ}}
|at
|{{IPA|ʃ}}
|{{IPA|ɓoq}}
|}

When a set B affix is attached to an intransitive verb, it indicates the subject of the intransitive verb.
{| class="wikitable"
|+Intransitive Verbs{{sfn|Caz Cho|2007|p=54}}
! rowspan="2" |translation
! rowspan="2" |full word
! colspan="3" |[[morpheme]] breakdown
|-
![[Tense–aspect–mood|Tense/aspect]]
!Set B
!base
|- align="center"
! colspan="5" |singular
|- align="center"
|I slept
|xinwar
|{{IPA|ʃ}}
|in
|{{IPA|waɾ}}
|- align="center"
|you slept
|xatwar
|{{IPA|ʃ}}
|at
|{{IPA|waɾ}}
|- align="center"
|s/he slept
|xwar
|{{IPA|ʃ}}
|[[Null morpheme|∅]]
|{{IPA|waɾ}}
|- align="center"
! colspan="5" |plural
|- align="center"
|we slept
|xoowar
|{{IPA|ʃ}}
|oo
|{{IPA|waɾ}}
|- align="center"
|you (pl.) slept
|xexwar
|{{IPA|ʃ}}
|{{IPA|eʃ}}
|{{IPA|waɾ}}
|- align="center"
|they slept
|xeʼwar
|{{IPA|ʃ}}
|{{IPA|eʔ}}
|{{IPA|waɾ}}
|}
When an affix from set A is prefixed to a noun, it indicates possession. As their name suggests, the prevocalic forms of set A affixes are only found before vowels. However, the rules for the distribution of "preconsonantal" set A prefixes on nouns are more complex, and they can sometimes be found before vowels as well as consonants. For example, loan words (principally from Spanish) are found with preconsonantal affixes, regardless of whether they begin with a consonant or not. In contrast, kinship and body part words—which are words very unlikely to be loaned—always take the prevocalic prefixes if they begin with vowels.{{sfn|Stewart|1980|pp=25–28}} The following chart contrasts these two situations.
{| class="wikitable"
|+Possession of nouns{{sfn|Stewart|1980|pp=27–28}}
! colspan="3" |Body part and kinship terms
! colspan="4" |Loan words
|-
!English
!correct
!incorrect
!English
!Spanish
!correct
!incorrect
|-
|my wife
|wixaqil
|*inixaqil
|my manure/fertilizer
|mi abono
|inabʼoon
|*wabʼoon
|-
|my older brother
|was
|*inas
|my altar
|mi altar
|inartal
|*wartal
|-
|my tongue
|waqʼ
|*inaqʼ
|my sugar
|mi azúcar
|inasuukr
|*wasuukr
|}
When an affix of set B serves as the suffix of a [[Mayan Languages#Statives and positionals|stative]], it indicates the subject or [[Topic and comment|theme]] of the stative.
{| class="wikitable"
|+Inflected statives{{sfn|Caz Cho|2007|p=58}}
! rowspan="2" |translation
! colspan="2" |Qʼeqchiʼ
|-
!full word
![[morpheme]]s
|-
|he/she/it is big
|nim
|nim – [[Null morpheme|∅]]
|-
|we are big
|nimo
|nim – o
|-
|you (pl.) are three
|oxibʼex
|{{IPA|oʃiɓ}} – {{IPA|eʃ}}
|-
|they are three
|oxibʼebʼ
|{{IPA|oʃiɓ}} – {{IPA|eɓ}}
|-
|I am far
|najtin
|{{IPA|naχt}} – in
|-
|you are far
|najtat
|{{IPA|naχt}} – at
|}
Statives can be derived from nouns. The process simply involves suffixing the set B pronominal affix to the end of the root.
{| class="wikitable"
|+Noun as stative{{sfn|Stewart|1980|p=90}}
! rowspan="2" |translation
! colspan="2" |Qʼeqchiʼ
|-
!full words
![[morpheme]]s
|-
|man
|winq
|winq
|-
|you are a man
|winqat
|winq – at
|-
|he is a man
|winq
|winq – [[Null morpheme|∅]]
|}

