Mam language
Encyclopedia
Mam is a Mayan language
with almost 480,000 speakers as of 2002, spoken in the Mexican
state of Chiapas
and the Guatemalan departments
of Quetzaltenango
, Huehuetenango
and San Marcos.
Linguists distinguish between three major divisions of the language, based somewhat on the geographical area where they are spoken: Northern Mam in Huehuetenango
, Southern Mam in Quetzaltenango
and Central Mam in San Marcos. Because of a lack of literacy skills and interaction, spurred by the country's mountainous terrain, the language can vary widely from village to village, even though the villages may be separated by just a few miles. Nonetheless, all native speakers of the Mam language are typically able to understand one another, though perhaps with some difficulty.
Mam is closely related to the Tektitek language
, and the two languages together form the Mamean sub-branch, which together with the Ixilean languages, Awakatek
and Ixil, form the Greater-Mamean sub-branch, which again, together with the Greater-Quichean languages, ten Mayan languages, including K'iche'
, form the branch Quichean–Mamean.
, Concepción Chiquirichapa
, Génova
, El Palmar
, San Juan Ostuncalco, Cajolá
, San Martín Sacatepéquez
, Colomba
, Flores Costa Cuca
, Huitán
, Palestina de Los Altos
, Cabricán
, San Ildefonso
, Ixtahuacán, Cuilco
, Tectitán
, San Pedro Necta
, San Sebastián Huehuetenango
, Malacatancito
, Todos Santos Cuchumatán
, San Rafael Petzal
, Colotenango
, Santa Bárbara
, San Juan Atitán
, Aguacatán
, San Gaspar Ixchil
, La Libertad
, La Democracia, Huehuetenango, Chiantla
, Santiago Chimaltenango
, San Juan Ixcoy
, San Antonio Sacatepéquez
, San Lorenzo
, Tejutla
, San Rafael Pie de La Cuesta
, San Pedro Sacatepéquez
, La Reforma
, El Quetzal
, Sibinal
, San José Ojetenam
, Pajapita
, San Cristobal Cucho
, Nuevo Progreso, San Marcos
, Concepción Tutuapa
, San Pablo
, Ixchiguan
, San Miguel Ixtahuacán
, Tacaná
, Tajumulco
, Catarina
, Esquipulas Palo Gordo
, Malacatán
, Río Blanco
and Comitancillo
.
s:
Vowel length
is distinctive, so one can say that the total number of vowels is 10. In the Todos Santos dialect the vowel structure is somewhat different. While /o/, /a/, and /u/ remain the same as in other varieties, short /e/ has become the diphthong /ɛi/ and short /i/ has become /ɪ/, an audio example of this can be heard here:
. In the Todos Santos dialect, the long vowels (distinguished by the doubling of the letter) have evolved into separate sounds altogether. Long /aː/ has become /ɑ/, long /oː/ has become /ø/ and long /uː/ has become /y/. Interestingly while short /e/ and /i/ merged into /ɛi/ and /ɪ/, long /eː/ and long /iː/ have remained the same as in the other Mam varieties.
In some dialects vowels interrupted by stop have evolved into individual phomemes themselves, for example in Todos Santos dialect
/oʔ/ represented by o' has evolved into /ɵˀ/ and /oʔo/ represented by o'o has evolved into /ɵ'ʉ/. Unstressed /o/ and /u/ may be pronounced as /ɤ/ and /ɯ/ respectively; this rounding of unstressed /o/ and /u/ is a common trait found in several Mayan languages such as Tsotsil.
s, including the glottal stop
:
/ɓ/ is realized as [β] word-finally and when part of a consonant cluster in many dialects. In the Todos Santos dialect it is pronounced as [v] as part of a consonant cluster and as [βv̻] word finally.
/p/ is realized as [pʰ] word-finally and before another consonant, [p] elsewhere. In the Todos Santos dialect it is pronounced [f] before ong vowels and [ɸ] before short [i], [o], and [u]. It is always pronounced [ɸʰ] word finally and is always prnounced [f] in a consonant cluster.
