Tojol-ab'al
Tojolabal
Mayan
Tojolabal (autonymously Tojol-abʼal, "the true language") is a Mayan language of the Chujean sub-branch within the Q'anjob'alan-Chujean branch, spoken by around 70,000 people in the Las Margaritas and Comitán municipalities of Chiapas, Mexico, near the Guatemalan border. Linguistically, Tojolabal is most closely related to Chuj (cac) of Guatemala — the two are sometimes treated as a Chujean dialect cluster — and more distantly to the Q'anjob'alan languages (Q'anjob'al kjb, Akateko, Jakalteko). The Tojolabal community is known for its strong communal land-tenure tradition (the ejido system) and the political philosophy of the "nosotros" (we — Tojolabal lekilukʼ) which emphasizes collective subjectivity over individual identity. The 1994 Zapatista uprising in Chiapas brought significant attention to Tojolabal as one of the major Mayan languages of the autonomous-municipality region.
Where it is spoken
31 core words in Tojolabal
Water
jaʼ
/haʔ/
Fire
kʼakʼ
/kʼakʼ/
Sun
kʼakʼu
/kʼakʼu/
Moon
ixaw
/iʃaw/
Star
kʼanal
/kʼanal/
Mother
nan
/nan/
Father
tat
/tat/
I
keʼn
/keʔn/
You
weʼn
/weʔn/
Name
bʼiʼil
/ɓiʔil/
Eye
satej
/sateh/
Hand
kʼabʼ
/kʼaɓ/
Heart
altzil
/altsil/
Love
skʼana
/skʼana/
Tree
teʼ
/teʔ/
House
naj
/nah/
Dog
tsʼiʼ
/tsʼiʔ/
Cat
mis
/mis/
Eat
waʼel
/waʔel/
Drink
ukʼ
/ukʼ/
One
jun
/hun/
Two
chabʼ
/tʃaɓ/
Hello
lekilukʼ
/lekilukʼ/
Thank you
yuj
/juh/
Good
lek
/lek/
Sources
Words compared
Compared with related Mayan languages
| Meaning | Tojolabal | Tzotzil | Tzeltal | Uspanteko | Q'anjob'al | Itzá Maya | Tabasco Chontal |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water | jaʼ /haʔ/ | voʼ /voʔ/ | jaʼ /haʔ/ | jaʼ /haʔ/ | haʼ /haʔ/ | jaʼ /haʔ/ | jaʼ /haʔ/ |
| Fire | kʼakʼ /kʼakʼ/ | kʼokʼ /kʼokʼ/ | kʼajkʼ /kʼahkʼ/ | qʼaqʼ /qʼaqʼ/ | qʼaʼ /qʼaʔ/ | kʼakʼ /kʼakʼ/ | kʼakʼ /kʼakʼ/ |
| Sun | kʼakʼu /kʼakʼu/ | kʼakʼal /kʼakʼal/ | kʼajkʼal /kʼahkʼal/ | qʼiij /qʼiːh/ | kʼuʼ /kʼuʔ/ | kʼin /kʼin/ | kʼin /kʼin/ |
| Moon | ixaw /iʃaw/ | u /u/ | u /u/ | ikʼ /ikʼ/ | ixaw /iʃaw/ | uj /uh/ | ä /æ/ |
| Star | kʼanal /kʼanal/ | kʼanal /kʼanal/ | ekʼ /ekʼ/ | ch'umil /tʃʼumil/ | txʼumel /tʂʼumel/ | ekʼ /ekʼ/ | ekʼ /ʔekʼ/ |
| Mother | nan /nan/ | meʼ /meʔ/ | meʼ /meʔ/ | nan /nan/ | mim /mim/ | naʼ /naʔ/ | naʼ /naʔ/ |
