A Historical Grammar of the Maya Language of Yucatan (1557-2000)
Page 43
on land
nic
extremity, end, terminus nicliz
finite
tan
middle, half
tanliz
striped
254 ADJECTIVES
Only three adjectives suffixed by -lis are listed in the Hocaba dictionary of Modern Yucatec:
(18)
Adjective
Variant
Gloss
k’ol-lis
k’óol-lis
bald
tul-lis
túul-lis
full, round, whole
wol-lis wóol-lis
round
Of these, only w(ó)ol-lis is related to a numeral classifier: wóol ‘ball, circle’ (V. Bricker et al. 1998:307). A
possible cognate of this adjective in Colonial Yucatec had a completely different meaning: uoliz ‘solid, firm.’
2.4. ADJECTIVES MARKED BY -ACH OR -VCH. The Calepino de Motul lists a number of adjectives that were
derived from adjectival or nominal roots with the suffixes, -ach or -Vch (V was a copy of the vowel in the
root). The ubiquity of -ach in such stems and the replacement of /a/ by vowel-copying in a few cases sug-
gests that the vowel in this suffix was originally schwa.
2.4.1. ADJECTIVES DERIVED FROM ADJECTIVAL ROOTS WITH -ACH OR -VCH. The suffix, -ach, marked derived
adjectives whose root vowel was /a/ in Colonial Yucatec:
(19)
Adjective
Gloss
Adjective
Gloss
chauac long
chaucach gigantic
hah
true, valid; fixed,
halach
true, truly
permanent,
agreeable; necessary
yaab
much, many, often
yaabach
many
kaz
somewhat, semi
kazach
somewhat
kak straight
kakach directly
kalam
difficult, hard to
kalamach
difficult, hard to please, arrogant
please, arrogant
kam
strong (voice, wind),
kamach
strong [in compounds]
vigorous
tħah
active, industrious,
tħahach
active, industrious, tireless,
tireless, curious,
curious, brave
brave
It also marked four derived adjectives whose root vowel was /i/ or /o/:
(20)
Adjective
Gloss
Adjective
Gloss
cooc
scarce, niggardly,
coocach
scarce, niggardly, stingy,
stingy, leprous,
leprous, mean, wretched
mean, wretched
ɔijc
left (hand, side)
ɔijcach
sinister, insolent, excessive,
touchy, disliked, ungrateful
kox
wild, intractable
koxach
wild, intractable (animal), churlish,
(animal), churlish,
surly, uncouth, strange,
surly, uncouth,
anti-social, laconic (man)
strange, anti-social,
laconic (man)
ADJECTIVES 255
noh
right-handed; principal, nohach
sagacious, capable, skillful,
great
industrious, robust, diligent,
prompt
However, the suffixes of six derived adjectives whose root vowel was /i/, /o/, or /u/ were -ich, -och, and -uch,
respectively:
(21)
Adjective
Gloss
Adjective
Gloss
cii
sweet, tasty, delicious, cilich
holy, blessed
pleasant
coh
precious, valuable
coohoch
valuable, precious
kul
very, much
kuluch
entirely, wholly [in some verbal
compounds]
noh
right-handed; principal, nohoch
big, large, great
great
nuc
fat, thick, bulky
nucuch
thick, coarse, fat, excellent
toop
precipitously, recklessly, toopoch
precipitously, recklessly, violently
violently
An exception was kulich ‘smooth, shiny (stones)’ (< kul ‘hardened (fruit), bright’), whose suffix was -ich
instead of -uch (or -ach).