=== Syntax ===
The basic word order of Qʼeqchiʼ sentences is [[Verb–object–subject|verb – object – subject]], or VOS.{{sfn|Tzoc Choc|Álvarez Cabnal|Carlos Federico|Sacul Caal|2003|p=102}}{{sfn|Caz Cho|2007|pp=187–188}} SVO, VSO, SOV, OVS, and OSV word orders are all possible in Qʼeqchiʼ, but each have a specific use and set of restrictions.{{sfn|Caz Cho|2007|p=187}} The [[definiteness]] and [[animacy]] of the subject and object can both have effects on the word order.{{sfn|Tzoc Choc|Álvarez Cabnal|Carlos Federico|Sacul Caal|2003|p=103}}{{sfn|Caz Cho|2007|pp=187–198}} Like many languages, the exact rules for word order in different situations vary from town to town in the Qʼeqchiʼ speaking area.{{sfn|Caz Cho|2007|pp=187–198}}
{| class="wikitable"
|+Examples of basic word order{{sfn|Caz Cho|2007|p=188}}
! colspan="2" rowspan="2" |
! colspan="3" |Qʼeqchiʼ
! colspan="3" |translation
|-
!verb
!object
!subject
!subject
!verb
!object
|-
! rowspan="2" |transitive
!full words
|Xril
|li wakax
|li chʼajom
| rowspan="2" |The young man 
| rowspan="2" |saw
| rowspan="2" |the cattle
|-
![[morpheme]]s
|{{IPA|ʃ}} – [[Null morpheme|∅]] – {{IPA|ɾ}} – il
|li {{IPA|wakaʃ}}
|li {{IPA|tʃʼaχom}}
|-
! rowspan="2" |intransitive
!full words
|Xkam
|
|li tzʼiʼ
| rowspan="2" |The dog
| rowspan="2" |died
| rowspan="2" |
|-
![[morpheme]]s
|{{IPA|ʃ}} – [[Null morpheme|∅]] – kam
|
|li {{IPA|tsʼiʔ}}
|}

==Orthography==

Several writing systems have been developed for Qʼeqchiʼ, but only two are in widespread use: SIL and ALMG.{{Citation needed|date=May 2016}}

===Early transcriptions===
The first transcriptions of Qʼeqchiʼ in the Latin alphabet were made by Roman Catholic friars in the 16th century. Francisco de la Parra devised additional letters to represent the unfamiliar consonants of Mayan languages, and these were used to write Qʼeqchiʼ. Examples of Qʼeqchiʼ written with the de la Parra transcription can be seen in the 18th century writing of the Berendt-Brinton Linguistic Collection (Rare Book & Manuscript Library, University of Pennsylvania, Ms. Coll. 700). In the 20th century, before Sedat and Eachus & Carlson developed their SIL orthography, field researchers devised alternate Latin transcriptions. For example, Robert Burkitt (an anthropologist fluent in spoken Qʼeqchiʼ and familiar with a range of Qʼeqchiʼ communities and language variation), in his 1902 paper "Notes on the Kekchí Language", uses a transcription based on then-current Americanist standards.{{sfn|Burkitt|1902|<!-- page please p=441–63-->}}

===SIL/IIN===
A Spanish-style orthography was developed by [[Summer Institute of Linguistics]] (SIL) field researchers, principally William Sedat in the 1950s and Francis Eachus and Ruth Carlson in the 1960s.<ref>[http://www.sil.org/resources/archives/26317 ''Alfabeto kekchí''], SIL database</ref> This alphabet was officialized by the Guatemalan Ministry of Education through the [[:es:Instituto Indigenista Nacional de Guatemala|Instituto Indigenista Nacional de Guatemala]], or the IIN.{{sfn|Eachus|Carlson|1980|p=xiv}} Although no longer considered standard, this orthography remains in circulation in large part due to the popularity of a few texts including the Protestant Bible produced by the SIL/Wycliffe Bible Translation Project, and a widely used language learning workbook "Aprendamos Kekchí".{{Citation needed|date=May 2016}}

