Kʼicheʼ language

E388689

The Kʼicheʼ language is a major Mayan language spoken by the Kʼicheʼ people of Guatemala, known for its rich oral tradition and significance in pre-Columbian and contemporary indigenous culture.

All labels observed (3)

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (70)

Predicate Object
instanceOf Mayan language
indigenous language of the Americas
language
alignment ergative–absolutive
basicWordOrder verb–subject–object
closelyRelatedTo Kaqchikel language
linked to: Kaqchikel

Sakapultek language
Tzʼutujil language
Uspantek language
country Guatemala
culturalSignificance central to pre-Columbian Maya culture
important in contemporary indigenous identity in Guatemala
ethnicGroup Kʼicheʼ Maya
family Mayan language family
glottocode kiche1248
hasAlternativeName Kiche
Kʼicheʼ Maya
Quiché
hasAncestor Proto-Mayan language
linked to: Proto-Mayan

Proto-Quichean language
hasDialects Cantel Kʼicheʼ
linked to: Nahualá Kʼicheʼ

Central Kʼicheʼ
Chichicastenango Kʼicheʼ
Eastern Kʼicheʼ
Joyabaj Kʼicheʼ
linked to: Central Kʼicheʼ

Momostenango Kʼicheʼ
Nahualá Kʼicheʼ
Quetzaltenango Kʼicheʼ
linked to: Quetzaltenango

Santa María Chiquimula Kʼicheʼ
linked to: Nahualá Kʼicheʼ

Sololá Kʼicheʼ
linked to: Nahualá Kʼicheʼ

Totonicapán Kʼicheʼ
linked to: Totonicapán

Western Kʼicheʼ
hasGrammarDescriptionBy Lars-Gunnar Andersson (among others)
Nora C. England
hasISO639-1Code quc
hasRegulatingBody Academia de Lenguas Mayas de Guatemala
hasRich oral tradition
hasSpeakersIn Belize
El Salvador
Mexico
United States
historicalScript Mesoamerican pictographic traditions (limited use)
isOfficialLanguageOf Guatemalan department of Quiché (regional recognition)
languageFamily Mayan
linguisticArea Mesoamerican linguistic area
morphologyType head-marking
notableWork Popol Vuh
Title of Totonicapán
phonologicalFeature contrastive glottalized consonants
contrastive vowel length
recognizedBy Academia de Lenguas Mayas de Guatemala
region Guatemalan Highlands
linked to: Guatemala Highlands

western Guatemala
scriptDirection left-to-right
spokenBy Kʼicheʼ people
spokenIn Guatemala
status one of the most widely spoken Mayan languages
recognized indigenous language in Guatemala
subfamily Quichean–Mamean
subgroup Greater Quichean
typology agglutinative language
usedFor local administration in some municipalities
poetry
religious texts
storytelling
usedIn bilingual education programs in Guatemala
local radio broadcasting in Guatemala
traditional ritual speech
writingSystem Latin script
linked to: Latin alphabet
writingSystemHistory historically written with Latin alphabet after Spanish conquest

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (11)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Guatemala Highlands hasLanguage Kʼicheʼ language
Kaqchikel closelyRelatedTo Kʼicheʼ language
Guatemalan Americans language Kʼicheʼ language
Battle of Quetzaltenango languageContext Kʼicheʼ Maya language
linked to: Kʼicheʼ language
San Marcos Department languageUsed Kʼicheʼ language
Uspantek closelyRelatedTo Kʼicheʼ language
Uspantek closelyRelatedTo Poqomchiʼ language
linked to: Kʼicheʼ language
Poqomam relatedTo Kʼicheʼ language
Kʼicheʼ people language Kʼicheʼ language
Cakchiquel closelyRelatedTo Kʼicheʼ language