The letter X. It’s a common enough letter, but one rarely used in English at the beginning of a word, where it is pronounced as the letter -z. And not so much in the middle of English words either, where it is pronounced like the compound -ks.
But in Yucatec Maya, the language that is spoken and written throughout the Yucatan peninsula, the letter -x plays an prominent role.
In simple terms – The language of the Maya was pictoral and verbal. Words were not written out with an alphabet until the arrival of the Spanish. When the Spanish monks began to record the local language, there were a few sounds that stumped them. The sound -sh was not recorded in Spanish, so the letter -x was used to signify this sound.
When the letter -x starts a word, it is pronounced -ish or -eesh. You will hear it both ways, or sometimes pronounced somewhere between the two.
For example the name of the ecological park Xcaret is pronounced Ish-kar-ette
The English word chocolate came from the Maya word xocoatl isho-ko-aht-l
When the letter X is in the middle of a word it is pronounced -sh
For example the name of the Maya archaeological site Uxmal is pronounced Oosh-mall
And then there is the Mayan word for leftovers – xix pronounced Ish-ish.
Once you get the pronunciation of the letter X in your head, it becomes natural to pronounce it correctly when reading signage and menus in The Yucatan.
Do you have a favorite word in Mayan that uses the Pesky X? Tell us about it in the comments area!
Similar posts that you might like:
- >> Mayan *Tsikbal Maya vs. Mayan: There is a difference between these two words and here are a few tips on when and how to use them.
- >> Conversation With Chef David Sterling Interview with the chef from the Los Dos Cooking School in Mérida.
- >> Cobá: Water Stirred By The Wind a pleasant walk through the jungle …
- >> Tips for Travel in The Yucatan move safely through the peninsula …
- >> Ek Balam: The Black Jaguar find one of the most unique Maya features – an angel …
Tags: language, linguistics, maya, travel, yucatan, yucatec maya
7 Comments
Meshico?
I’m kind of partial to Xtabentun…
The word Mexico actually has a pronunciation history.
Originally, yes it was pronounced Meshico, or more correctly, Meshica. It wasn’t until the fifteenth century that it began to sometimes be pronounced with the -h sound that is used today (where the letter -j = -h) – like Mejico.
There are many words and names in modern Mexican Spanish that are like this.
And then there is still another pronunciation, the harder -ch sound that has sometimes been used for words or names like Mexico – Mechico. Where the words chico and chica and chicano/a were derived. Correct me if I’m wrong on this.
But Mexico wasn’t originally a Maya word, it was Nahuatl. The common thread through all dialects and languages of the country is that the words are pronounced according to the Spanish monks who wrote the languages down.
See how pesky it is? :)
Oh Gringa! Something else for me to try on the next trip!
So do you love the word? It’s meaning? Or the liquor itself? :)
My favourite Mayan “x” joke is the deliberate mispronunciation of the name of the chain of record stores, “Mixup”. Obviously it’s meant to be the English “mix” and “up”, like mixing records, but I like to say I am going to “Meesh-oop” to buy some CD’s.
I love the story of the Xtabi, and I love saying her name. Xtabentun is connected to the story as well, the name of the sweet smelling flowers that bloomed on her grave. Sadly it’s also the name of the after hours dive bar in the hotel zone where the waiters gather to drink cuagamas until the sun comes up. :)
I do love the daily exchange of “Ba’ax ka wa’alik” and the reply “Mix bá’al”. (I had no idea how it was spelled, been saying it for years but had to look it up just now, thanks for the stimulus!) I often tell my little boy to “Ko’ox, ko’ox”, like “hurry up, let’s go”, I really hope that somehow, some way we can have him really learning Maya instead of just the few phrases his Canadian mommy knows.
Great post and great site, glad to find you, thanks for stopping by my blog. :)
Hey CancunCanuck! I read about Xtabi when I was researching Xtabentun. I have yet to figure out if she is considered to be a good or evil character, which, I suppose, depends on one’s perspective. A Maya Robin Hood of sorts?
When I lived in Yucatan back in the 50s, the Xtaibai was a mythical Mayan bird that flew back and forth between the widespread horns of a large deer. I was surprised years later when Eartha Kitt’s song about the voice of the Xtaibai came out. since it was so little known outside of its source.
To add to your collection, consider Ixtepec, the Flayed God, one of my personal favorites, not exclusively Mayan, but a familiar figure in much of Mesoamerican lore.