both cases the Modern cognate of ix: š ʔíikim ‘owl’ and š ʔòop ‘parrot.’ The roots of both of them begin with
a glottal stop, suggesting the possible motivation for this apparent innovation. However, ʔúulum ‘turkey’
has not yet undergone this change (and perhaps never will).
2.6.1.2. MAMMALIAN TERMS. Only seven of the 26 terms for mammals listed in the Calepino de Motul
co-occur with clitic particles, and those that do co-occur with ah.
2.6.1.2.1. MAMMALIAN TERMS THAT CO-OCCUR WITH AH. The mammalian terms that co-occurred with ah
in Colonial Yucatec were:
NOUNS 213
(80)
Mammalian term
Gloss
(ah) bil
hairless dog
ah cib
a small animal that resembles a small puma but has the color of a lion
ah chab
anteater, sloth
ah chuchul
wildcat species
(ah) maax
spider monkey
ix maax
female spider monkey
ah pez
male badger
The use of the clitic particles, ah and ix, with maax ‘spider monkey’ mark them as male or female, and the
gloss for ah pez specifies that the badger is male.
Only three terms for mammals in the list have cognates in the Hocaba dialect of Modern Yucatec:
(81)
Mammalian term
Gloss
h čab’
anteater
h čùučul
margay
h màaš
spider monkey
They have retained ah in its Modern form.
In addition to the seven monolexemic mammalian terms mentioned above, the Calepino also lists four
compounds that co-occurred with ah and referred to mammals:
(82)
Mammalian term
Gloss
ah ba=cħo
large rats that live below the ground like moles
(ah) cab=coh
small puma
(ah) çam=hol
kinkajou
ah vay=mi
wildcat that goes about in the trees and breeds in its hole
None of these compounds occurs in the Hocaba dialect of Modern Yucatec.
2.6.1.2.2. MAMMALIAN TERMS THAT DO NOT CO-OCCUR WITH NOUN CLASSIFIERS. The Calepino de Motul
lists 19 mammalian terms with neither ah nor ix as clitic particles. Some examples of such terms appear
below:
(83)
Mammalian term
Gloss
ba
mole, gopher
balam jaguar
ceh
white-tailed deer
citam
wild pig
cooh puma
çabim weasel
çoɔ
bat
tzub agouti
cħamac
fox
cħoo
rat, mouse
214 NOUNS
yuc
brocket deer
keken
pig, hog
och opossum
paay skunk
pek dog
tħul
rabbit, mule
Each of these terms has a cognate in Modern Yucatec:
(84)
Mammalian term
Gloss
h b’ah
mole
b’áalam
jaguar
(h) kéeh
deer
kitam peccary
h koh
puma
h kúʔuk
squirrel
ȼùub’
agouti
č’amak ~ č’omak
gray fox
č’oʔ
rat, mouse
k’éek’en
pig
ʔòoč
fox, weasel
h páay
skunk
pèek’
dog
sáab’in
weasel
sòoȼ’
bat
t’úʔul
rabbit
(h) yùuk
fawn
Six of these terms have acquired the clitic particle, h (formerly ah), in the transition from Colonial to Mod-
ern Yucatec. The remaining eleven terms have not undergone this change.
2.6.1.3. REPTILIAN TERMS. Only five of the 17 reptilian terms listed in the Calepino de Motul co-occur with
either ah or ix.
2.6.1.3.1. REPTILIAN TERMS THAT CO-OCCUR WITH AH OR IX. The examples in (85) show that four terms for
reptiles co-occurred with ah and one with ix in Colonial Yucatec:
(85)
Reptilian term
Gloss
ah bab
large toad
ah ceuez
male iguana
(ah) kolo
turkey cock
ah tzeel
male iguana
(ix) mech
small lizard
Three of the terms, ah ceuez ‘male iguana,’ (ah) kolo ‘turkey cock,’ and ah tzeel ‘male iguana,’ refer to male
animals, implying that ah served as a gender clitic particle with them.
NOUNS 215
The only reptilian term that has a cognate in the Hocaba dialect of Modern Yucatec is the compound,
ah tzab=can ‘rattlesnake,’ whose Modern cognate is ȼáaʔ=kàan with the same meaning, but it does not
co-occur with the noun classifier, h.
2.6.1.3.2. REPTILIAN TERMS THAT DO NOT CO-OCCUR WITH NOUN CLASSIFIERS. Eight of the 12 terms that
did not co-occur with noun classifiers in Colonial Yucatec have cognates in the Hocaba dialect of Modern
Yucatec:
(86)
Reptilian term
Gloss
ac
turtle, tortoise, fresh-water turtle
ayn
cayman, alligator
can
snake, worm
huh iguana
kokob
poisonous snake, viper
much frog
pol=poch fer-de-lance
uo
frog, toad
Their Modern cognates in Hocaba are listed in (87) below:
(87)
Reptilian term
Gloss
ʔáak
turtle
ʔáayin ~ ʔáayil
alligator
hùuh iguana
kàan
snake, worm
š k’óok’ob’
name of serpent
mùuč
toad, frog
woʔ
a type of frog
wóol=póoč
fer-de-lance
Of these, only one reptilian term, š k’óok’ob’ ‘name of serpent,’ has acquired š as a noun classifier in Modern
Yucatec, and none employ h as a noun classifier.
