The Mayan Franciscan Vocabularies: A Preliminary Survey

The Calepino Maya de Motul

Recent research, especially by René Acuña, has left little doubt that the Calepino by Fr. Antonio de Ciudad Real, mentioned in Lizana,¹⁵  is the same as the work most commonly known as the Motul Maya-Spanish dictionary, now at Brown University Library. As mentioned above, it has long been clear that the Vienna and Calepino shared many entries, but it has also become clear, as mentioned above, that the Calepino is in fact based in part on the Vienna. However, the Vienna was not the only source of material for the Calepino, and much additional information came from other sources, such as native informants. Also, as mentioned above about the Vienna, there are areas in which the examples of usage are Maya-Span, and others in which apparently a native informant was consulted to give a correct example.

In terms of actual size, the Calepino is almost double that of the Vienna. Part of this can be attributed to the fact that there are proportionately more examples of usage in the Calepino than there are in the Vienna. However, there are also many more terms given in the Calepino. Thus it goes without saying that the Calepino is the primer dictionary of the various Franciscan Mayan dictionaries.

As stated in the commentary about the Vienna given above, there are references to a grammar of the Mayan language in the Calepino which is known as "el Arte". There are in fact six such references.¹⁶  A comparison of the information contained in these six references with the earliest known grammar, Arte en Lengua de Maya by Juan Coronel (1620) confirms that these topics are touched on in "el Arte", but a more definitive comment is not really possible.

Endnotes

15. Lizana, 1995:242: Y no sólo se contentó con hazer bocabularios, sino que hizo Calepino tan grande, que son sus bolúmenes de a dozientos pliegos cada uno, los dos de su letra sacados en limpio, y los borradores llenauan dos costales. Ocupó 40 años en esta obra, mas es tan buena, y de tanto peso y utilidad, que no tiene otro defeto que ser para esta tierra solamente;…

16. The six mentiones of "el Arte" are as follows:

    I: postpuesta al cabo de la oracion es relatiua de muchos significados segun lo que ha precidido y significa "el", "la", "los", "las", "eße", "eßo", "eßos". Otras vezes significa dellos; otras vezes significa "alla", "de alli", "alli", "por alli", de lo qual se trata en el arte. Otras vezes significa "hasta que". ¶ Ma a ualic ti xicen toi: no se lo digas hasta que me vaya.

    Il: postpuesta a diciones significa "que". ¶ Ma a ualicen, mail halaan teex: no digais que no se os ha dicho. ¶ Item: tiene romance de infinitiuo. ¶ ocaan ti yol Diosil Jesu Christo: yo creo ser dios Jesucristo, o que es Dios. ¶ Item: assi postpuesta a participio de preterito, y a otras diciones denota en donde, a donde, en que, &, como se podra ver en el arte.

    Il: esta particula tiene otros muchos significados como se puede ver en el arte.

    Lacil .l. licil: particula de presente de indicatiuo con los significados que se contienen en el arte.

    Licil .l. lacil: particula de presente de indicatiuo, con los significados que se contienen en el arte.

    Ti: quando esta particula significa a, en, con, ettz., esta breuemente puesto en el arte.

Previous Page  |  Index Page  |  Next Page

Return to top of page