| Father | tat /tat/ | tot /tot/ | tat /tat/ | tat /tat/ | mam /mam/ | tat /tat/ | tat /tat/ |
| I | keʼn /keʔn/ | voʼon /voʔon/ | joʼon /hoʔon/ | in /in/ | ayin /ʔajin/ | ten /ten/ | noʼon /noʔon/ |
| You | weʼn /weʔn/ | voʼot /voʔot/ | jaʼat /haʔat/ | at /at/ | hach /hatʃ/ | tech /tetʃ/ | neʼet /neʔet/ |
| Name | bʼiʼil /ɓiʔil/ | biil /ɓiːl/ | biil /ɓiːl/ | b'ii /ɓiː/ | bʼi /ɓi/ | kʼabaʼ /kʼaɓaʔ/ | kʼabaʼ /kʼaɓaʔ/ |
| Eye | satej /sateh/ | sat /sat/ | sit /sit/ | wach /watʃ/ | sat /sat/ | ich /itʃ/ | wich /witʃ/ |
| Hand | kʼabʼ /kʼaɓ/ | kʼob /kʼob/ | kʼab /kʼab/ | qʼab /qʼab/ | qʼab /qʼab/ | kʼab /kʼab/ | kʼä /kʼæ/ |
| Heart | altzil /altsil/ | oʼon /oʔon/ | oʼtan /oʔtan/ | kʼuʼx /kʼuʔʃ/ | kʼulul /kʼulul/ | pukʼsikʼal /pukʼsikʼal/ | pixan /piʃan/ |
| Love | skʼana /skʼana/ | kʼanel /kʼanel/ | kʼanbey /kʼanbej/ | lóqʼ /lóqʼ/ | kamkʼulal /kamkʼulal/ | yakunti /jakunti/ | kʼuxbe /kʼuʃbe/ |
| Tree | teʼ /teʔ/ | teʼ /teʔ/ | teʼ /teʔ/ | cheʼ /tʃeʔ/ | teʼ /teʔ/ | cheʼ /tʃeʔ/ | teʼ /teʔ/ |
| House | naj /nah/ | na /na/ | na /na/ | jaa /haː/ | na /na/ | nah /nah/ | otot /otot/ |
| Dog | tsʼiʼ /tsʼiʔ/ | tzʼiʼ /tsʼiʔ/ | tsʼiʼ /tsʼiʔ/ | tzʼiʼ /tsʼiʔ/ | tzʼiʼ /tsʼiʔ/ | pekʼ /pekʼ/ | pekʼ /pekʼ/ |
| Cat | mis /mis/ | mis /mis/ | mis /mis/ | mis /mis/ | mes /mes/ | mis /mis/ | mis /mis/ |
| Eat | waʼel /waʔel/ | veʼel /veʔel/ | weʼel /weʔel/ | waʼ /waʔ/ | lo /lo/ | jant /hant/ | weʼ /weʔ/ |
| Drink | ukʼ /ukʼ/ | uchʼ /utʃʼ/ | uchʼel /utʃʼel/ | ukʼ /ukʼ/ | uku /uku/ | ukʼ /ukʼ/ | ukʼe /ukʼe/ |
| One | jun /hun/ | jun /hun/ | jun /xun/ | jun /hun/ | jun /hun/ | jun /hun/ | un /un/ |
| Two | chabʼ /tʃaɓ/ | chib /tʃiɓ/ | cheb /tʃeb/ | quiib' /kiːɓ/ | kabʼ /kaɓ/ | kaʼ /kaʔ/ | chaʼ /tʃaʔ/ |
| Hello | lekilukʼ /lekilukʼ/ | kʼusi avokoluk /kʼusi avokoluk/ | banti winik /banti winik/ | saʼbʼal /saʔbal/ | kawal /kawal/ | bʼix a tʼan /biʃ a tʼan/ | bin a bel /bin a bel/ |
| Thank you | yuj /juh/ | kolaval /kolaval/ | wokol awal /wokol awal/ | maltyox /maltjoʃ/ | yuhwal /juhwal/ | dios bʼotik /dios botik/ | dios boʼtik /dios boʔtik/ |
| Good | lek /lek/ | lek /lek/ | lek /lek/ | utz /uts/ | watxʼ /watʃʼ/ | malobʼ /malob/ | tsʼak /tsʼak/ |
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