Editing Mayan languages (section)

==Distribution==
{{see also|List of Mayan languages}}{{Multiple image
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| image1            = Mayan languages map.svg
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| caption1          = Present geographic distribution of Mayan languages in Mexico and Central America
| image2            = Mayan Language Map.png
| caption2          = Map of Mayan language communities—font size indicates relative size of speaker population. (Yucatec and Kʼicheʼ with 900,000 and 400,000 speakers respectively; 100,000–500,000 speakers; 10,000–100,000 speakers; and under 10,000 speakers.){{imagefact|date=December 2022}}
}}
Studies estimate that Mayan languages are spoken by more than six million people. Most of them live in Guatemala where, depending on estimates, 40%–60% of the population speaks a Mayan language. In Mexico the Mayan speaking population was estimated at 2.5 million people in 2010, whereas the Belizean speaker population figures around 30,000.{{sfn|Bennett|Coon|Henderson|2015}}

===Western branch===
The Chʼolan languages were formerly widespread throughout the Maya area, but today the language with most speakers is [[Chʼol language|Chʼol]], spoken by 130,000 in Chiapas.<ref>Gordon, Raymond G., Jr. (ed.), (2005). [http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=cti Ethnologue report on Chʼol de Tila], [http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=ctu Ethnologue report on Chʼol de Tumbalá], both accessed March 07, 2007.</ref> Its closest relative, the [[Chontal Maya language]],<ref group=notes>Chontal Maya is not to be confused with the [[Tequistlatecan]] languages that are referred to as "Chontal of Oaxaca".</ref> is spoken by 55,000<ref>Gordon, Raymond G., Jr. (ed.), (2005). [http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=chf Ethnologue report on Chontal de Tabasco], accessed March 07, 2007.</ref> in the state of [[Tabasco]]. Another related language, now endangered, is [[Chʼortiʼ language|Chʼortiʼ]], which is spoken by 30,000 in Guatemala.<ref>Gordon, Raymond G., Jr. (ed.), (2005). [http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=caa Chʼortiʼ: A language of Guatemala.] Ethnologue.com, accessed March 07, 2007.</ref> It was previously also spoken in the extreme west of [[Honduras]] and [[El Salvador]], but the Salvadorian variant is now extinct and the Honduran one is considered moribund. [[Chʼoltiʼ language|Chʼoltiʼ]], a sister language of Chʼortiʼ, is also extinct.{{sfn|Campbell|Kaufman|1985}} Chʼolan languages are believed to be the most conservative in vocabulary and phonology, and are closely related to the [[Classic Maya language|language of the Classic-era inscriptions]] found in the Central Lowlands. They may have served as prestige languages, coexisting with other dialects in some areas. This assumption provides a plausible explanation for the geographical distance between the Chʼortiʼ zone and the areas where Chʼol and Chontal are spoken.{{sfn|Kettunen|Helmke|2020|p=13}}

The closest relatives of the Chʼolan languages are the languages of the Tzeltalan branch, [[Tzotzil language|Tzotzil]] and [[Tzeltal language|Tzeltal]], both spoken in Chiapas by large and stable or growing populations (265,000 for Tzotzil and 215,000 for [[Tzeltal people|Tzeltal]]).<ref>Gordon, Raymond G., Jr. (ed.), (2005) [http://www.ethnologue.com/show_family.asp?subid=91318 Family Tree for Tzeltalan] accessed March 26, 2007.</ref> Tzeltal has tens of thousands of monolingual speakers.<ref>Lewis, M. Paul, Gary F. Simons, and Charl47547es D. Fennig (eds.). "[http://www.ethnologue.com/language/tzh/18 Tzeltal]" ''Ethnologue: Languages of the World, Eighteenth edition'', (2015). Dallas, Texas: SIL International.</ref>