2.6.1.4. TERMS FOR INSECTS AND WORMS. Less than one-third of the 32 terms for insects in the Calepino
de Motul co-occur with ah or ix.
2.6.1.4.1. TERMS FOR INSECTS AND WORMS THAT CO-OCCUR WITH AH. Seven of the ten insectival terms
that co-occur with noun classifiers are listed with ah in the Calepino de Motul:
(88)
Insectival term
Gloss
ah bool
native stingless bee
ah çaɔ
large worms eaten by the Indians
ah çay
large ants
(ah) ciçil
bedbug
ah kizil
small, black, flying beetles
ah leum
type of spider
(ah) pic
blood-sucking cockroach
216 NOUNS
Three terms in this list have cognates in the Hocaba dialect of Modern Yucatec:
/> (89)
Insectival term
Gloss
h pik
blood-sucking cockroach
saȼ’in
a type of slug or caterpillar
sàay
Argentine ant
Only one of these cognates has retained the Modern cognate of ah: h.
To these monolexemic terms can be added nine compounds that co-occur with ah, of which the follow-
ing are examples:
(90)
Insectival term
Gloss
ah box=pech
a type of medium-sized tick
ah cab=luum
a type of bumblebee
ah chibal yax=cach
biting fly
ah chuah=cab
wild bees
ah é=cum çinic
black winged ant
ah mahan=na pepem large butterfly
ah pul=cimil nok
worms that carry pestilence
Only one of these examples has a cognate in the Hocaba dialect of Modern Yucatec: š yáʔaš=kač ‘house fly.’
2.6.1.4.2. TERMS FOR INSECTS THAT CO-OCCUR WITH IX. Four of the five insectival terms that co-occur with
ix refer to types of cicadas:
(91)
Insectival term
Gloss
ix coochol
certain large cicadas that destroy grapevines
ix kochol
cicadas without wings that move slowly, with a neck like a friar’s cowl
ix mochoch
cicada
ix mohoch
cicadas without wings that move slowly, with a neck like a friar’s cowl
ix tuzil
clothes moth
Only two terms in this list have cognates in the Hocaba dialect of Modern Yucatec:
(92)
Insectival term
Gloss
š kòočol
cricket
š tùusil
caddis fly
2.6.1.4.3. TERMS FOR INSECTS AND WORMS THAT DO NOT CO-OCCUR WITH NOUN CLASSIFIERS. Twenty of
the 36 insectival terms plus one term for worm in the Calepino de Motul do not co-occur with noun classi-
fiers and also have cognates in the Hocaba dialect of Modern Yucatec:
(93)
Insectival term
Gloss
ácach
horsefly, botfly
am spider
cab bee
cocay
firefly
NOUNS 217
çak
grasshopper, locust
çinic ant
cħic
flea
holon
drone, bumblebee, hornet
koxol mosquito
kulim
blood-sucking tick of this land
lucum angleworm
maz cricket
nin mealybug
nokol caterpillar
pech tick
pepem
butterfly
ppa
chicken louse
uel gnat
uk louse
xulab
biting ant that eats honey and bees
xux wasp
The corresponding cognates in the Hocaba dictionary are listed in (94):
(94)
Insectival term
Gloss
ʔáakač
gadfly, horse-fly
(h) ʔam
spider
č’ik
flea
holom
scarab beetle
kàab’
bee
kóokay
firefly
k’ošol
mosquito
h k’ulin
blood-sucking tick
š lukum=kàan
angleworm
h máas
cricket
níʔin
mealybug
š nóʔok’ol
caterpillar
pèeč
tick
péepem
butterfly
š p’ah
chicken louse
sáak’
grashopper, locust
síinik ant
šúulab’
cornfield ant
šùuš wasp
ʔuk’
louse
h wéel
gnat
Seven terms now have noun classifiers, four with h and three with š. Three of the cognates with h refer to
biting insects. The fourth is the term for cricket, which is not known for biting. The use of š is also inconsis-
tent. One of the terms refers to a caterpillar and the other to a worm. The third refers to a chicken louse.
218 NOUNS
2.6.1.5. TERMS FOR FISH. The Calepino de Motul lists 11 terms for fish, five of which co-occur with ah or ix.
2.6.1.5.1. TERMS FOR FISH THAT CO-OCCUR WITH AH OR IX. The following terms for fish co-occurred with
ah in Colonial Yucatec:
(95)
Fish term
Gloss
(ah) luu
freshwater catfish
ah pat
dogfish, shark
(ah) xac
mojarra, peje
ah yul
spotted dogfish
Only (ah) luu has a cognate in the Hocaba dialect of Modern Yucatec: h luʔ ‘a small black fish.’ The fifth term
in Colonial Yucatec was ix toc ‘sardines,’ for which there is no cognate term in the Hocaba dictionary.