===ALMG===
The [[Proyecto Lingüístico Francisco Marroquín]] (PLFM) developed an alternative orthography in the late 1970s, which was influenced by the [[International Phonetic Alphabet]] (IPA). Of note, the PLFM orthography used the number "7" to write the glottal plosive, whereas the apostrophe was used in digraphs and trigraphs to write ejective stops and affricates. This system was later modified by the [[Academia de Lenguas Mayas de Guatemala]] (ALMG), which replaced the "7" with the apostrophe. The result, the ALMG orthography, has been the standard, official way to write Qʼeqchiʼ, at least in Guatemala, since 1990. In the ALMG orthography, each [[grapheme]] (or "letter", including [[Digraph (orthography)|digraphs]] and [[Trigraph (orthography)|trigraphs]]) is meant to correspond to a particular [[phoneme]]. These include separate [[vowel]]s for long and short sounds, as well as the use of apostrophes (saltillos) for writing ejectives and the glottal stop.{{sfn|DeChicchis|2011<!-- page please -->}} The following table matches each of the official ALMG graphemes with their IPA equivalents.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|+ caption |  Comparison of the ALMG Qʼeqchiʼ orthography to the IPA{{sfn|Tzoc Choc|Álvarez Cabnal|the Qʼeqchiʼ language community|2004|pp=14–54}}
|- align="center"
![[Academia de Lenguas Mayas de Guatemala|ALMG]]
|a
|aa
|bʼ
|ch
|chʼ
|e
|ee
|h
|i
|ii
|j
|k
|kʼ
|l
|m
|n
|o
|oo
|p
|q
|qʼ
|r
|s
|t
|tʼ
|tz
|tzʼ
|u
|uu
|w
|x
|y
|ʼ
|- align="center"
![[International Phonetic Alphabet|IPA]]
|{{IPA link|a}}
|{{IPA link|aː}}
|{{IPA link|ɓ}}
|{{IPA link|tʃ}}
|{{IPA link|tʃʼ}}
|{{IPA link|e}}
|{{IPA link|eː}}
|{{IPA link|h}}
|{{IPA link|i}}
|{{IPA link|iː}}
|{{IPA link|χ}}
|{{IPA link|k}}
|{{IPA link|kʼ}}
|{{IPA link|l}}
|{{IPA link|m}}
|{{IPA link|n}}
|{{IPA link|o}}
|{{IPA link|oː}}
|{{IPA link|p}}
|{{IPA link|q}}
|{{IPA link|qʼ}}
|{{IPA link|r}}
|{{IPA link|s}}
|{{IPA link|t}}
|{{IPA link|tʼ}}
|{{IPA link|ts}}
|{{IPA link|tsʼ}}
|{{IPA link|u}}
|{{IPA link|uː}}
|{{IPA link|w}}
|{{IPA link|ʃ}}
|{{IPA link|j}}
|{{IPA link|ʔ}}
|}

===Comparison of the two major orthographies===
{| class="wikitable"
|+ caption | '''Comparative examples of the ALMG and SIL orthographies'''{{Citation needed|date=May 2016}}
|-
! [[Academia de Lenguas Mayas de Guatemala|ALMG]] !! [[Summer Institute of Linguistics|SIL]] !! English translation
|-
| maakʼa ta chinkʼul saʼ laa muhebʼal aakiʼchebal || maacʼa ta chincʼul saʼ laa muhebal aaquiʼchebaal || May nothing happen to me in your shady places and your forests. 
|-
| yo chi amaqʼink laj Kachil Petén || yo chi amakʼinc laj Cachil Petén || Carlos lives (is living) in Petén.
|}

== History ==
At the time of the Spanish conquest of the Americas, Qʼeqchiʼ was probably spoken by fewer people than neighboring languages such as Itzaʼ, Mopan, and Choltiʼ, all of which are now moribund or extinct. The main evidence for this fact is not colonial documents, but the prevalence of loan words apparently stemming from these languages in Qʼeqchiʼ. However, a number of factors made Qʼeqchiʼ do better than the just-mentioned languages. One is the difficult mountainous terrain which is its home. Another is that, rather than simply being conquered, as the Choltiʼ, or resisting conquest for an extended period, as the Itzaʼ did for over 200 years, the Qʼeqchiʼ came to a particular arrangement with the Spaniards, by which Dominican priests, led initially by Fray Bartolome de las Casas, were allowed to enter their territory and proselytize undisturbed, whereas no lay Spaniards were admitted. This led to their territory being renamed "Verapaz" (true peace) by the Spaniards, a name which continues today in the Guatemalan departments Alta Verapaz and Baja Verapaz. This relatively favorable early development allowed the people to spread, and even make war on neighboring Mayan groups. Although it was later followed by the brutal policies of the late-19th-century liberals and the late-20th century military governments, it largely explains the status of Qʼeqchiʼ as the 3rd largest Mayan language in Guatemala and the 4th across the Mayan region. The relatively recent, postcolonial expansion is also the reason that Qʼeqchiʼ is perhaps the most homogeneous of the larger Mayan languages.{{sfn|Wichmann|2007|<!-- page please -->}}

Qʼeqchiʼ is taught in public schools through [[Intercultural bilingual education in Guatemala|Guatemala's intercultural bilingual education programs]].