[[Qʼanjobʼal language|Qʼanjobʼal]] is spoken by 77,700 in Guatemala's [[Huehuetenango]] department,<ref name="Gordon, Raymond G. 2005"/> with small populations elsewhere. The region of Qʼanjobalan speakers in Guatemala, due to genocidal policies during the [[Guatemalan Civil War|Civil War]] and its close proximity to the [[Guatemala–Mexico border|Mexican border]], was the source of a number of refugees. Thus there are now small Qʼanjobʼal, Jakaltek, and Akatek populations in various locations in Mexico, the United States (such as [[Tuscarawas County, Ohio]]{{sfn|Solá|2011}} and Los Angeles, California{{sfn|Popkin|2005}}), and, through postwar resettlement, other parts of Guatemala.{{sfn|Rao|2015}} [[Jakaltek language|Jakaltek]] (also known as Poptiʼ<ref>Gordon, Raymond G., Jr. (ed.), (2005). Gordon (2005) recognizes Eastern and Western dialects of [http://www.ethnologue.com/show_family.asp?subid=92216 Jakaltek], as well as [[Mochoʼ language|Mochoʼ]] (also called Mototzintlec), a language with less than 200 speakers in the Chiapan villages of Tuzantán and Mototzintla.</ref>) is spoken by almost 100,000 in several municipalities<ref>Jakaltek is spoken in the ''[[Municipio (Mexico)|municipios]]'' of [[Jacaltenango]], [[La Democracia, Huehuetenango|La Democracia]], [[Concepción, Mexico|Concepción]], [[San Antonio Huista]] and [[Santa Ana Huista]], and in parts of the [[Nentón]] ''municipio''.</ref> of [[Huehuetenango]]. Another member of this branch is [[Akatek language|Akatek]], with over 50,000 speakers in [[San Miguel Acatán]] and [[San Rafael La Independencia]].<ref>Lewis, M. Paul, Gary F. Simons, and Charles D. Fennig (eds.). "[http://www.ethnologue.com/language/knj/18 Akateko]" ''Ethnologue: Languages of the World, Eighteenth edition'', (2015). Dallas, Texas: SIL International.</ref>

[[Chuj language|Chuj]] is spoken by 40,000 people in Huehuetenango, and by 9,500 people, primarily refugees, over the border in Mexico, in the municipality of [[La Trinitaria, Mexico|La Trinitaria]], [[Chiapas]], and the villages of Tziscau and Cuauhtémoc. [[Tojolabal language|Tojolabʼal]] is spoken in eastern Chiapas by 36,000 people.<ref>Gordon, Raymond G., Jr. (ed.), (2005) [http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=toj Tojolabal: A language of Mexico.] and [http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=cnam Chuj: A language of Guatemala.] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071001200045/http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=cnam |date=2007-10-01 }} both accessed March 19, 2007.</ref>

===Eastern branch===
The Quichean–Mamean languages and dialects, with two sub-branches and three subfamilies, are spoken in the [[Guatemalan Highlands|Guatemalan highlands]].

[[Qʼeqchiʼ language|Qʼeqchiʼ]] (sometimes spelled Kekchi), which constitutes its own sub-branch within Quichean–Mamean, is spoken by about 800,000 people in the southern [[Petén (department)|Petén]], [[Izabal Department|Izabal]] and [[Alta Verapaz]] departments of Guatemala, and also in Belize by 9,000 speakers. In El Salvador it is spoken by 12,000 as a result of recent migrations.<ref>Gordon, Raymond G., Jr. (ed.), (2005). [http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=kek Ethnologue report on Qʼeqchi], accessed March 07, 2007.</ref>

The [[Uspantek language]], which also springs directly from the Quichean–Mamean node, is native only to the [[Uspantán]] ''[[Municipalities of Guatemala|municipio]]'' in the department of [[Quiché (department)|El Quiché]], and has 3,000 speakers.<ref>Gordon, Raymond G., Jr. (ed.), (2005) [http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=usp Ethnologue report for Uspantec], accessed March 26, 2007.</ref>

