This past week I finished my 10th hour of Ixil class and so I thought I’d share a bit about what learning a Mayan language has been like. Firstly, Ixil is the predominant language spoken in my site; while Spanish is the official language spoken across Guatemala there are 22 recognized idioms in different areas of the country. In some regions indigenous communities retained their culture through the Spanish occupation and to this day continue with various elements, including their language. The Ixil region in particular (due in large part to its geographic isolation) has a very strong continuation of its pre-Colombian roots. In my site 90% of the population is indigenous and so almost everyone that lives here learns Ixil in the home as their first language before Spanish and it’s far and away the most spoken on a day to day basis.
I’ve written in previous posts about being surrounded by people speaking a language I knew nothing of – and how at times it can be frustrating, and give me a sense of lonesomeness when I’m in a room full of people. From meals I shared with my host family, to walking through the streets or the market, sitting in the youth office at the health center or when I’m at school so much of the conversation around me is in Ixil. In my five and half months of being in site I will say I’ve grown accustomed to it, sometimes I zone out in meetings when nothing is being said in Spanish or I just wait until someone offers me a summary I comprehend.
That said, since I’m going to be here for a while I like all volunteers are required to take a minimum of 20 hours of a Mayan language spoken in our sites (not every volunteer has a predominance of a non-Spanish language in their site but we all take classes nonetheless). Initially it took some time for me to find an Ixil teacher and to get a routine going of classes but since March I’ve been fitting in a few hours here and there and it’s been really helpful in helping me integrate into the community. After 10 hours I can’t really hold much more than a two sentence conversation but the fact that I can say those two sentences makes such a difference. in how people receive me. Because I’m seen as a foreigner, most people in the community treat me unconsciously as an outsider with their language being what separates us (among other things). So when people find out I’m learning Ixil they’re often surprised and get excited that I’m making an effort at getting to know such an important part of their culture.
The best reactions far and away have come from the students at my basico. One day when I was helping them in their English class I asked them if they remembered the word for peach (we were talking about colors and fruits), one student said turansa, the Ixil word, and I followed with ‘Kanich u turansa’ which means ‘how much for the peach?’ All the students stopped what they were doing, looked at me in complete shock, and let out a big laugh. They were so surprised that I could say such a simple sentence in their language that during recess they came up to me to quiz me on what else I knew, and to teach me more words. All the relationship building I had been doing since getting here paled in comparison to that interaction.
So what does Ixil actually sound like? How is it trying to learn a language structured completely unlike English or Spanish? Well I’ll tell you it takes a lot of practice getting my mouth to produce the proper sounds. The letters make similar sounds as they do in Spanish (as the alphabet was borrowed from it) but many letters have an accent after them, indicating that they make a glottal sound – basically an emphasis using muscles in your throat.
It would be close to impossible for me to explain the differences between these sounds in text (which is why my classes are mostly just repeating my teacher as opposed to trying to sound things out myself from textbooks). They are very unlike any I’m used to making – by changing the movement, direction, or placement of the lips, teeth, and in particular tongue different sounds are made that are differentiated in Ixil that would otherwise not be in English or Spanish. One example, the sound ‘sh’ makes in English pretty simple to understand and is the same as the sound ‘x’ makes in Ixil. But ‘xh’ or ‘xh’’ or ‘txh’ or ‘txh’’ are variations on what English speakers might think of as the same sound. In my classes my teacher is very patient with me as I try to make the sounds he says are different but I don’t totally buy. Anyway, here are some basic words that I’ve learned thus far – feel free to take your best guess at what they sound like!
- Txhaql axh – good morning
- Xeni – good afternoon
- kam tal axh – how are you?
- Ban kuxh in – I’m well
- Ta’n tiuxh – thank you
- La’s – Francisco*
- Lu – Lucas
- Mal – Maria
- Xhiv – Juana
- Avukul – come in
- Xhone’ ven – sit down
- Txhem – chair
- Meexha – table**
- Txikon – bean
- K’oatxh – banana
- Turansa – peach**
- Manko – mango**
*Once the Spanish language was introduced into the Ixil region existing names were given Spanish equivalents. Not every name has an Ixil translation, as names that were popular at the time Spanish was introduced were those given Ixil versions.
**Certain words didn’t exist in Ixil and so were made up as new words once Spanish was introduced (I included some food names because I found it interesting that the words show what didn’t exist in the region pre-Spanish arrival). The word for table in Spanish is mesa, peach is durazno, so you can see the resemblance.
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