==Texts==
Like most other Mayan languages, Qʼeqchiʼ is still in the process of becoming a written and literary language. Existing texts can roughly be divided into the following categories.{{Citation needed|date=May 2016}}

# Educational texts meant to teach people how to speak, read or write Qʼeqchiʼ. This category includes materials such as dictionaries and grammars, as well as workbooks designed to be used in rural Guatemala schools in communities where the majority of the people are native speakers of Qʼeqchiʼ.
# Religious texts. The Protestant version of the Bible (published by the SIL based on the work of William Sedat, and Eachus and Carlson) mentioned above is probably the most widely available text in Qʼeqchiʼ. In the last twenty years or so, the [[Roman Catholic]] Church has been one of the primary proponents of written Qʼeqchiʼ. Various Catholic organizations are responsible for producing a number of texts, including the New Testament, Genesis and Exodus, and various instructional pamphlets. A songbook entitled ''Qanimaaq Xloqʼal li Qaawaʼ'' 'We praise the Lord' is very popular among Catholics, has been in print for many years, and is updated with new songs regularly.  The ''[[Book of Mormon]]'' also is available in Qʼeqchiʼ as are also other LDS religious texts.<ref>Kai A. Andersen, [https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/liahona/1997/06/in-his-own-language?lang=eng "In His Own Language"], ''[[Liahona (magazine)|Liahona]]'', June 1997, 29; see [http://www.ldscatalog.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10151&storeId=10151&productId=44286&langId=-1&cg1=13978&cg2=14001&cg3=&cg4=&cg5=&sortId=3&sortOr=1&retURLtext=Back%20to%20'Language%20Materials%20Listings'&retURL=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ldscatalog.com%2Fwebapp%2Fwcs%2Fstores%2Fservlet%2FCategoryDisplay%3FcatalogId%3D10151%26amp%3BstoreId%3D10151%26amp%3BcategoryId%3D14001%26amp%3BlangId%3D-1%26amp%3Bcg1%3D13978%26amp%3Bcg2%3D%26amp%3Bcg3%3D%26amp%3Bcg4%3D%26amp%3Bcg5%3D%26pageId%3D5%26pageCt%3D15%26sortId%3D3%26sortOr%3D1 available list] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070928194714/http://www.ldscatalog.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10151&storeId=10151&productId=44286&langId=-1&cg1=13978&cg2=14001&cg3=&cg4=&cg5=&sortId=3&sortOr=1&retURLtext=Back%20to%20%27Language%20Materials%20Listings%27&retURL=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ldscatalog.com%2Fwebapp%2Fwcs%2Fstores%2Fservlet%2FCategoryDisplay%3FcatalogId%3D10151&amp%3BstoreId=10151&amp%3BcategoryId=14001&amp%3BlangId=-1&amp%3Bcg1=13978&amp%3Bcg2=&amp%3Bcg3=&amp%3Bcg4=&amp%3Bcg5=&pageId=5&pageCt=15&sortId=3&sortOr=1 |date=2007-09-28 }} of Qʼeqchiʼ LDS publications at ldscatalog.com.</ref>
# Non-instructive secular texts have also begun to appear in the last ten years or so, although they are still few in number. The most ambitious of these works have been a free translation of the [[Kʼicheʼ people|Kʼicheʼ]] text ''[[Popol Wuj]]'' ("Popol Vuh") by the Qʼeqchiʼ language teacher and translator Rigoberto Baq Qaal (or Baʼq Qʼaal), and a collection of Qʼeqchiʼ folk tales. A number of government documents have also been translated into Qʼeqchiʼ, including the Guatemalan Constitution.