Within the Quichean sub-branch [[Kʼicheʼ language|Kʼicheʼ (Quiché)]], the Mayan language with the largest number of speakers, is spoken by around 1,000,000 [[Kʼicheʼ people|Kʼicheʼ Maya]] in the [[Guatemala]]n highlands, around the towns of [[Chichicastenango]] and [[Quetzaltenango]] and in the [[Sierra de los Cuchumatanes|Cuchumatán mountains]], as well as by urban emigrants in [[Guatemala City]].<ref name="Gordon, Raymond G. 2005"/> The famous Maya mythological document, ''[[Popol Vuh]]'', is written in an antiquated Kʼicheʼ often called [[Classical Kʼicheʼ language|Classical Kʼicheʼ (or Quiché)]]. The [[Kʼicheʼ Kingdom of Qʼumarkaj|Kʼicheʼ culture]] was at its pinnacle at the time of the Spanish conquest. [[Qʼumarkaj]], near the present-day city of [[Santa Cruz del Quiché]], was its economic and ceremonial center.{{sfn|Edmonson|1968|pages=250–251}} [[Achi language|Achi]] is spoken by 85,000 people in [[Cubulco]] and [[Rabinal]], two ''municipios'' of [[Baja Verapaz]]. In some classifications, e.g. the one by [[Lyle Campbell|Campbell]], Achi is counted as a form of Kʼicheʼ. However, owing to a historical division between the two ethnic groups, the Achi Maya do not regard themselves as Kʼicheʼ.<ref group=notes>The Ethnologue considers the dialects spoken in Cubulco and Rabinal to be distinct languages, two of the eight languages of a Quiché-Achi family. Raymond G., Gordon Jr. (ed.). Ethnologue, (2005). [http://www.ethnologue.com/show_family.asp?subid=91829 Language Family Tree for Mayan], accessed March 26, 2007.</ref> The [[Kaqchikel language]] is spoken by about 400,000 people in an area stretching from Guatemala City westward to the northern shore of [[Lago de Atitlán|Lake Atitlán]].<ref>Gordon, Raymond G., Jr. (ed.), (2005). [http://www.ethnologue.com/show_family.asp?subid=92230 Family Tree for Kaqchikel], accessed March 26, 2007.</ref> [[Tzʼutujil language|Tzʼutujil]] has about 90,000 speakers in the vicinity of Lake Atitlán.<ref>Gordon, Raymond G., Jr. (ed.), (2005). [http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=tzj Ethnologue report on Eastern Tzʼutujil], [http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=tzt Ethnologue report on Western Tzʼutujil] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070410081706/http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=tzt |date=2007-04-10 }}, both accessed March 26, 2007.</ref> Other members of the Kʼichean branch are [[Sakapultek language|Sakapultek]], spoken by about 15,000 people mostly in [[El Quiché]] department,<ref>Lewis, M. Paul, Gary F. Simons, and Charles D. Fennig (eds.). "[http://www.ethnologue.com/language/quv/18 Sakapulteko]" ''Ethnologue: Languages of the World, Eighteenth edition'', (2015). Dallas, Texas: SIL International.</ref> and [[Sipakapense language|Sipakapense]], which is spoken by 8,000 people in [[Sipacapa]], [[San Marcos (department)|San Marcos]].<ref>Lewis, M. Paul, Gary F. Simons, and Charles D. Fennig (eds.). "[http://www.ethnologue.com/language/qum/18 Sipakapense]" ''Ethnologue: Languages of the World, Eighteenth edition'', (2015). Dallas, Texas: SIL International.</ref>

The largest language in the Mamean sub-branch is [[Mam language|Mam]], spoken by 478,000 people in the departments of San Marcos and Huehuetenango. [[Awakatek language|Awakatek]] is the language of 20,000 inhabitants of central [[Aguacatán]], another municipality of Huehuetenango. [[Ixil language|Ixil]] (possibly three different languages) is spoken by 70,000 in the "[[Ixil Triangle]]" region of the [[Quiché (department)|department of El Quiché]].<ref>Gordon, Raymond G., Jr. (ed.), (2005) [http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=ixi Ethnologue report on Nebaj Ixil] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080504025151/http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=ixi |date=2008-05-04 }}, [http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=ixj Chajul Ixil] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061208132311/http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=ixj |date=2006-12-08 }} & [http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=ixl San Juan Cotzal Ixil], accessed March 07, 2008.</ref> [[Tektitek language|Tektitek]] (or Teko) is spoken by over 6,000 people in the municipality of Tectitán, and 1,000 refugees in Mexico. According to the Ethnologue the number of speakers of Tektitek is growing.<ref>Gordon, Raymond G., Jr. (ed.), (2005) [http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=ttc Ethnologue report for Tektitek], accessed March 07, 2007.</ref>

