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Bubba

Mar 9, 2007, 8:41 AM

Post #1 of 19 (2382 views)

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On Studying Tzotzil

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According to the internet, about 34,000 people in Chiapas speak the Mayan language Tzotzil and my wife thought it a good idea to study this language during her free time in San Cristóbal. Yours truly has enough difficulty comprehending Spanish so I admire her spunk. Tzotzil and other indigenous languages are largely disappearing but there is a nascent movement to save these important languages and pass them on to the next generations.

This morning she called me in Ajijic to confirm the moderator´s assessment that I had been a jerk on this web site and just to get even she counted to ten in Tzotzil to properly humble me and bring me down to that level normally reserved for Southern Rednecks. I must say that, despite the enormous damage done in the Americas by the Spanish, one must admire their tenacity in learning and committing this language to paper. There is really no point of reference in decipering Tzotzil based on Latin roots.

I have already forgotten how to count to ten but can say, "How many feet do you have" in Tzotzil.

She wants to take me up to Chenhaló so she can practice her new skill but what I want to know is how useful it will be for me to stroll about the market asking the locals how many feet they have. I may need speedy feet just to get out of there if Delegado Zero (AKA Subcomandante Marcos) gets wind of this.

(This post was edited by Bubba on Mar 9, 2007, 8:45 AM)

sfmacaws

Mar 9, 2007, 11:14 AM

Post #2 of 19 (2354 views)

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Re: [Bubba] On Studying Tzotzil

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Bubba, perhaps it is better to ask a question you already know the answer to, kind of quality control testing. You'll have to learn to count to at least two though, to check the answer.

Sra Bubba, you are my idol.

Jonna - Mérida, Yucatán

arbon

Mar 9, 2007, 2:59 PM

Post #3 of 19 (2339 views)

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Re: [Bubba] On Studying Tzotzil

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"This morning she called me in Ajijic to confirm the moderator´s assessment that I had been a jerk on this web site "

I'm a little fuzzy on this "moderator´s assessment" thingy, is it "good" or "bad" "positive" or "negative" "we want more" or "we want less" and "what's the time?"

It's later than you think.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Bubba

Mar 9, 2007, 3:50 PM

Post #4 of 19 (2329 views)

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Re: [Bubba] On Studying Tzotzil

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dear Bubba
I very much doubt your number of 34 000 people speaking Tsotsil, there are more than 100 000 chamulas alone, not counting Zinacantan , San Andres Larrainzar and a few other municipalies.
Brigitte

tonyburton

Mar 9, 2007, 3:55 PM

Post #5 of 19 (2324 views)

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Re: [Bubba] On Studying Tzotzil

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According to INEGI statistics, there were 329,937 Tzotzil speakers at the last census, 28% of whom were monolingual.

Bubba

Mar 9, 2007, 4:18 PM

Post #6 of 19 (2316 views)

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Re: [Bubba] On Studying Tzotzil

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Well, sk´op sotz´leb to you girl. and batem ta jobel li,xun! *

Bubba is sick of being disgraced by those with superior intellect. After all, I graduated from a university that would not have passed as a high school in Topeka.

* Just so I don´t get into more trouble with Moderator Tony, that means "John is eating a ham sandwich under the Jacaranda tree,"

(This post was edited by Bubba on Mar 9, 2007, 4:24 PM)

arbon

Mar 9, 2007, 8:13 PM

Post #7 of 19 (2296 views)

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Re: [Bubba] On Studying Tzotzil

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`Antz li Loxa e

Sak ta `util li jk'u` e.
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Bubba

Mar 9, 2007, 8:59 PM

Post #8 of 19 (2291 views)

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Re: [arbon] On Studying Tzotzil

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`Antz li Loxa e

Sak ta `util li jk'u` e.

What that means on the Frozen Tundra is "How is it that pee can freeze in mid-air? The answer is "Why do you think we kept moving south all the way to Punta Del Este?"

arbon

Mar 9, 2007, 9:11 PM

Post #9 of 19 (2288 views)

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Re: [Bubba] On Studying Tzotzil

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Much'u p'ij?