==External links==
{{Incubator|kek}}
* [http://www.keqchi.org/ KʼEQCHI' 2012, 2021] Maya Atinab'aal re li Poyanam Kʼeqchi' sa' eb' li Tenamit Guatemala ut Belize / Mayan language for the Kʼeqchi' people in Guatemala and Belize
* [http://wold.clld.org/vocabulary/34 Qʼeqchiʼ Vocabulary List] (from the World Loanword Database)
* [http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Appendix:Swadesh_lists_for_Mayan_languages Comparative Qʼeqchiʼ Swadesh vocabulary list] (from Wiktionary)
* [http://www.sil.org/resources/publications/entry/26290 Web page of the Spanish language Qʼeqchiʼ learning book ''Aprendamos kekchí'' at the SIL.] On this site, there is a link to download the book as a PDF. Retrieved May 8, 2016.

==Bibliography==

{{refbegin}}

===Grammars of Qʼeqchiʼ===
*{{cite book|title=Xtzʼilbʼal rix li aatinak saʼ Qʼeqchiʼ = Informe de variación dialectal en Qʼeqchiʼ =|last=Caz Cho|first=Sergio|date=2007|publisher=Oxlajuuj Keej Mayaʼ Ajtzʼiibʼ (OKMA); Cholsamaj|isbn=9789992253526|location=Antigua, Guatemala; Guatemala, Guatemala|language=es|oclc=202514532}}
*{{cite book|last1=Eachus|first1=Francis|last2=Carlson|first2=Ruth|title=Aprendamos kekchí: Gramática pedagógica popular de kekchí|date=1980|publisher=Instituto Lingüístico del Verano (Summer Institute of Linguistics)|location=Guatemala|url=http://www.sil.org/resources/publications/entry/26290|access-date=18 May 2016}} This is a pedagogical grammar, rather than a descriptive grammar like the majority in this section.
*{{cite book|last1=Stewart|first1=Steven|title=Gramática kekchí|date=1980|publisher=Guatemala|location=Editorial Academica Centro America|language=es|oclc=318333627}} This grammar does not include syntax. The area of study for the book was Cobán and the surrounding towns of San Pedro Carchá, San Juan Chamelco, and Chamil.
*{{cite book|last1=Stoll|first1=Otto|title=Die Sprache der Kʼeʼkchí-Indianer|date=1896|language=de}}
*{{Cite book|url=https://www.scribd.com/doc/28580391/Gramatica-Descriptiva-Q-eqchi-Juan-Tzoc|title=Gramática descriptiva del idioma maya qʼeqchiʼ = Xtzʼilbʼal rix xnaʼlebʼil li aatinobʼaal qʼeqchiʼ|last1=Tzoc Choc|first1=Juan|last2=Álvarez Cabnal|first2=Alfredo|last3=Carlos Federico|first3=Hun Macz|last4=Sacul Caal|first4=Hugo|last5=the Qʼeqchiʼ language community|publisher=Academia de las Lenguas Mayas de Guatemala|year=2003|location=Cobán, Alta Verapaz, Guatemala|pages=114–115|language=es|oclc=654408920|access-date=May 4, 2016}}
*{{cite book|last1=Tzoc Choc|first1=Juan|last2=Álvarez Cabnal|first2=Alfredo|last3=the Qʼeqchiʼ language community|title=Gramática normativa qʼeqchiʼ|date=2004|publisher=Academia de las Lenguas Mayas de Guatemala|location=Guatemala|url=https://www.scribd.com/doc/28581198/Gramatica-Normativa-Q-eqchi-Juan-Tzoc|language=es|access-date=5 May 2016}} This is a normative grammar, rather than a descriptive grammar like the majority in this section.

