Chuj language
| Chuj | |
|---|---|
| Pronunciation | [tʃuːx] |
| Native to | Guatemala, Mexico |
| Region | Northern Huehuetenango, Chiapas |
| Ethnicity | Chuj |
|
Native speakers
|
(43,000 cited 1991–2000) |
|
Mayan
|
|
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | |
| Glottolog | chuj1250 |
Chuj is a Mayan language spoken by around 40,000 members of the Chuj people in Guatemala and around 10,000 members in Mexico. Chuj is a member of the Q'anjob'alan branch along with the languages of Tojolab'al, Q'anjob'al, Akateko, Popti', and Mocho' which, together with the Ch'olan branch, forms the Western branch of the Mayan family. The Chujean branch emerged approximately 2,000 years ago. In Guatemala, Chuj speakers mainly reside in the municipalities of San Mateo Ixtatán, San Sebastián Coatán and Nentón in the Huehuetenango Department. Some communities in Barillas and Ixcán also speak Chuj. The two main dialects of Chuj are the San Mateo Ixtatán dialect and the San Sebastián Coatán dialect.
The Chuj language has been influenced by Spanish, and Chuj speakers have a tendency to borrow Spanish words or code-mix. It is estimated that 70% of the Chuj language is purely Chuj. There are language conservation and revitalization efforts taking place in San Mateo Ixtatán, through groups like the Academia de Lenguas Mayas de Guatemala.
The letter 'h' is conventionally used in words with initial vowels to distinguish them from words that begin with a glottal stop.
Below is a template for the verbal stem in Chuj. Verbal predicates in Chuj appear with a status suffix: -a with transitive verbs and –i with intransitive verbs. Finite clauses inflect for Tense-Aspect, person, and number.
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