To them can be added two compounds in the Calepino de Motul that referred to fish:
(96)
Fish term
Gloss
ah col=cay
sheepshead [marine fish]
ah cul=che
tasty, medium-sized marine fish
2.6.1.5.2. TERMS FOR FISH THAT DO NOT CO-OCCUR WITH NOUN CLASSIFIERS. Six terms for fish that did
not co-occur with noun classifiers are listed in the Calepino de Motul. The glosses for those terms are
vague, and they do not have cognates in the Hocaba dialect of Yucatecan Maya. Therefore, they are not
considered further here.
2.6.2. NOUN CLASSIFIERS WITH BOTANICAL TERMS. The Calepino de Motul lists 81 roots that refer to plants,
of which only five co-occur with ah or ix.
2.6.2.1. BOTANICAL TERMS THAT CO-OCCUR WITH AH. The following terms for plants co-occurred with ah
in Colonial Yucatec:
(97)
Botanical term
Gloss
ah max
small, wild chili pepper
(ah) mul
plant with burs that stick to clothes
(ah) xúcul
purslane
Each term has a cognate in the Hocaba dialect of Yucatecan Maya, none of which occurs with a noun
classifier:
(98)
Botanical term
Gloss
màaš
wild chili pepper Capsicum annuum L.
mul
a grass producing spiny burs used for removing children’s loose teeth
Cenchrus pilosus HBK
šukul purslane
Portulaca oleracea L.
NOUNS
219
2.6.2.2. BOTANICAL TERMS THAT CO-OCCUR WITH IX. Two monolexemic terms for plants co-occurred with
ix in Colonial Yucatec:
(99)
Botanical term
Gloss
(ix) chuch
a medicinal plant
(ix) koch
castor bean
Both of them have cognates in the Hocaba dialect of Modern Yucatec:
(100) Botanical term
Gloss
(h) čuč
Priva lappulacea (L.) Pers.
š k’óʔoč
castor bean Ricinis communis L.
The Calepino contains eight botanical compounds with ix, in addition to the t
wo monolexemic terms
mentioned above:
(101) Botanical term
Gloss
ix akab=nic
jasmines that only produce scent at night
ix cabal=hau
root serves as antidote against all kinds of poison or venom
ix cabal yax=nic
a small plant with blue flowers whose sap is marvellous for open wounds
ix ɔacal=bac
root is good for curing broken or dislocated bones
ix chichi=be
mallow of this land
ix chi=op=le
a plant or bush with aromatic leaves
ix kan=tun=bub
medicinal herb antidote for poison
ix taman=can
a sorrel-like herb
Three of these compounds have cognates in the Hocaba dialect of Modern Yucatec:
(102) Botanical term
Gloss
š číʔičiʔ=b’eh
Sida acuta Burm. f.
š kàamb’al=hàaw
Dorstenia contrajerva L.
š k’áan=tun=b’úuʔ
Melampodium divaricatum (L. Rich.) DC.
Note that all of these compounds have the š cognate of ix in Modern Yucatec.
2.6.2.3. BOTANICAL TERMS THAT DO NOT CO-OCCUR WITH NOUN CLASSIFIERS. The Calepino de Motul
lists 76 monolexemic terms for plants that do not co-occur with ah or ix, 56 of which have cognates in the
Hocaba dialect of Modern Yucatec. A representative sample of them appears in (103) below:
(103) Botanical term
Gloss
abal plum
beeb
spiny plants
buul
small beans
ca
edible squash with white stripes
copo
a type of fig tree with small fruit
çiçim
green wormwood of this land
220 NOUNS
chacah gumbo-limbo
chij nance
cħoh
indigo
ya sapote
ic
chili pepper
iç
sweet potato
ixim corn
lal nettle
on avocado
ppac tomato
tez
wild amaranth
The Modern cognates of these terms are:
(104) Botanical term
Gloss
ʔabal
plum
b’éʔeb’
a woody vine, often with prominent spines Pisonia aculeata L.
b’úʔul
beans
čakah
Bursera simaruba (L.) Sargent
čiʔ
nance Byrsonima crassifolia (L.) HBK
č’òoh
indigo Indigofera suffruticosa Miller
ʔìik
chili pepper Capsicum annuum L.
ʔìis
sweet potato Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam.
ʔišíʔim
corn Zea mays L.
š kaʔ
round squash Cucurbita mixta Pang.
kóopoʔ
Ficus cotinifolia HBK
láal nettle
Urera caracasana (Jacq.) Griseb.
ʔòom
avocado Persea americana Mill.
A Historical Grammar of the Maya Language of Yucatan (1557-2000) Page 37