Ch'orti' language
Encyclopedia
The Ch'orti' language (sometimes also Chorti) is a Mayan language, spoken by the indigenous Maya
people who are also known as the Ch'orti'
or Ch'orti' Maya. Ch'orti' is a direct descendant of the Classic Maya language
in which many of the pre-Columbian
inscriptions using the Maya script
were written. This Classic Maya language is also attested in a number of inscriptions made in regions whose inhabitants most likely spoke a different Mayan language variant, including the ancestor of Yukatek Maya
.
Ch'orti' is spoken mainly in Guatemala, and it is also indigenous to the adjacent areas of Honduras and El Salvador, where it is nearly extinct.
Maya peoples
The Maya people constitute a diverse range of the Native American people of southern Mexico and northern Central America. The overarching term "Maya" is a collective designation to include the peoples of the region who share some degree of cultural and linguistic heritage; however, the term...
people who are also known as the Ch'orti'
Ch'orti' people
The Ch'orti' people are one of the indigenous Maya peoples, who primarily reside in communities and towns of southeastern Guatemala, northwestern Honduras, and northern El Salvador. Their indigenous language, also known as Ch'orti', is a survival of Classic Choltian, the language of the...
or Ch'orti' Maya. Ch'orti' is a direct descendant of the Classic Maya language
Classic Maya language
The Classic Maya language is the oldest historically attested member of the Mayan language family. It is the main language documented in the pre-Columbian inscriptions of the Classic Era Maya civilization.- Relationships :...
in which many of the pre-Columbian
Pre-Columbian
The pre-Columbian era incorporates all period subdivisions in the history and prehistory of the Americas before the appearance of significant European influences on the American continents, spanning the time of the original settlement in the Upper Paleolithic period to European colonization during...
inscriptions using the Maya script
Maya script
The Maya script, also known as Maya glyphs or Maya hieroglyphs, is the writing system of the pre-Columbian Maya civilization of Mesoamerica, presently the only Mesoamerican writing system that has been substantially deciphered...
were written. This Classic Maya language is also attested in a number of inscriptions made in regions whose inhabitants most likely spoke a different Mayan language variant, including the ancestor of Yukatek Maya
Yukatek Maya language
Yucatec Maya , called Màaya t'àan by its speakers, is a Mayan language spoken in the Yucatán Peninsula and northern Belize...
.
Ch'orti' is spoken mainly in Guatemala, and it is also indigenous to the adjacent areas of Honduras and El Salvador, where it is nearly extinct.