Tektitek language

Tektitek (name in Guatemala) or Teko (name in Mexico), called b'a'aj by native speakers, (also known as Tectiteco, Teco, Kʼontiʼl, Qyool, among others)[2] is a Mayan language classified under the Mamean branch, spoken by the Teko people of Chiapas, Mexico and southern Huehuetenango Department, Guatemala. It is very closely related to the Mam language. A number of Tektitek speakers from Huehuetenango have settled in Mexico. Due to the close proximity of Huehuetenango to the Mexican border[3] the speakers of the language have appropriated aspects of Mexican Spanish into the language.[4] While 4,900 speakers were recorded in 2010 by Ethnologue,[2] Juventino de Jesus Perez Alonzo estimated that there were just 2,000 speakers of the language left at that time.[4] He noted however, that measures are being taken to teach the children in Huehuetenango the Tekitek language.[4] According to the Endangered Languages Project, the language is currently threatened.[5] Little is known about the culture, but there are resources that provide vocabulary as well as other educational tools.

Tektitek, Teko
Bʼaʼaj
Native toGuatemala, Mexico
RegionChiapas
Western Highlands
EthnicityTektitek
Native speakers
3,100 (2019 census)[1]
Mayan
Latin
Official status
Official language in
 Mexico
Recognised minority
language in
Regulated byInstituto Nacional de Lenguas Indígenas
Language codes
ISO 639-3ttc
Glottologtekt1235
ELPTeco

Distribution

Teko is spoken in the municipalities of Amatenango de la Frontera, Frontera Comalapa and Mazapa de Madero in the state of Chiapas, Mexico.[6]

In the Huehuetango Department is spoken in the municipalities of Tectitán and Cuilco.

Culture

Little is known about Tektitan peoples and their cultures. Linguist, Perez Alonzo,[4] says much work is being done to improve this.[4] YouTube has a video about farming in the Teco lands,[7] as well as Tektitekan clay pots.[8] In the farming video, a speaker of Teco explains that the best time to sow corn is during full moons, because if sown afterwards, the corn is not as good, as it tends to break apart.[7] The speaker continues that the day after the harvest, families are invited to celebrate, a lamb is killed, and it is shared amongst everyone along with the corn.[7] They light fireworks and extend to each family five corn cobs each, and everyone goes on enjoying the celebration.[7] In the clay pots video, another native speaker, this one a woman, explains the process of clay pot making.[8]

Education

As part of the effort to reestablish the Tektitek language, Ernesto Baltazar Gutierrez, a Guatemalan author, released a Tektiteko Grammar book in 2007[9] and in the same year, also collaborated with author, Erico Simon Morales, to release a Tektiteko bilingual dictionary that is used in schools in Guatemala.[10] Rutgers University is home to one of the copies of the vocabulary books. Some websites are also being changed towards helping individuals learn some Tektiteko vocabulary words and prayers, such as one ran by the Native Languages of the Americas Foundation.[11]

Vocabulary

The table below provides a list of English words and their Tektitek counterparts, as found on the Native Languages of Americas page.[11] A detailed account of pronunciations are also found on this site.[12]

English Tectiteco
One Juun
Two Kaabʼee
Man Iichaan
Woman Xuuj
Sun Qʼiij
Moon Qyaaʼ
Water Aʼ

Phonology
Bilabial Alveolar Post-
alveolar		 Retroflex Palatal Velar Uvular Glottal
plain pal.
Nasal m ⟨m⟩ n ⟨n⟩ ŋ ⟨nh⟩
Plosive plain p̪ʰ ⟨p⟩ tʰ ⟨t⟩ t͡sʰ ⟨tz⟩ t͡ɕʰ ⟨ch⟩ ʈ͡ʂʰ ⟨tx⟩ kʰ ⟨k⟩ kʰʲ ⟨ky⟩ qʰ ⟨q⟩ ʲʔ ⟨'⟩
glottalised ɓ ⟨bʼ⟩ tʼ ⟨tʼ⟩ t͡sʼ ⟨tzʼ⟩ t͡ɕʼ ⟨chʼ⟩ ʈ͡ʂʼ ⟨txʼ⟩ kʼ ⟨kʼ⟩ kʼʲ ⟨kyʼ⟩ ʛ ⟨qʼ⟩
Fricative v ⟨w⟩ s ⟨s⟩ ɕ ⟨xh⟩ ʂ ⟨x⟩ χ ⟨j⟩
Flap ɾ ⟨r⟩
Approximant ʋ ⟨w⟩ l ~ ɺ ⟨l⟩ j ⟨y⟩

The coronal ejectives (/ɓ, ʛ/ may be allophonically pre-voiced.

Other sources

Sources include Paul Stevenson's grammar and idioms book in 1986 and 1987,[13] and Terrence Kaufman's book on the language titled, "Teco - A New Mayan Language" written in 1969.[14] Margaret Wendell also wrote a book on the Alphabet system of Tektitek.[15]

References
  1. Tektitek, Teko at Ethnologue (24th ed., 2021) closed access
  2. Simons, Gary F. "Ethnologue: Languages of the World, Twentieth Edition". Retrieved March 9, 2017.
  3. "Pins from infoplease.com on Pinterest". Pinterest. Retrieved 2017-05-01.
  4. Sorosoro (May 5, 2010). "Presentation on Tektiteko by Linguist Juventino de Jesus Perez Alonzo". Youtube. Archived from the original on 2021-12-14. Retrieved March 8, 2017.
  5. "Did you know Teco is threatened?". Endangered Languages. Retrieved 2017-05-01.
  6. "Catálogo de las lenguas indígenas nacionales: Variantes lingüísticas de México con sus autodenominaciones y referencias geoestadísticas. Teko".
  7. SorosoroTV (2010-12-10), Corn land, archived from the original on 2021-12-14, retrieved 2017-05-01
  8. SorosoroTV (2011-02-01), Clay pots in Tectitan, archived from the original on 2021-12-14, retrieved 2017-05-01
  9. Baltazar Gutierrez, Ernesto (2007). Gramática pedagógica Tektiteka. Antigua, Guatemala: Cholsamaj Foundation. ISBN 9789992253465.
  10. Simon Morales, Erico; Baltazar Gutierrez, Ernesto (2007). Diccionario Bilingüe Tektiteko-Español. Antigua, Guatemala: Cholsamaj Foundation. ISBN 9789992253427.
  11. Foundation, Native Languages of the Americas (1998–2015). "Tectiteco Indian Language". Native Languages of the Americas. Retrieved March 8, 2017.
  12. "Tectiteco Maya Pronunciation Guide, Alphabet and Phonology". www.native-languages.org. Retrieved 2017-05-01.
  13. Stevenson, Paul (1986). A Preliminary Grammar of the Tectitec (Mayan) Language. North America: MA, University of Texas at Arlington. pp. 1–214.
  14. Kaufman, Terrence (1969). "Teco - A New Mayan Language". International Journal of American Linguistics. 35 (2): 154–74. doi:10.1086/465050. S2CID 144949556.
  15. Wendell, Margaret (1962). En Torno a un Programa de Alfabetización Bilingüe: Un Año en el Proyecto de Tactic. Guatemala Indígena.
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