/ch/ has evolved from /tʃ/ to /sʃ/ in most Mexian dialects and some northern Guatemalan dialects. Sometimes the /t/ sound is still lightly pronouced before the stressd /sʃ/ sound.
/t/ is realized as [tʰ] word-finally and before another consonant, [t] elsewhere.
/k/ is realized as [kʰ] word-finally and before another consonant, [k] elsewhere.
/w/ can be pronounced [ʋ], [v], [v̥] or [β] word initially, [w], [ʍ] [ʋ] following a consonant, and [ʋ], [v], [v̻] word finally. It is freely variable between [w] [v] [ʋ] [v̥] in all other positions with [ʋ] being the most common pronounciation. In the Todos Santos dialect, /w/ is realized as either [v] or [ʋ] word-intially or between vowels and before another consonant, as [w] following a consonant and as [v̥] word finally.
/q/ is realized as [qʰ] word-finally and before another consonant, [q] elsewhere.
/tʼ/ is realized interchangeably as [tʼ] and [ɗ] word-initially and -finally, after a vowel or before [l].
/n/ is realized as [ŋ] before velar-
and uvular consonant
s and word-finally,
as [ɲ] before [j] and as [m] before /ɓ/ and /p/, [n] elsewhere.
/l/ is realized as [l̥] word-finally, [l] elsewhere. In the Todos Santos dialect /l/ is interchangeble with /ɽ/ in all positions except before /k/, /kʼ/, /q/, or /qʼ/
Mayan languages
The Mayan languages form a language family spoken in Mesoamerica and northern Central America. Mayan languages are spoken by at least 6 million indigenous Maya, primarily in Guatemala, Mexico, Belize and Honduras...
with almost 480,000 speakers as of 2002, spoken in the Mexican
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
state of Chiapas
Chiapas
Chiapas officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Chiapas is one of the 31 states that, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 118 municipalities and its capital city is Tuxtla Gutierrez. Other important cites in Chiapas include San Cristóbal de las...
and the Guatemalan departments
Departments of Guatemala
||Guatemala is divided into 22 departments :#Alta Verapaz#Baja Verapaz#Chimaltenango#Chiquimula#Petén#El Progreso#El Quiché#Escuintla#Guatemala#Huehuetenango#Izabal#Jalapa#Jutiapa#Quetzaltenango#Retalhuleu#Sacatepéquez...
of Quetzaltenango
Quetzaltenango
Quetzaltenango, also commonly known by its indigenous name, Xelajú , or more commonly, Xela , is the second largest city of Guatemala. It is both the capital of Quetzaltenango Department and the municipal seat of Quetzaltenango municipality....
, Huehuetenango
Huehuetenango
Huehuetenango is a city and a municipality in the highlands of western Guatemala. It is also the capital of the department of Huehuetenango. The municipality's population was over 81,000 people in 2002...
and San Marcos.
Linguists distinguish between three major divisions of the language, based somewhat on the geographical area where they are spoken: Northern Mam in Huehuetenango
Huehuetenango
Huehuetenango is a city and a municipality in the highlands of western Guatemala. It is also the capital of the department of Huehuetenango. The municipality's population was over 81,000 people in 2002...
, Southern Mam in Quetzaltenango
Quetzaltenango
Quetzaltenango, also commonly known by its indigenous name, Xelajú , or more commonly, Xela , is the second largest city of Guatemala. It is both the capital of Quetzaltenango Department and the municipal seat of Quetzaltenango municipality....
and Central Mam in San Marcos. Because of a lack of literacy skills and interaction, spurred by the country's mountainous terrain, the language can vary widely from village to village, even though the villages may be separated by just a few miles. Nonetheless, all native speakers of the Mam language are typically able to understand one another, though perhaps with some difficulty.
Mam is closely related to the Tektitek language
Tektitek language
The Tektitek language is a member of the Quichean–Mamean branch of the Mayan language family. It is very closely related to the Mam language. Tektikek is spoken by the Tektitek people, which are primarily settled in the municipality of Tectitán, department of Huehuetenango. A number of Tektitek...