===Articles on Qʼeqchiʼ===
*{{cite journal |doi = 10.1525/aa.1902.4.3.02a00060 |last = Burkitt |first = Robert  |title = Notes on the Kekchí |journal = American Anthropologist |volume = 4 |issue = 3  |pages = 441–63 |year = 1902|doi-access = free }}
*{{cite journal|last1=Campbell|first1=Lyle|title=The Philological Documentation of a Variable Rule in the History of Pokom and Kekchi|journal=International Journal of American Linguistics  |year=1973|volume=39|issue=3|pages=133–134|doi=10.1086/465256|s2cid=144373640|language=en|issn=0020-7071}}
*{{cite journal|last1=Campbell|first1=Lyle|title=Theoretical Implications of Kekchi Phonology|journal=International Journal of American Linguistics|date=1974|volume=40|issue=4, Part 1|pages=269–278|doi=10.1086/465323|s2cid=145437918|language=en|issn=0020-7071}}
*{{cite journal |last=DeChicchis |first=Joseph |date=March 2011 |title=Revisiting an imperfection in Mayan orthography |journal=Journal of Policy Studies |number=37 |url=http://kgur.kwansei.ac.jp/dspace/bitstream/10236/7801/1/37-2.pdf |via=Kwansei Gakuin University Repository |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141103001201/http://kgur.kwansei.ac.jp/dspace/bitstream/10236/7801/1/37-2.pdf |archive-date=2014-11-03}}
*{{Cite journal|last=Kockelman|first=Paul|date=2003-08-01|title=The Meanings of Interjections in Qʼeqchiʼ Maya: From Emotive Reaction to Social and Discursive Action|journal=Current Anthropology|volume=44|issue=4|pages=467–490|doi=10.1086/375871|s2cid=150128538|issn=0011-3204}}
*{{cite web |last=Wichmann |first=Soeren |title=Loanwords in Qʼeqchiʼ, a Mayan language of Guatemala |year=2007 <!-- undated, but cites a 2007 paper and was first archived in 2007 --> |url=http://email.eva.mpg.de/~wichmann/Qeqchi.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090519200948/http://email.eva.mpg.de/~wichmann/Qeqchi.pdf |archive-date=2009-05-19}}

===Dictionaries of Qʼeqchiʼ===
*{{cite book|last1=Frazier|first1=Jeffrey|title=Qʼeqchiʼ Mayan Thematic Dictionary: Tusbʼil Molobʼaal Aatin Qʼeqchiʼ ~ Inkles|year=2015|publisher=Mayaglot; 1 edition (June 21, 2015)|isbn=978-1514812280|language=Qʼeqchiʼ<!-- causes a CS1 error because it's an unrecognized language, nothing can be done about it -->, en}}
*{{cite book|last1=Frazier|first1=Jeffrey|title=Qʼeqchiʼ Mayan Dictionary: Molobʼaal Aatin Qʼeqchiʼ ~ Inkles|year=2015|publisher=Mayaglot; 1 edition (December 11, 2015)|isbn=978-0692602096|language=Qʼeqchiʼ<!-- causes a CS1 error because it's an unrecognized language, nothing can be done about it -->, en}}
*{{cite book|last1=Haeserijn|first1=Esteban|title=Diccionario kʼekchiʼ español|date=1979|language=es}}
*{{cite book|last1=Sedat|first1=William|title=Nuevo diccionario de las lenguas Kʼekchiʼ y española|date=1955|publisher=Alianza para el Progreso|location=Guatemala|language=es}}
*{{cite book|last1=Tuyuc Sucuc|first1=Cecilio|title=Xtusulal aatin saʼ qʼeqchiʼ = Vocabulario qʼeqchiʼ|year=2001|url=https://aztli.files.wordpress.com/2013/10/vocabulario20qeqchi.pdf|publisher=Academia de Lenguas Mayas de Guatemala, Comunidad Lingüística Qʼeqchiʼ|language=Qʼeqchiʼ<!-- causes a CS1 error because it's an unrecognized language, nothing can be done about it -->, es}}

{{refend}}

==References==
{{reflist|20em}}{{Mayan languages}}
{{Languages of Guatemala}}
{{Languages of Belize}}
{{Languages of Mexico}}
{{Languages of El Salvador}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Qʼeqchiʼ Language}}
[[Category:Mayan languages]]
[[Category:Mesoamerican languages]]
[[Category:Agglutinative languages]]
[[Category:Languages of Guatemala]]
[[Category:Alta Verapaz Department]]
[[Category:Baja Verapaz Department]]
[[Category:Izabal Department]]
[[Category:Petén Department]]
[[Category:Quiché Department]]
[[Category:Languages of Belize]]
[[Category:Toledo District]]
[[Category:Languages of El Salvador]]
[[Category:Languages of Mexico]]
[[Category:Indigenous languages of Mexico]]