The Poqom languages are closely related to Core Quichean, with which they constitute a Poqom-Kʼichean sub-branch on the Quichean–Mamean node.{{sfn|Campbell|1997|p=163}} [[Poqomchiʼ language|Poqomchiʼ]] is spoken by 90,000 people<ref>Gordon, Raymond G., Jr. (ed.), (2005). [http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=poh Ethnologue report on Eastern Poqomam], [http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=pob Ethnologue report on Western Poqomchiʼ], both accessed March 07, 2007.</ref> in [[Purulhá]], [[Baja Verapaz]], and in the following municipalities of [[Alta Verapaz]]: [[Santa Cruz Verapaz]], [[San Cristóbal Verapaz]], [[Tactic (municipality)|Tactic]], [[Tamahú]] and [[Tucurú]]. [[Poqomam language|Poqomam]] is spoken by around 49,000 people in several small pockets in [[Guatemala]].<ref>Lewis, M. Paul, Gary F. Simons, and Charles D. Fennig (eds.). "[http://www.ethnologue.com/language/poc/18 Poqomam]" ''Ethnologue: Languages of the World, Eighteenth edition'', (2015). Dallas, Texas: SIL International.</ref>

===Yucatecan branch===
[[File:Map-Maya in Mexico.svg|thumb|The area where Yucatec Maya is spoken in the peninsula of Yucatán{{imagefact|date=December 2022}}]]
[[Yucatec Maya language|Yucatec Maya]] (known simply as "Maya" to its speakers) is the most commonly spoken Mayan language in [[Mexico]]. It is currently spoken by approximately 800,000 people, the vast majority of whom are to be found on the [[Yucatán Peninsula]].<ref name="Gordon, Raymond G. 2005">Gordon, Raymond G., Jr. (ed.). Ethnologue, (2005).</ref><ref>
[http://www.inegi.gob.mx/est/contenidos/espanol/rutinas/ept.asp?t=mlen10&c=3337 Población hablante de lengua indígena de 5 y más años por principales lenguas, 1970 a 2005] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070825062559/http://www.inegi.gob.mx/est/contenidos/espanol/rutinas/ept.asp?t=mlen10&c=3337 |date=2007-08-25 }}  [[INEGI]]
</ref> It remains common in [[Yucatán (state)|Yucatán]] and in the adjacent states of [[Quintana Roo]] and [[Campeche]].<ref>Lewis, M. Paul, Gary F. Simons, and Charles D. Fennig (eds.). "[http://www.ethnologue.com/language/yua/18 Maya, Yucatec]" ''Ethnologue: Languages of the World, Eighteenth edition'', (2015). Dallas, Texas: SIL International.</ref>

The other three Yucatecan languages are [[Mopan language|Mopan]], spoken by around 10,000 speakers primarily in [[Belize]]; [[Itzaʼ language|Itzaʼ]], an extinct or moribund language from Guatemala's Petén Basin;<ref>There were only 12 remaining native speakers in 1986 according to Gordon, Raymond G., Jr. (ed.). Ethnologue, (2005).</ref> and [[Lacandon language|Lacandón]] or Lakantum, also severely endangered with about 1,000 speakers in a few villages on the outskirts of the [[Selva Lacandona]], in [[Chiapas]].<ref>Lewis, M. Paul, Gary F. Simons, and Charles D. Fennig (eds.). "[http://www.ethnologue.com/language/lac/18 Lacandon]" ''Ethnologue: Languages of the World, Eighteenth edition'', (2015). Dallas, Texas: SIL International.</ref>

===Huastecan branch===
[[Wastek language|Wastek]] (also spelled Huastec and Huaxtec) is spoken in the Mexican states of [[Veracruz]] and [[San Luis Potosí]] by around 110,000 people.<ref>Gordon, Raymond G., Jr. (ed.). Ethnologue (2005).</ref> It is the most divergent of modern Mayan languages. [[Chicomuceltec]] was a language related to Wastek and spoken in [[Chiapas]] that became extinct some time before 1982.{{sfn|Campbell|Canger|1978}}