, and the two languages together form the Mamean sub-branch, which together with the Ixilean languages, Awakatek
Awakatek language
Qa'yol also known as Awakatek, is a Mayan language spoken in primarily Huehuetenango, Guatemala in and around Aguacatán. It is a living language with some 18,000 speakers....
and Ixil, form the Greater-Mamean sub-branch, which again, together with the Greater-Quichean languages, ten Mayan languages, including K'iche'
K'iche' language
The K’iche’ language is a part of the Mayan language family. It is spoken by many K'iche' people in the central highlands of Guatemala. With close to a million speakers , it is the second-most widely spoken language in the country after Spanish...
, form the branch Quichean–Mamean.
Location
Mam is spoken mostly in the municipalities of San Miguel SigüiláSan Miguel Sigüilá
San Miguel Sigüilá is a municipality in the Quetzaltenango department of Guatemala....
, Concepción Chiquirichapa
Concepción Chiquirichapa
Concepción Chiquirichapa is a municipality in the Quetzaltenango department of Guatemala.The municipality of Concepción Chiquirichapa, is part of the 81 municipalities in the Western Highlands of Guatemala...
, Génova
Génova, Quetzaltenango
Génova is a municipality in the Quetzaltenango department of Guatemala....
, El Palmar
El Palmar, Quetzaltenango
El Palmar is a municipality in the Quetzaltenango department of GuatemalaEl Palmar is mostly an agricultural municipality, with coffee being one of its main products....
, San Juan Ostuncalco, Cajolá
Cajolá
Cajolá is a municipality in the Quetzaltenango department of Guatemala....
, San Martín Sacatepéquez
San Martín Sacatepéquez
San Martín Sacatepéquez is one of 24 municipalities in the department of Quetzaltenango, Guatemala. San Martín Sacatepéquez has a surface area of 100 km2. The center of the town is situated at 2,450 meters above sea level...
, Colomba
Colomba
Colomba is a municipality in the Quetzaltenango department of Guatemala with 212 km2 surface at about 1011 m altitude. The population is 38,746 ....
, Flores Costa Cuca
Flores Costa Cuca
Flores Costa Cuca is a municipality in the Quetzaltenango department of Guatemala. It covers an area of 63km2, is att an average altitude of 540m and has a population of 14,000 people.-References:...
, Huitán
Huitán
Huitán is a municipality in the Quetzaltenango department of Guatemala.,situated on 16 km2 at 2600 m altitude, North-West from Quetzaltenango.-External links:*...
, Palestina de Los Altos
Palestina de Los Altos
|Palestina de Los Altos is a municipality in the Quetzaltenango department of Guatemala. Its inhabitants speak Mam and Spanish.Palestina de los Altos was originally called Toj Suj...
, Cabricán
Cabricán
Cabricán is a municipality in the Quetzaltenango department of Guatemala. The head town of Cabricán is situated at an altitude of 2,525 m.Cabrican is the location of Roman Catholic radio station Radio Mam. The station primarily broadcasts in the Mam language....
, San Ildefonso
San Ildefonso
San Ildefonso, or La Granja, or La Granja de San Ildefonso, is a town and municipality in the province of Segovia, Spain, situated some 54 km northwest of Madrid.-History:...
, Ixtahuacán, Cuilco
Cuilco
Cuilco is a municipality in the Guatemalan department of Huehuetenango. It is located in the Cuchumatanes mountains in the Southwestern portion of Huehuetenango. In 2007 it served approximately 50,000 people, most of them of Maya Mam descent, living in over 100 aldeas and caserios, which are...
, Tectitán
Tectitán
Tectitán is a municipality in the Guatemalan department of Huehuetenango. It is situated at 2,200m above sea level. It contains 9436 people. It covers a terrain of 74km2.-External links:*...
, San Pedro Necta
San Pedro Necta
San Pedro Necta is a municipality in the Guatemalan department of Huehuetenango....
, San Sebastián Huehuetenango
San Sebastián Huehuetenango
San Sebastián Huehuetenango is a municipality in the Guatemalan department of Huehuetenango. It is located approximately 27 km. north of the city of Huehuetenango on Inter-American Highway heading toward the Mexican border at La Mesilla. The language spoken is Mayan Mam. The majority of the...
, Malacatancito
Malacatancito
Malacatancito is a municipality in the Guatemalan department of Huehuetenango....