2.4.2. ADJECTIVES DERIVED FROM NOMINAL ROOTS WITH -ACH. Six adjectival stems derived from nominal
roots in the Calepino de Motul co-occurred with -ach in agreement with the vowel in their roots:
(22)
Noun
Gloss
Adjective
Gloss
ahual
principal enemy and
ahualach
difficult, troublesome, arrogant,
opponent who kills
inconsiderate, discontented
and destroys; vile,
person who does not like to
very harmful and
associate with poor people
pernicious thing
bak
count of 400
bakach
all
çauin
covetous, jealous
çauinach
covetous, jealous
yamaa
boy who cries easily;
yamaach
tearful (boy)
cry-baby
yaom
vulgar, indecent
yaomach
deceitful, feigned, hypocritical
woman; whore; bad
Christian; hypocrite
lac
totality, every thing
lâcâch
all [in compounds]
Four of the adjectives derived from adjectival roots with -ach or -Vch in (19) and (21) have cognates in the
Hocaba dictionary of Modern Yucatec:
(23)
Adjective
Gloss
Adjective
Gloss
kiʔ
tasty, delicious
kilíʔič
holy
noh
principal
nohoč
big, large, great
nùuk
big (plural)
nukuč
big, great (plural)
yaʔab’
much
yáʔab’ač
many1
256 ADJECTIVES
2.5. ADJECTIVES MARKED BY -BEN. The potential suffix, -ben, which means ‘capable of being,’ can be added
to nominal and verbal roots and stems.
2.5.1. POTENTIAL ADJECTIVES DERIVED FROM NOMINAL ROOTS. The Calepino de Motul lists the following
potential adjectives derived from nominal roots:
(24)
Noun
Gloss
Adjective
Gloss
alak
domesticated animal
alakben
friendly, sociable, tractable
baxal
toy, game
baxben
easily ridiculed, mocked
be
road
beelben
feasible, practicable
can
talk, chat, conversation, canben
recountable
story, sermon
lak
companion, neighbor; lakben
friendly, sociable, companionable
spouse, friend,
concubine
muk
strength; patience,
mukben
tolerable
suffering, necessity
nic
extremity, end,
nicben
finite
terminus
ol
heart (non-corporeal),
olben
desirable
mind, will, desire,
energy, spirit;
condition, quality
ppec hatred
ppecben abominable
tumut
plan, advice
tumtaben
testable, worthy of consideration
None of these adjectives have cognates in the Hocaba dictionary of Modern Yucatec, and only one adjec-
tive in that dialect is derived from a nominal root with -b’éʔen: páayb’éʔen ‘indispensable’ (< páay ‘part,
piece’) (V. Bricker et al. 1998:210).
2.5.2. POTENTIAL ADJECTIVES DERIVED FROM VERBAL ROOTS. The Calepino de Motul lists six adjectives
that were derived from verbal roots with the potential suffix, -ben:
(25)
Verb
Gloss
Adjective
Gloss
cuch
carry on back
cuchben
transported, transportable on back
tzic
obey, honor, respect
tzicben
honorable, venerable
ɔac
cure, heal
ɔacben
curable
cħa
take, seize, collect,
cħaben
acceptable
carry off
tħan
speak, call, address
tħanben
pronounceable
uch
happen
uchben
old, ancient
Modern cognates of four of these potential adjectives (tzic, ɔac, tħan, uch) are among the ones listed in the
Hocaba dictionary:
ADJECTIVES 257
(26)
Verb
Gloss
Adjective
Gloss
ȼik
respect, obey
ȼikb’éʔen
respectable
ȼ’ak
cure, heal
ȼ’akb’éʔen
curable
č’ak
cut [with a blow], axe
č’akb’éʔen
cuttable
hek’
break off, snap
hek’b’éʔen
breakable
kač
split, fracture
kačb’éʔen
breakable
kon
sell
komb’éʔen
salable
man
buy, purchase
mamb’éʔen
purchasable
moč
retract /hands, feet/
močb’éʔen
retractable
puč’
crush, mash, bruise
puč’b’éʔen
crushable
šok
count, read, study
šokb’éʔen
legible
šot
cut, slice
šotb’éʔen
cuttable
šot’
saw, break, limit
šot’b’éʔen
cuttable
tus
lie, deceive
tusb’éʔen
gullible
t’an
speak, call, address
t’anb’éʔen
pronounceable
ʔúuč
happen
ʔučb’en
old, ancient
ʔuk’
drink
ʔuk’b’éʔen
potable
The only intransitive root in this list is ʔúuc ‘to happen.’ All the other roots in (26) are transitive, contrast-
ing in this respect with the greater emphasis on nominal roots as sources of potential adjectives in the
Calepino de Motul (as suggested by [24] above).
