Mam language
From Free net encyclopedia
The Mam are a Native American people of the highlands of western Guatemala.
In Pre-Columbian times the Mam were part of the Maya civilization, and their native language, still spoken as a first language by many, is in the Maya language family.
The Pre-Columbian Mam capital was Zaculeu. Many Mam live in and around the nearby modern city of Huehuetenango. The city of Quetzaltenango was originally Mam. Many more Mam live in small hamlets in the mountains, keeping many of their native traditions.
There are at least three major divisions in the language: Northern Mam spoken in the province of Huehuetenango, Southern Mam spoken in and around Quetzaltenango and Central Mam spoken in and around San Marcos. Because of a lack of literacy skills and interaction, the language can vary widely from village to village, even though the villages may be separated by just a few miles. Nonetheless, all native speakers of the Mam language are typically able to understand one another, though perhaps with some difficulty.
Bibliography
- England, Nora C. (1983). A grammar of Mam, a Mayan language. Austin: University of Texas Press.