, Todos Santos Cuchumatán
Todos Santos Cuchumatán
Todos Santos Cuchumatán is a municipality in the Guatemalan department of Huehuetenango. It is situated in the Sierra de los Cuchumatanes at an elevation of 2,500 m . The municipality covers an area of approximately 269 km2 and is formed by the town of Todos Santos Cuchumatán, 6 villages, and 69...
, San Rafael Petzal
San Rafael Petzal
San Rafael Petzal is a municipality in the Guatemalan department of Huehuetenango....
, Colotenango
Colotenango
Colotenango is a municipality in the Guatemalan department of Huehuetenango. It is situated at above sea level. It contains 14,000 people. It covers a terrain of . The annual festival is February 12-15....
, Santa Bárbara
Santa Bárbara, Huehuetenango
Santa Bárbara is a municipality in the Guatemalan department of Huehuetenango. Santa Bárbara may be the poorest municipality in the largely impoverished department. Elevations in the municipality range between 1500 meters an 3000 meters. Natural forest in the area has been obliterated by the...
, San Juan Atitán
San Juan Atitán
San Juan Atitán is a municipality in the Guatemalan department of Huehuetenango....
, Aguacatán
Aguacatán
Aguacatán is a municipality in the Guatemalan department of Huehuetenango. It is situated at 1670m above sea level. It has a population of 41,000. It covers a terrain of 300km2.-Geography:...
, San Gaspar Ixchil
San Gaspar Ixchil
San Gaspar Ixchil is a municipality in the Guatemalan department of Huehuetenango....
, La Libertad
La Libertad, Huehuetenango
La Libertad is a municipality in the Guatemalan department of Huehuetenango. It is situated at 1720m above sea level. It contains 22,000 people. It covers a terrain of 104km2.-External links:*...
, La Democracia, Huehuetenango, Chiantla
Chiantla
Chiantla is a municipality in the Guatemalan department of Huehuetenango. It is situated at 2,000m above sea level. It covers a terrain of 536km2.The annual festival is on January 28.-External links:**...
, Santiago Chimaltenango
Santiago Chimaltenango
Santiago Chimaltenango is a municipality in the Guatemalan department of Huehuetenango....
, San Juan Ixcoy
San Juan Ixcoy
San Juan Ixcoy is a municipality in the Guatemalan department of Huehuetenango. The municipality covers an area of 224 km² and is formed by the town of San Juan Ixcoy, 11 villages and 33 caserios...
, San Antonio Sacatepéquez
San Antonio Sacatepéquez
San Antonio Sacatepéquez is a municipality in the San Marcos department of Guatemala....
, San Lorenzo
San Lorenzo, San Marcos
San Lorenzo is a municipality in the San Marcos department of Guatemala.It was found in 1812 year by Spanish families.This is the birthplace of Justo Rufino Barrios-President of Guatemala.His native house is declared as a National Heritage.*...
, Tejutla
Tejutla, San Marcos
Tejutla is a municipality in the western highlands of Guatemala, in the department of San Marcos. Tejutla was officially founded on 25 July of 1672, although it was already an important town within the Mam kingdom in 1524, at the time of the Spanish conquest of Guatemala...
, San Rafael Pie de La Cuesta
San Rafael Pie de La Cuesta
San Rafael Pie de la Cuesta is a municipality in the San Marcos department of Guatemala.A small town with red tiled roofs and abundant flowering trees in the northern department of San Marcos, Guatemala, a department which borders Mexico...
, San Pedro Sacatepéquez
San Pedro Sacatepéquez, San Marcos
San Pedro Sacatepéquez is a municipality in the San Marcos department of Guatemala with territory of 148 km2 at 2033 m altitude. The population is 63 688....
, La Reforma
La Reforma
La Reforma was a period halfway through the 19th century in the history of Mexico that was characterized by liberal reforms and the transformation of Mexico into a nation state...
, El Quetzal
El Quetzal
El Quetzal is a municipality in the San Marcos department of Guatemala. It is recognised as municipality on 19th of June 1900. The major source of income is the agriculture.*...