`Ol li` e.
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Bubba

Mar 15, 2007, 10:43 AM

Post #10 of 19 (2231 views)

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Re: [arbon] On Studying Tzotzil

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My wife tells me the Tzotzil word for white people - all white people - is Rinko since they can´t say "g". Mestizos are Ladinos. Every one else is from the other side but I´ve forgotten the name.

She also tells me that Arbon is writing gibberish in Tzotzil but then his writings are gibberish in English as well so what´s new? Just joking of course.

(This post was edited by Bubba on Mar 15, 2007, 10:46 AM)

toddmc

Mar 15, 2007, 3:35 PM

Post #11 of 19 (2206 views)

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Re: [Bubba] On Studying Tzotzil

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I am having a hard enough time studying Spanish, but, now I hear that out in your neck of the woods, they even have a form of the language that is whistled!

http://www.sil.org/...Conversacion-cso.htm

So, would we have an accent if we learned it?????

Todd

*************************
Our new life in Patzcuaro: http://lifeinthecorazon.blogspot.com

esperanza

Mar 15, 2007, 3:49 PM

Post #12 of 19 (2198 views)

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Re: [toddmc] On Studying Tzotzil

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WOW!

http://www.mexicocooks.typepad.com

sfmacaws

Mar 15, 2007, 5:50 PM

Post #13 of 19 (2182 views)

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Re: [toddmc] On Studying Tzotzil

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That's amazing! Wouldn't you have loved to know that language when you were a kid, we used to try and make up whistled languages but it's hard to keep straight.

Jonna - Mérida, Yucatán

geri

Mar 15, 2007, 6:07 PM

Post #14 of 19 (2179 views)

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Re: [sfmacaws] On Studying Tzotzil

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That IS amazing. So is the Internet. Is there anything that isn't on the 'Net?!!

In my neighborhood, it's common for people to whistle rather than ring doorbells. Each has a distinctive whistle so the people inside can tell who is at the door. I've become familiar with a couple of these whistles which occur at the same time of day. I'm not sure which door they're at, however. Is this common all over Mexico?

song_of_joy

Mar 15, 2007, 6:14 PM

Post #15 of 19 (2176 views)

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Re: [geri] On Studying Tzotzil

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It is in Guadalajara.

sfmacaws

Mar 15, 2007, 10:33 PM

Post #16 of 19 (2154 views)

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Re: [song_of_joy] On Studying Tzotzil

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I think it is throughout Mexico, families have distinctive whistles.

I know Mimi and I have a whistle, we use it in stores to find each other. Once in New Mexico, a Mexican guy who worked at the WalMart faked us out and kept repeating Mimi's whistle but ducking down. When she finally caught him they both were cracking up.

Jonna - Mérida, Yucatán

esperanza

Mar 15, 2007, 10:37 PM

Post #17 of 19 (2152 views)

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Re: [geri] On Studying Tzotzil

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Oh yes, the family whistle is everywhere in Mexico, as far as I know. But this whistle language--whole conversations in whistle--is something else again. Wow, a great website.

http://www.mexicocooks.typepad.com

sfmacaws

Mar 15, 2007, 10:48 PM

Post #18 of 19 (2149 views)

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Re: [esperanza] On Studying Tzotzil

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I was amazed that it was as specific as orange vs mandarin. Wow is right!

Jonna - Mérida, Yucatán

Papirex

Mar 18, 2007, 5:11 PM

Post #19 of 19 (2096 views)

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Re: [toddmc] On Studying Tzotzil

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When I read the post by Toddmc about the whistle language, I remembered having seen a program on TV a few years ago, which was about a whistle language used by sheperds on a mountainous island off the coast of Africa.

I couldn’t remember the islands name or where it was at, so today I entered “whistle language” in a Google search. It came up with several articles about the language, which is called “Silbrador”. It is used on the island of La Gomera, one of Spain’s Canary islands off the coast of West Africa. It was a surprise to me to learn that there is also a whistle language in México. I wonder if they are the same?

It makes me wonder if Spanish immigrants might have brought Silbrador to Mexico? Who knows?

I’ve never been able to figure out how to make a Dime off of obscure information that I remember like this Smile

Rex

"The supreme happiness of life is the conviction that we are loved" - Victor Hugo

(This post was edited by RexC on Mar 18, 2007, 6:58 PM)