Pakal B’alam (Tijonel, instructor)
pakal@ukans.edu
pakalbalam@hotmail.com
28 Stouffer Place, Apt # 12
Lawrence KS (785) 832-1593

Class Time and Location

• MWF 3:30 - 4:20, 4011 Wescoe

Course Objectives:

• At the end of the semester, students will be able to understand, produce, and write simple phrases and sentences in Kaqchikel. They will be able to use greetings, describe, their family, list the most common objects found in the classroom and at home. They will be able to count in Kaqchikel and to write numerals with Maya symbols.

Methodology:

• We are going to study one topic each week. The topics in language include vocabulary, grammar, and short texts. In addition, we are going to read some topics on Mayan culture. Grammar explanations. Vocabulary presentation, both oral and written, of each topic. Short dialogs (simple sentences) will be dramatized, then the students will imitate them. Pronunciation practice and dialog. Dialectal variation and standardization. Homework: substitution and transformation exercises.

Projects:

1. Select a topic on the Annals of Kaqchikels, write a summary (3-4 pages), and a reaction (1-2 pages), and give a short presentation in class.
2. Make a research on a Kaqchikel topic, which could be on language, culture, religion, literature, history, calendar, weaving and dress, education, Mayan Movement, Mayan cosmology, Popol Wuuj, Traditional Dancing, Traditional food, or another topic. You should write a summary and a reaction on that. Moreover, you should give an oral presentation in class. You should give a bibliography and a plan of the research.

Evaluation:

• Class participation (attendance) 05%
• Homework and quiz 20%
• 3 Projects 30%
• Mid Term Exam 15%
• Final Exam 30%

Readings: resume and reaction. One page each.

1. The Annals of Kaqchikels.
2. The popol Wuuj.

Materials:

• Nab’ey Wuj,
  Ruk’utik ri Kaqchikel Ch’ab’äl
  Guatemala: Kaqchikel Cholchi’, 1995
  
  
• Short trilingual vocabulary:
  Kaqchikel, Español, Inglés
  
  
• Copies of some lessons and vocabularies.

Contents:

• Rokeb’al tijonem Introduction
• Mayan languages: There are 20 spoken in Guatemala.
• Kaqchikel speakers: About 1,000,000
• Kaqchikel communities: More than 45
• Dialects

1) Choltz’ib’ Alphabet

Stress: last syllable KaqchiKEL

Syllable CV, CV’, CVC, …

2) Q’ejelonïk: La ütz awäch? Greetings

Personal Pronouns Rin, rat, rija’; roj, rix, rije’

Possessive prefix, pre-cons. nu-, a-, ru-; qa-, i-, ki-,

Possessive prefix, pre-vowel w-, aw-, r-; q-, iw-, k-

Female Personal classify nan, te/ya, xta

Male Personal classify tat, ma, a

3) Achike ab’i’? What’s your name?

Non verbal sentence noun, adjective, positional, number

Order of elements predicate + subject

Groups of nouns invariable, variable, adding suffix,

Ja’, Manaq k’utunïk Yes/no Quesions

4) Akuchi yatpe wi? Where are you from?

Name of places Iximche’,

Preposition chi, pa, xe

Relational nouns chupam, chuchi’, chuxe’,

5) Achike kib’i’ awach’alal? Family

6) Samaj Jobs, workers

Compound noun

7) Ri nqab’än chi jutaq q’ij. Activities during the days

8) Ajilanïk Counting

Numbers Mayan system is based on 20

Ordinal numbers nab’ey, rukab’, rox, rukaj, ro’,

Cardinal numbers jun, ka’i’, oxi’, kaji’, wo’o’

9) Achike ramaj wakami? What time is it?

10) Wachinaq pa tijob’äl Thinks in the School

Articles Jun winäq, ri Popol wuj, la tijonel,

11) Achike rub’onil la’? What color is that?

"Demostrativo" re’, la’, ri’,

re re’, la la’, ri ri’,

12) Tziyaqb’äl

Adjective

13) Taqoj, jub’anoj Imperative form of Intransitive Verbs

14) Jub’anoj, wakami

Verbal clauses

Verbs yojsamäj

Present tense (+) yojb’iyin

Past tense (+) xojb’iyin

Future tense skojkos

Progressive tense yojtajin yojtz’ib’an

15) Cholq’ij Calendar

Adverbs mi’er, iwir, junab’ir,

Derivation of word

16) Ch’akulaj Body

Possessed nouns, chi’aj, pamaj,

Non-possessed nouns nuchi’, nupam

17) Chikopi’, animals

Proper name

Family names

18) Rub’anikil ri winäq, awäj, awän, jäl, ixim, kuku’, jay,

19) Taqoj kab’anoj Imperative form of transitive verbs

20) Wa’im: kib’i’ q’utu’n, wäy, lej

21) Ruwäch ichaj, ruwäch che’,

22) K’ayib’äl: Jarupe’ rajil?

23) Runuk’ik jun jay

24) Runuk’ik jun tinamït

25) Achike rub’anom ak’u’x?

Compound verbs xik’o nuk’u’x

Reflexive verbs xaxib’ij awi’

26) Yawab’il

27) Tojtob’enïk

Activities:

1) Watch the video of the Popol Wuuj.

2) Watch the video of the Mayan Movement