, Sibinal
Sibinal
Sibinal is a municipality in the San Marcos department of Guatemala. It was founded in February 1799. It is a mountainous municipality at an altitude about 2500 m near the Mexican-Guatemalan border. The village of Sibinal is one of the points for climbing towards the Volcano Tacaná....
, San José Ojetenam
San José Ojetenam
San José Ojetenam is a municipality in the San Marcos department of Guatemala.San José Ojetenam is located deep in the mountainous highlands of Guatemala. It is located 2 hours by road from the nearest major town, San Marcos/San Pedro Sacatepéquez, and is between 8-10 hours from Guatemala City,...
, Pajapita
Pajapita
Pajapita is a municipality in the San Marcos department of Guatemala.It was created on 31 May 1920, after the station on the railroad to Mexico. Pajapita is called also "Land of the Almond trees".*...
, San Cristobal Cucho
San Cristóbal Cucho
San Cristóbal Cucho is a municipality in the San Marcos department of Guatemala.It was found on 11th of October 1825.*...
, Nuevo Progreso, San Marcos
San Marcos, Guatemala
San Marcos San Marcos San Marcos (elevation: 7,868 feet (2,398 meters) is a city and municipality in Guatemala.It is the capital of the department of San Marcos.The municipality has a population of approximately 45,000.-Sports:...
, Concepción Tutuapa
Concepción Tutuapa
Concepción Tutuapa is a municipality in the San Marcos department of Guatemala....
, San Pablo
San Pablo, San Marcos
San Pablo is a municipality in the San Marcos department of Guatemala....
, Ixchiguan
Ixchiguan
Ixchiguan is a municipality in the San Marcos department of Guatemala. It was established as municipality on 9th of August 1933. The economy is based on temporary work force on the coffee plantations, respectively on a male migrating work force in Mexico....
, San Miguel Ixtahuacán
San Miguel Ixtahuacán
San Miguel Ixtahuacán is a municipality in the San Marcos department of Guatemala.It compromises 19 villages and the population is about 39 000 people. The majority of people are ethnically Maya- Mam, and speak the Mam and Spanish languages...
, Tacaná
Tacaná
Tacaná is a municipality in the Guatemalan department of San Marcos....
, Tajumulco
Tajumulco
Tajumulco is a municipality in the San Marcos department of Guatemala....
, Catarina
Catarina, San Marcos
Catarina is a municipality in the San Marcos department of Guatemala. It is recognised as different municipality on 20th of January 1925 year, split from Malacatán municipality.*...
, Esquipulas Palo Gordo
Esquipulas Palo Gordo
Esquipulas Palo Gordo is a municipality in the San Marcos department of Guatemala.The town is founded on 24th of December 1826 year.Later in the 1920s it was merged with San Marcos,but in 1948 it recovered its autonomy again.*...
, Malacatán
Malacatán
Malacatán is a municipality in the San Marcos department of Guatemala, located to the west of San Marcos town. It is fairly close to the border with Mexico - the border-crossing point is in the nearby village of El Carmen.-Sports:...
, Río Blanco
Río Blanco, San Marcos
Río Blanco is a mountainous municipality in the San Marcos department of Guatemala at 2650 altitude. Mam and Spanish are spoken there.- References :*...
and Comitancillo
Comitancillo
Comitancillo is a municipality in the San Marcos department of Guatemala.The spoken language is Mam.The municipality was founded by the Spaniards between 1633 and 1648 year.There is an archaeological site Chipel with remains of the Mam culture.*...
.
Vowels
Mam has 5 vowelVowel
In phonetics, a vowel is a sound in spoken language, such as English ah! or oh! , pronounced with an open vocal tract so that there is no build-up of air pressure at any point above the glottis. This contrasts with consonants, such as English sh! , where there is a constriction or closure at some...
