Ch'ol People - Language

Language

The language that is called Ch’ol in English is referred to as Lak ty’añ—means “our speech--. The word Ch’ol refers to both the language and the people.

The Ch'ol language consists of three branches: Sabanilla, Tilá and tumbalá. Although some linguists consider them as three different languages, they are commonly known as dialects of the same Ch’ol language Speakers of Tilá and Tumbalá can usually understand each other. In total, there are an estimated 120,000 speakers of the ch’ol language. The Tilá speakers inhabit Chiapas, Tila, and while the tumbala inhabit North central Chiapas, Tumbala, sabanilla, Misjia, limar, chivalita . Both dialects are spoken in Vicente Guerrero, Limar, and Chivalito.

Although most chol people are monolingual, those that speak Spanish have a variation called “Castia” This form of Spanish is characterized by:

  • Continued use of archaisms that are no longer used in other varieties in Spanish like: Cuartia, fanego, libra
  • Use of Vos instead of tu in Second person singular
  • Phonetic transformation in the second singular: “I” is dropped and “e” is stressed. For example: Vos quereis = Vos queres
  • Frequent use of “lo” even when there is a masculine or feminine article: “lo hizo las tortillas” o “ lo miro el rio”

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