Orthography
Historically, different orthographies have been used to transliterate the K'iche' languages. The classic orthography of Father Ximénez who wrote down the Popol Vuh is based on the Spanish orthography and has been replaced by a new standardized orthography defined by the ALMG (Academia de Lenguas Mayas de Guatemala). Ethnohistorian and Mayanist Dennis Tedlock uses his own transliteration system which is completely different from any of the established orthographies, but this system will not be given here.
| The first line of Popol Wuj in different orthographies: | |
| Ximénez's classical orthography | Are v xe oher tzíh varal Quíche ubí. |
| ALMG orthography | Are’ uxe’ ojer tzij waral K’iche’ ub’i’. |
| (Ximénez's Spanish translation) | Este es el principio de las Antiguas historias aquí en el Quiché. |
| (Tedlock's English translation) | "This is the beginning of the ancient word, here in the place called Quiché." |
Read more about this topic: West Central K'iche' Language