s:
| Front Front vowel A front vowel is a type of vowel sound used in some spoken languages. The defining characteristic of a front vowel is that the tongue is positioned as far in front as possible in the mouth without creating a constriction that would be classified as a consonant. Front vowels are sometimes also... |
Back Back vowel A back vowel is a type of vowel sound used in spoken languages. The defining characteristic of a back vowel is that the tongue is positioned as far back as possible in the mouth without creating a constriction that would be classified as a consonant. Back vowels are sometimes also called dark... |
|
|---|---|---|
| Unrounded | Rounded | |
| Close Close vowel A close vowel is a type of vowel sound used in many spoken languages. The defining characteristic of a close vowel is that the tongue is positioned as close as possible to the roof of the mouth without creating a constriction that would be classified as a consonant.This term is prescribed by the... |
i | u |
| Close-mid Close-mid vowel A close-mid vowel is a type of vowel sound used in some spoken languages. The defining characteristic of a close-mid vowel is that the tongue is positioned two-thirds of the way from a close vowel to a mid vowel... |
e | o |
| Open Open vowel An open vowel is defined as a vowel sound in which the tongue is positioned as far as possible from the roof of the mouth. Open vowels are sometimes also called low vowels in reference to the low position of the tongue... |
a |
Vowel length
Vowel length
In linguistics, vowel length is the perceived duration of a vowel sound. Often the chroneme, or the "longness", acts like a consonant, and may etymologically be one, such as in Australian English. While not distinctive in most dialects of English, vowel length is an important phonemic factor in...
is distinctive, so one can say that the total number of vowels is 10. In the Todos Santos dialect the vowel structure is somewhat different. While /o/, /a/, and /u/ remain the same as in other varieties, short /e/ has become the diphthong /ɛi/ and short /i/ has become /ɪ/, an audio example of this can be heard here:
. In the Todos Santos dialect, the long vowels (distinguished by the doubling of the letter) have evolved into separate sounds altogether. Long /aː/ has become /ɑ/, long /oː/ has become /ø/ and long /uː/ has become /y/. Interestingly while short /e/ and /i/ merged into /ɛi/ and /ɪ/, long /eː/ and long /iː/ have remained the same as in the other Mam varieties.
In some dialects vowels interrupted by stop have evolved into individual phomemes themselves, for example in Todos Santos dialect
/oʔ/ represented by o' has evolved into /ɵˀ/ and /oʔo/ represented by o'o has evolved into /ɵ'ʉ/. Unstressed /o/ and /u/ may be pronounced as /ɤ/ and /ɯ/ respectively; this rounding of unstressed /o/ and /u/ is a common trait found in several Mayan languages such as Tsotsil.
Consonants
Mam has 27 consonantConsonant
In articulatory phonetics, a consonant is a speech sound that is articulated with complete or partial closure of the vocal tract. Examples are , pronounced with the lips; , pronounced with the front of the tongue; , pronounced with the back of the tongue; , pronounced in the throat; and ,...
s, including the glottal stop
Glottal stop
The glottal stop, or more fully, the voiceless glottal plosive, is a type of consonantal sound used in many spoken languages. In English, the feature is represented, for example, by the hyphen in uh-oh! and by the apostrophe or [[ʻokina]] in Hawaii among those using a preservative pronunciation of...
:
| Bilabial Bilabial consonant In phonetics, a bilabial consonant is a consonant articulated with both lips. The bilabial consonants identified by the International Phonetic Alphabet are:... |
Alveolar Alveolar consonant Alveolar consonants are articulated with the tongue against or close to the superior alveolar ridge, which is called that because it contains the alveoli of the superior teeth... |
Postalveolar Postalveolar consonant Postalveolar consonants are consonants articulated with the tongue near or touching the back of the alveolar ridge, further back in the mouth than the alveolar consonants, which are at the ridge itself, but not as far back as the hard palate... |
Retroflex Retroflex consonant A retroflex consonant is a coronal consonant where the tongue has a flat, concave, or even curled shape, and is articulated between the alveolar ridge and the hard palate. They are sometimes referred to as cerebral consonants, especially in Indology... |
