Academia de Lenguas Mayas de Guatemala explained

The Academia de Lenguas Mayas de Guatemala, or ALMG (English: Guatemalan Academy of Mayan Languages) is a Guatemalan organisation that regulates the use of the 22 Mayan languages spoken within the borders of the republic. It has expended particular efforts on standardising the various writing systems used.[1] Another of its functions is to promote Mayan culture, which it does by providing courses in the country's various Mayan languages and by training Spanish-Mayan interpreters.

It was founded on 16 November 1990 as an autonomous state organization, following publication of the Ley de la Academia de Lenguas Mayas de Guatemala, which had been passed by Congress the previous October.[2]

Orthography

The ALMG have developed the most widely used orthographies for the Mayan languages. The Mayan languages in Mexico use different orthographies developed by INALI.

Vowels!colspan=10
Consonants
ALMG ALMG IPA ALMG IPA ALMG IPA ALMG IPA ALMG IPA ALMG IPA ALMG IPA
apronounced as /[a]/aa pronounced as /[aː]/ä pronounced as /[ɐ]/ pronounced as /[ɓ]/b pronounced as /[b]/ch pronounced as /[t͡ʃ]/chʼ pronounced as /[t͡ʃʼ]/h pronounced as /[h]/
e pronounced as /[e]/ee pronounced as /[eː]/ë pronounced as /[ɛ]/j pronounced as /[χ]/k pronounced as /[k]/ pronounced as /[kʼ]/l pronounced as /[l]/m pronounced as /[m]/
i pronounced as /[i]/ii pronounced as /[iː]/ï pronounced as /[ɪ]/n pronounced as /[n]/nh pronounced as /[ŋ]/p pronounced as /[p]/q pronounced as /[q]/ pronounced as /[qʼ]/
o pronounced as /[o]/oo pronounced as /[oː]/ö pronounced as /[ɤ̞]/r pronounced as /[r]/s pronounced as /[s]/t pronounced as /[t]/ pronounced as /[tʼ]/tz pronounced as /[t͡s]/
u pronounced as /[u]/uu pronounced as /[uː]/ü pronounced as /[ʊ]/tzʼ pronounced as /[t͡sʼ]/w pronounced as /[w]/x pronounced as /[ʃ]/y pronounced as /[j]/ ʼ  pronounced as /[ʔ]/
In tonal languages (primarily Yucatec), a high tone is indicated with an accent, as with "á" or "ée".

For the languages that make a distinction between palato-alveolar and retroflex affricates and fricatives (Mam, Ixil, Tektitek, Awakatek, Qʼanjobʼal, Poptiʼ, and Akatek in Guatemala, and Yucatec in Mexico) the ALMG suggests the following set of conventions.

ALMG convention for palato-alveolar and retroflex consonants!ALMG !!IPA !!ALMG !!IPA !!ALMG !!IPA
ch pronounced as /[tʃ]/chʼ pronounced as /[tʃʼ]/x pronounced as /[ʃ]/
txpronounced as /[tʂ]/txʼpronounced as /[tʂʼ]/xh pronounced as /[ʂ]/

Languages

The 22 languages regulated by the ALMG are Achi, Akatek, Awakatek, Chalchitek (sometimes considered a dialect of Awakatek), Ch’orti’, Chuj, Itza’, Ixil, Jakaltek, Kaqchikel, K’iche’, Mam, Mopan, Poqomam, Poqomchi’, Q’anjob’al, Q’eqchi’, Sakapultek, Sipakapense, Tektitek, Tz’utujil, and Uspantek.[3]

References

The original version of this article was translated, with adaptations, from the corresponding article on the Spanish-language Wikipedia.

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Historia ALMG . 2015-05-30 . ALMG . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20150530224804/http://www.almg.org.gt/index.php/inicio/historia . 2015-05-30 .
  2. Web site: Información Institutcional - Mision . 2015-05-30 . ALMG . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20150530224820/http://www.almg.org.gt/index.php/quienes-somos/mision . 2015-05-30 .
  3. Web site: Comunidades Lingüísticas . Academia de Lenguas Mayas de Guatemala . 22 October 2023.