2.6. ADJECTIVES DERIVED FROM VERBAL ROOTS OR STEMS WITH -LAC OR -LIC. The suffix, -lac, derived
adjectives from celeritive and inchoative stems, transitive roots, and a few positional roots in Colonial Yu-
catec. In addition, -lic, an apparent variant of -lac, derived adjectives from the majority of positional roots.
The -lac adjective derived from celeritive and inchoative stems had a gerundial meaning.
2.6.1. ADJECTIVES DERIVED FROM CELERITIVE STEMS. As explained in 2.3. in Chapter 6, celeritive verbs
were derived from verbal roots by suffixing -kah (phonetic [-k’ah]) in Colonial Yucatec. The Calepino de Mo-
tul lists thirteen adjectives with -ka-lac, five of which are paired with the celeritive verbal stems from which
they are derived:
(27) Celeritive
Celeritive
Verb
Gloss
Adjective
Gloss
balkah
roll over; upset (vessel) balkalac
rolling over; restless; rolling back
and forth
coolkah
become loose (tied
coolkalac
loose
object), rickety,
disconnected
mankah
pass quickly or
mankalac
passing suddenly or quickly
suddenly; forget
pitkah
slip, slide
pitkalac
escaping, sliding away, slipping
away
ualkah
return
ualkalac
aimless, disoriented (sick person)
258 ADJECTIVES
Such adjectives are also well documented in the Hocaba dictionary of Modern Yucatec:
(28) Celeritive
Celeritive
Verb
Gloss
Adjective
Gloss
hetk’ah
split, break suddenly
hetk’alak
breakable
hopk’ah
flame suddenly
hopk’alak
flammable
(gasoline)
kipk’ah
slip suddenly
kipk’alak
slippery
k’atk’ah
block suddenly
k’atk’alak
weaving back and forth (traffic)
leb’k’ah
open suddenly
leb’k’alak
easily opened (door that won’t
stay closed)
nilk’ah
slip, fall
nilk’alak
slippery
nup’k’ah
close suddenly
nup’k’alak
easily closed
tep’k’ah
burst suddenly
tep’k’alak
easily burst
waȼ’k’ah
bend suddenly (corn)
waȼ’k’alak
pliable
2.6.2. ADJECTIVES DERIVED FROM INCHOATIVE STEMS. The suffix, chah, derived inchoative verbs from sev-
eral kinds of roots, principally adjectival and nominal, in Colonial Yucatec (see 2.2.2. in Chapter 6). The
Calepino de Motul lists 35 inchoative verbs marked by -chah, of which ten are paired with adjectives de-
rived from them by -lac:
(29)
Inchoative
Inchoative
Verb
Gloss
&n
bsp; Adjective
Gloss
balchah
become hidden,
balchalac
hidden, disappeared
covered; disappear
coolchah
become loose (tied
coolchalac
loose
object), rickety,
disconnected
çaychah
become twisted (foot), çaychalac
twisted, dislocated
dislocated (bone)
hacchah
slip, slide, skid
hacchalac
slipping, sliding
lubchah
go about falling and
lubchalac
falling and getting up again
getting up again
namchah
lose sight; be forgotten namchalac
losing vision or becoming forgetful
otchah
fall (ripe fruit); fall off
otchalac
fallen (fruit, stone)
(branch); collapse
(building); rain
(water from clouds)
ppuchah
unstitch, tear (cloth);
ppuchalac
unstitching, tearing (cloth), coming
unbind (book)
unbound (book)
tomchah
sink [into water, mud]; tomchalac
hobbling
step in pit, snare
uecchah
become spilled,
uecchalac
spilling, scattering, shedding
scattered, shed
The Hocaba dictionary contains no examples of inchoative adjectives suffixed with -lak, implying that that
derivational process did not survive into Modern Yucatec.
ADJECTIVES
259
2.6.3. ADJECTIVES DERIVED FROM TRANSITIVE ROOTS WITH -LAC. The Calepino de Motul lists eleven adjec-
tives derived from transitive roots with -lac:
(30) Transitive
Verb
Gloss
Adjective
Gloss
cip
slide /curtain/
ciplac
slippery
chol
loosen, untangle
cho(l)lac
blistered (wall from humidity)
cħeh
spill, scatter widely