Achi language explained

Achi
Nativename:	Achiʼ
States:	Guatemala
Region:	Baja Verapaz
Ethnicity:	161,000 Achi (2019 census)
Date:	2019 census
Ref:	e24
Familycolor:	American
Fam1:	Mayan
Fam2:	Quichean–Mamean
Fam3:	Greater Quichean
Fam4:	Quichean
Fam5:	Quiché–Achi
Minority:	Guatemala
Agency:	Academia de Lenguas Mayas de Guatemala
Iso3:	acr
Glotto:	achi1256
Glottorefname:	Achi

Achi (Achí in Spanish) is a Mayan language very closely related to Kʼicheʼ (Quiché in the older orthography). It is spoken by the Achi people, primarily in the department of Baja Verapaz in Guatemala.

There are two Achi dialects. Rabinal Achi is spoken in the Rabinal area, and Cubulco Achi is spoken in the Cubulco area west of Rabinal.

One of the masterpieces of precolumbian literature is the Rabinal Achí, a theatrical play written in the Achi language.

Phonology

The tables present the consonant^[1] and vowel^[2] phonemes of Achi. On the left is the spelling in use.^[3]

Consonants

		Labial	Alveolar		Post-alv./ Palatal	Velar	Uvular	Pharyn- geal	Glottal
Nasal		m [{{IPA link|m}}]	n [{{IPA link|n}}]
Plosive/ Affricate	voiceless	p [{{IPA link|p}}]	t [{{IPA link|t}}]	tz [{{IPA link|ts}}]	ch [{{IPA link|tʃ}}]	k [{{IPA link|k}}]	q [{{IPA link|q}}]		’ [{{IPA link|ʔ}}]
	ejective		tʼ [{{IPA link|tʼ}}]	tzʼ [{{IPA link|tsʼ}}]	chʼ [{{IPA link|tʃʼ}}]	kʼ [{{IPA link|kʼ}}]
	implosive	bʼ [{{IPA link|ɓ}}]
Fricative			s [{{IPA link|s}}]		x [{{IPA link|ʃ}}]		j [{{IPA link|χ}}]	qʼ [{{IPA link|ʕ}}]
Trill			r [{{IPA link|r}}]
Approximant		w [{{IPA link|w}}]	l [{{IPA link|l}}]		y [{{IPA link|j}}]

• Voiceless plosives can have aspirated allophones pronounced as /[pʰ tʰ kʰ qʰ]/, either when preceding a consonant or in word-final position.
• A uvular consonant pronounced as /link/ can also be heard as velar pronounced as /link/ in some environments.
• pronounced as /link/ when preceding a velar consonant can be heard as a velar nasal pronounced as /link/.
• Sonorants pronounced as //l r j// when preceding a voiceless consonant or in word-final position can occur sounding voiceless pronounced as /[l̥ r̥ j̊]/.^[4]

Vowels

	Front	Central	Back
Close	i [{{IPA link|i}}] ii [{{IPA link|iː}}]		u [{{IPA link|u}}] uu [{{IPA link|uː}}]
Mid	e [{{IPA link|e}}] ee [{{IPA link|eː}}]		o [{{IPA link|o}}] oo [{{IPA link|oː}}]
Open		a [{{IPA link|a}}] aa [{{IPA link|aː}}]

External links

• Collections in the Archive of the Indigenous Languages of Latin America
• Pronouncing the Maya Achi Alphabet
• New Testament in Achi
• OLAC resources in and about the Achi language
• Listen to a sample of Achi from Global Recordings Network

Notes and References

1. Lopez & Iboy (1992:36)
2. Lopez & Iboy (1992:41)
3. Lopez & Iboy (1992:45)
4. Book: Lopez, Manuel Antonio. Gramática del Idioma Achi. Iboy. Juliana Sis. La Antigua Guatemala, Guatemala: Proyecto Lingüístico Francisco Marroquín. 1993.