Poqomchi'
Mayan
Pocomchi' (also Poqomchi') is a Mayan language of the Quichean-Mamean branch, spoken by ~50,000 Pocomchi people in the Verapaces (Alta Verapaz and Baja Verapaz departments) of central Guatemala. Linguistically, Pocomchi shares Mayan typological features (ergative-absolutive alignment, complex polypersonal verb morphology, glottalized consonants, uvular consonants) with its sister languages including Pocomam, Achi (acr), and the larger K'iche' (quc). The Pocomchi community has maintained the language despite Spanish-language dominance, with Brown's 1979 Pocomchi grammar and modern revitalization through the Academia de las Lenguas Mayas de Guatemala.
Where it is spoken
20 core words in Poqomchi'
Water
haʼ
/haʔ/
Fire
qʼaaq
/qʼaːq/
Sun
qʼij
/qʼih/
Moon
ik
/ik/
Mother
tuut
/tuːt/
Father
ajaab
/ahaːb/
Eat
wai
/wai/
Drink
uuk
/uːk/
Love
rahaal
/rahaːl/
Heart
kʼuxl
/kʼuʃl/
Tree
cheeʼ
/tʃeʔ/
House
paat
/paːt/
Dog
tzʼiʼ
/tsʼiʔ/
Cat
mees
/meːs/
Hand
qʼab
/qʼab/
Eye
nakʼ
/nakʼ/
Hello
ma chaa
/ma tʃaː/
Thank you
tioxlaab
/tjoʃlaːb/
One
jino
/hino/
Good
saqʼwach
/saqʼwatʃ/
Sources
Words compared
Compared with related Mayan languages
| Meaning | Poqomchi' | Uspanteko | Aguacateco | Kaqchikel | Q'anjob'al | Classical Maya | Kʼicheʼ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water | haʼ /haʔ/ | jaʼ /haʔ/ | aʼ /aʔ/ | yaʼ /jaʔ/ | haʼ /haʔ/ | haʼ /haʔ/ | jaʼ /xaʔ/ |
| Fire | qʼaaq /qʼaːq/ | qʼaqʼ /qʼaqʼ/ | qʼaq /qʼaq/ | qʼaqʼ /qʼaqʼ/ | qʼaʼ /qʼaʔ/ | kʼahkʼ /kʼahkʼ/ | qʼaqʼ /qʼaqʼ/ |
| Sun | qʼij /qʼih/ | qʼiij /qʼiːh/ | qʼijl /qʼihl/ | qʼij /qʼix/ | kʼuʼ /kʼuʔ/ | kʼin /kʼin/ | qʼij /qʼix/ |
| Moon | ik /ik/ | ikʼ /ikʼ/ | xahaw /ʃahaw/ | ikʼ /ikʼ/ | ixaw /iʃaw/ | uh /uh/ | ikʼ /ikʼ/ |
| Mother | tuut /tuːt/ | nan /nan/ | naa /naː/ | teʼ /teʔ/ | mim /mim/ | naʼ /naʔ/ | nan /nan/ |
| Father | ajaab /ahaːb/ | tat /tat/ | mam /mam/ | tataʼ /tataʔ/ | mam /mam/ | yuum /juːm/ | tat /tat/ |
| Eat | wai /wai/ | waʼ /waʔ/ | wii /wiː/ | waʼin /waʔin/ | lo /lo/ | wiʼij /wiʔiχ/ | tijow /tixow/ |
| Drink | uuk /uːk/ | ukʼ /ukʼ/ | uuk /uːk/ | kumun /kumun/ | uku /uku/ | ukʼ /ukʼ/ | ukʼaaj /ukʼaːh/ |
| Love | rahaal /rahaːl/ | lóqʼ /lóqʼ/ | xajan /ʃahan/ | ajowabʼäl /axowaɓəl/ | kʼamʼ /kʼamʔ/ | yaah /jaːh/ | loqʼoj /loqʼoh/ |
| Heart | kʼuxl /kʼuʃl/ | kʼuʼx /kʼuʔʃ/ | kʼuum /kʼuːm/ | anima /anima/ | kʼulul /kʼulul/ | pixan /piʃan/ | animaʼ /animaʔ/ |
| Tree | cheeʼ /tʃeʔ/ | cheʼ /tʃeʔ/ | tzeʼ /tseʔ/ | cheʼ /tʃeʔ/ | teʼ /teʔ/ | cheʼ /tʃeʔ/ | cheʼ /tʃeʔ/ |
| House | paat /paːt/ | jaa /haː/ | nya /ɲa/ | jay /xaj/ | na /na/ | otoch /otoːtʃ/ | ja /xa/ |
| Dog | tzʼiʼ /tsʼiʔ/ | tzʼiʼ /tsʼiʔ/ | txʼiʼ /tʃʼiʔ/ | tzʼiʼ /tsʼiʔ/ | tzʼiʼ /tsʼiʔ/ | peekʼ /peːkʼ/ | tzʼiʼ /tsʼiʔ/ |
| Cat | mees /meːs/ | mis /mis/ | mis /mis/ | mes /mes/ | mes /mes/ | miis /miːs/ | meʼs /meʔs/ |
| Hand | qʼab /qʼab/ | qʼab /qʼab/ | qʼab /qʼab/ | qʼaʼ /qʼaʔ/ | qʼab /qʼab/ | kʼab /kʼab/ | qʼabʼ /qʼaɓ/ |
| Eye | nakʼ /nakʼ/ | wach /watʃ/ | witzʼ /witsʼ/ | bʼaqʼ wach /ɓaqʼ watʃ/ | sat /sat/ | ich /itʃ/ | bʼaqʼwach /ɓaqʼwatʃ/ |
| Hello | ma chaa /ma tʃaː/ | saʼbʼal /saʔbal/ | kʼamta /kʼamta/ | utz iwäch /uts iwætʃ/ | kawal /kawal/ | bix a beel /biʃ a beːl/ | saqarik /saqaɾik/ |
| Thank you | tioxlaab /tjoʃlaːb/ | maltyox /maltjoʃ/ | tixwajʼ /tiʃwahʼ/ | matyox /matjoʃ/ | yuhwal /juhwal/ | nibʼoolal /nibʼoːlal/ | maltyox /maltjoʃ/ |
| One | jino /hino/ | jun /hun/ | jun /hun/ | jun /xun/ | jun /hun/ | jun /hun/ | jun /xun/ |
| Good | saqʼwach /saqʼwatʃ/ | utz /uts/ | saqʼ /saqʼ/ | utz /uts/ | watxʼ /watʃʼ/ | utz /uts/ | utz /uts/ |
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