Palatal Palatal consonant Palatal consonants are consonants articulated with the body of the tongue raised against the hard palate... |
Velar Velar consonant Velars are consonants articulated with the back part of the tongue against the soft palate, the back part of the roof of the mouth, known also as the velum).... |
Uvular Uvular consonant Uvulars are consonants articulated with the back of the tongue against or near the uvula, that is, further back in the mouth than velar consonants. Uvulars may be plosives, fricatives, nasal stops, trills, or approximants, though the IPA does not provide a separate symbol for the approximant, and... |
Glottal Glottal consonant Glottal consonants, also called laryngeal consonants, are consonants articulated with the glottis. Many phoneticians consider them, or at least the so-called fricative, to be transitional states of the glottis without a point of articulation as other consonants have; in fact, some do not consider... |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Normal | Palatalized Palatalization In linguistics, palatalization , also palatization, may refer to two different processes by which a sound, usually a consonant, comes to be produced with the tongue in a position in the mouth near the palate.... |
||||||||||
| Plosive | Normal | p /pʰ~ɸ/ | t /tʰ/ | k /kʰ/ | ky /kʲ/ | q /qʰ/ | ' /ʔ/ | ||||
| Ejective Ejective consonant In phonetics, ejective consonants are voiceless consonants that are pronounced with simultaneous closure of the glottis. In the phonology of a particular language, ejectives may contrast with aspirated or tenuis consonants... |
t' /tʼ~ɗ/ | k' /kʼ/ | ky'/kʲʼ/ | q' /qʼ~ɠ/ | |||||||
| Implosive Implosive consonant Implosive consonants are stops with a mixed glottalic ingressive and pulmonic egressive airstream mechanism. That is, the airstream is controlled by moving the glottis downward in addition to expelling air from the lungs. Therefore, unlike the purely glottalic ejective consonants, implosives can... |
b' /ɓ/ | ||||||||||
| Nasal Nasal consonant A nasal consonant is a type of consonant produced with a lowered velum in the mouth, allowing air to escape freely through the nose. Examples of nasal consonants in English are and , in words such as nose and mouth.- Definition :... |
m /m/ | n /n/ | ny/ɲ/ | n /ŋ/ | |||||||
| Fricative Fricative consonant Fricatives are consonants produced by forcing air through a narrow channel made by placing two articulators close together. These may be the lower lip against the upper teeth, in the case of ; the back of the tongue against the soft palate, in the case of German , the final consonant of Bach; or... |
w /v/ | s /s/ | xh /ʃ/ | x /ʂ/ | j /χ/ | ||||||
| Affricate Affricate consonant Affricates are consonants that begin as stops but release as a fricative rather than directly into the following vowel.- Samples :... |
Normal | b /β/ | tz /t͡s/ | ch /t͡ʃ/ | tx /ʈ͡ʂ/ | ||||||
| Ejective Ejective consonant In phonetics, ejective consonants are voiceless consonants that are pronounced with simultaneous closure of the glottis. In the phonology of a particular language, ejectives may contrast with aspirated or tenuis consonants... |
tz' /t͡sʼ/ | ch' /t͡ʃʼ/ | tx' /ʈ͡ʂʼ/ | ||||||||
| Trill Trill consonant In phonetics, a trill is a consonantal sound produced by vibrations between the articulator and the place of articulation. Standard Spanish <rr> as in perro is an alveolar trill, while in Parisian French it is almost always uvular.... |
r /r/ | ||||||||||
| Approximant Approximant consonant Approximants are speech sounds that involve the articulators approaching each other but not narrowly enough or with enough articulatory precision to create turbulent airflow. Therefore, approximants fall between fricatives, which do produce a turbulent airstream, and vowels, which produce no... |
l /l/ | y /j/ | w /w/ | ||||||||
/ɓ/ is realized as [β] word-finally and when part of a consonant cluster in many dialects. In the Todos Santos dialect it is pronounced as [v] as part of a consonant cluster and as [βv̻] word finally.
- Examples: tseb' [tseβ] goat, kbon [kβoŋ] small table. In the Todos Santos dialect, tseb' is [tsɛiβv̻] and kbon is [kvoŋ] small table.
/p/ is realized as [pʰ] word-finally and before another consonant, [p] elsewhere. In the Todos Santos dialect it is pronounced [f] before ong vowels and [ɸ] before short [i], [o], and [u]. It is always pronounced [ɸʰ] word finally and is always prnounced [f] in a consonant cluster.
