Chol Ritual Language
with Terrence Lee Folmar, Heidi Altman, Ausencio Cruz Guzmán, and Bernardo Pérez Martínez
©1996 J. Kathryn Josserand and Nicholas A. Hopkins

Lexical Sets in Tila’s Ritual Vocabulary

Several domains of the vocabulary collected during the field season have potential for contributing to hieroglyphic decipherments by attesting lexicon that might relate to Classic Period words and phrases. Likewise, analysis of domains of lexical items–semantically related sets of terms–may contribute to the understanding of cultural practices not yet well understood. In the Chol data we have recently organized, two areas stand out as having great potential. The first is the set of titles, or terms for ceremonial offices and other named statuses; the second is the lexicon of words, phrases, metaphors, and related concepts that are associated with religious beliefs and religious activity.

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