© 1995-2001 Untangle Incorporated
Last Updated: Thursday, August 14,2003
Pronunciation of Mayan Names
There are millions of Mayans alive today. The pronunciation has changed from the old days somewhat because of the Spanish influence. However the Spanish attempted to record the pronunciation of Mayan deities. English spellings of Spanish words need to keep these rules in mind.
Spelling of Quetzacoatl in English is the Spanish spelling. QUE is not like in 'question' but like in the Spanish "Que passa?" which sounds like "KAY PASSA". (Actually it sounds close to "kuh passa" but let the scholars think they can speak it)
We are indebted to web pages at Crystal Links where they list the major glyphs and their pronunciation for time units used in Mayan calendars. As always the fun pages researched by Dominic Marks and found at Magic Names for Mystic Cats, was used to fine tune the pronunciation rules, and their applications.
The conventions to convey phonetic sounds are these:
- The accentuated syllable is capitalized.
- A capitalized vowel is pronounced as the name of the letter so Kate is KAT and cat is KaT.
- If a letter or a group of letters is nearly silent (a schwa by international phonetic conventions) or is silent then it or they are represented by a single quote '.
- For example the English word emphasized is rendered as eM Fa sIz'd.
The official pronounciation rules are these:
- If there is no exception noted below, the pronunciation is as in Spanish.
- The second last syllable is stressed usually.
- X is pronounced like English SH.
- LL is pronounced like the L of Long.
- TL counts as a single consonant, never as a full syllable. The consonant sounds like 'the TL in FAINTLY without the e sound of the Y.
- CU and UC are both pronounced KW as in KWIKLY (quickly).
- HU and UH are both pronounced W as in WIN not WHEN.
- H without an adjacent U represents a glottal stop (as in go_over); in modern Nahuatl it sometimes has a sound similar to an English H and may have had that value in some dialects of Classical Nahuatl as well. (For an English speaker, pronouncing the H like an English H has the advantage that it helps one remember that it is there.)
- U does not occur as an independent vowel.
- Z is pronounced like English S.
- Some common spelling variations include:
- The letters U and O may be used interchangeably to represent the sound of O.
- The letter U alone may be used instead of UH or HU to represent the sound of W.
- The letter H representing the glottal stop may or may not be written.
- Vowel length may or may not be marked.
- The letters Y and I may be used interchangeably to represent the vowel I.
- The letter I may be used for the consonent Y.
- The letter Ç may be used in place of Z to represent the sound of S.
- In this century American linguists working with modern Nahuatl have sometimes preferred spellings that look less Spanish (and "coincidentally" more English). Thus:
W may be used in place of HU or UH for the sound of W.
K may be used in place of QU/C for the sound of K.
S may be used in place of Z/C for the sound of S.
|
Name
|
Pronunciation
|
|
Ab Kin Zoc
|
ahb KiN soc
|
|
Acan
|
ah Kahn
|
|
Acat
|
ah Kaht
|
|
Ac Yanto
|
ak YAN to
|
|
Ah Bolom Tzacab
|
ah BU lum ts AH kahb
|
|
Ah Cancum
|
ah KAN kwam
|
|
Ah Chun Caan
|
ah chwan KA an
|
|
Ah Ciliz
|
ah KIL is
|
|
Ah Cuxtal
|
ah KUSH tal
|
|
Ah Hulneb
|
ah KWAL neb
|
|
Ah Kin
|
ah KEN
|
|
Ah Kin Xoc
|
ah KEN SHOK
|
|
Ah Kumix Uinicob
|
ah KWa mish win E kob
|
|
Ah Mun
|
ah MaN
|
|
Ah Muzencab
|
ah mas EN kab
|
|
Ah Patnar Uinicob
|
ah PaHT nar KWA E kob
|
|
Ah Peku
|
ah Pe KWA
|
|
Ah Puch
|
ah PWaSH
|
|
Ah Tabai
|
ah Tah bahE
|
|
Ah Uincir Dz'acab
|
ah KWAN sir ts'AH kab
|
|
Ah Uuc Ticab
|
ah wa wak TE kab
|
|
Bacab
|
bah KahB
|
|
Backlum Chaam
|
BaSK l'wam CHA am
|
|
Balam
|
bah LAM |
|
Bolontiku
|
BO lun tE kwa
|
|
Buluc Chabtan
|
BWA l'wak CHahB tan
|
|
Cacoch
|
KA koch
|
|
Camazotz
|
ka MaH SoTS
|
|
Cauac
|
kWA'k
|
|
Chac
|
CHaK
|
|
Chac Uayab Xoc
|
CHAK KWA yab SHOK
|
|
Chamer
|
CHAMER
|
|
Chaob
|
CHA ob
|
|
Chantico
|
chan TE kO
|
|
Chibirias
|
chE birE as
|
|
Chiccan
|
CHEK kan
|
|
Cit-Bolon-Tum
|
sit BO lon TWAM
|
|
Cizin
|
sE sen
|
|
Cocijo
|
kokE ho
|
|
Colel Cab
|
kol E kab
|
|
Colop U Uichkin
|
ko lop WAH WACH ken
|
|
Chamer
|
chah MER
|
|
Cum Hau
|
KWAM wah
|
|
Ekchuah
|
ek CHWa'
|
|
Ghanan
|
GWAN an
|
|
Gucumatz
|
GWA KWA MaTS
|
|
Hanhau
|
WAN wah
|
|
Hunab Ku
|
WAN ab KWA
|
|
Hunapu
|
wan a pwa
|
|
Huncame
|
wan KA meh
|
|
Hunhau
|
wan WAH
|
|
Hun-Hunapu
|
wan WAN ah pwa
|
|
Hurukan
|
WA rwa kan
|
|
Itzamna
|
ET SAM nah
|
|
Itzananohk'u
|
ET sam AN WAK'O
|
|
Ix
|
ESH
|
|
Ix Chebel Yax
|
esh CHE bel YASH
|
|
Ixchel
|
Esh CHEL
|
|
Ixtab
|
ESH tahb
|
|
Ixzaluoh
|
ESH sal kwa
|
|
Kan-xib-yui
|
kan SHeB ywE
|
|
Kinich Ahau
|
kEnich A wah
|
|
Kucumatz
|
KO KO mats
|
|
Kukulcan
|
KO KOL kan
|
|
Mulac
|
mO LAS
|
|
Naum
|
NA OM
|
|
Nohochacyum
|
NO wach AK yom |
|
Tepeu
|
te PA
|
|
Tlacolotl
|
TLaK O LOTL
|
|
Tohil
|
TO KWAL |
|
Vucub-Caquix
|
VO KOB KA KWISH
|
|
Xbalanque
|
SHi BA lan KAY
|
|
Xmucane and Xpiyacoc
|
SHMO kane and SHpE YA kok
|
|
Yum Caax
|
yum KA ash
|
|
Zipakna and Kabrakan
|
sip AK na (and) Kab RA kan
|
|
Zotz
|
SoTS or SOTS
|
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