- Examples: piich [piːt͡ʃ] bird ([fiːt͡ʃ] in Todos Santos dialect), txkup [ʈ͡ʂkupʰ] animal ([ʈ͡ʂkuɸʰ] in Todos Santos dialect), ptz'an [pʰt͡sʼaŋ] sugarcane, ([ft͡sʼaŋ] in Todos Santos dialect)
/ch/ has evolved from /tʃ/ to /sʃ/ in most Mexian dialects and some northern Guatemalan dialects. Sometimes the /t/ sound is still lightly pronouced before the stressd /sʃ/ sound.
- Example: choot [tʃoːtʰ] weeds has evolved into [sʃøːtʰ] or [tsʃoːtʰ]
/t/ is realized as [tʰ] word-finally and before another consonant, [t] elsewhere.
- Examples: ta'l [taʔl̥] juice, soup, ch'it [t͡ʃʼitʰ] bird, q'ootj [qʼoːtʰχ] dough
/k/ is realized as [kʰ] word-finally and before another consonant, [k] elsewhere.
- Examples: paaki'l [paːkiʔl̥] butterfly, xtook [ʂtoːk] staff, kjo'n [kʰχoʔŋ] cornfield
/w/ can be pronounced [ʋ], [v], [v̥] or [β] word initially, [w], [ʍ] [ʋ] following a consonant, and [ʋ], [v], [v̻] word finally. It is freely variable between [w] [v] [ʋ] [v̥] in all other positions with [ʋ] being the most common pronounciation. In the Todos Santos dialect, /w/ is realized as either [v] or [ʋ] word-intially or between vowels and before another consonant, as [w] following a consonant and as [v̥] word finally.
- Examples: waaj [vɑχ] or [ʋaːχ] tortilla, kaytsawi [kai'tsaʋi] fidgeting, twon [twoŋ] introversion, lew [lɛiv̥] love (modern slang term)
/q/ is realized as [qʰ] word-finally and before another consonant, [q] elsewhere.
- Examples: muuqin' [muːqiŋ] tortilla, aaq [aːqʰ] honeycomb, qloolj [qʰloːlχ] obscurity
/tʼ/ is realized interchangeably as [tʼ] and [ɗ] word-initially and -finally, after a vowel or before [l].
- Examples: t'rikpuul [tʼrikʰpuːl̥] ~ [ɗrikʰpuːl̥] to jump, ch'uut [t͡ʃʼuːtʼ] ~ [t͡ʃʼuːɗ] something sharp-pointed
- Examples: t'ut'n [tʼutʼŋ] ~ [ɗuɗŋ] to make noise, wit'li [witʼli] ~ [wiɗli] seated squatting
/n/ is realized as [ŋ] before velar-
Velar consonant
Velars are consonants articulated with the back part of the tongue against the soft palate, the back part of the roof of the mouth, known also as the velum)....
and uvular consonant
Uvular consonant
Uvulars are consonants articulated with the back of the tongue against or near the uvula, that is, further back in the mouth than velar consonants. Uvulars may be plosives, fricatives, nasal stops, trills, or approximants, though the IPA does not provide a separate symbol for the approximant, and...
s and word-finally,
as [ɲ] before [j] and as [m] before /ɓ/ and /p/, [n] elsewhere.
- Examples: nim [nim] much, jun [χuŋ] one, q'ankyoq [qʼaŋkʲoqʰ] thunder
- Examples: saajel [saːŋχel̥] sent, nyuxh [ɲuʃ] my godfather
- Examples: qamb'ax [qamɓaχ] foot, npwaaqe [mpwaːqe] my money
/l/ is realized as [l̥] word-finally, [l] elsewhere. In the Todos Santos dialect /l/ is interchangeble with /ɽ/ in all positions except before /k/, /kʼ/, /q/, or /qʼ/
- Examples: luux [luːʂ] cricket, lo'l [loʔl̥] to eat fruits. In the Todos Santos dialect luux may be pronounced as [ɽyːʂ] and lo'l may be pronounced as [ɽoʔl̥], [loʔɽ] or [ɽoʔɽ].
External links
- A simple Mam - Spanish dictionary
- Robert Sitler's Mam - English dictionary (DOC) (PDF)
- Key phrases in Mam vs Spanish