The Mayan languages are a language family spoken in Central America and Mesoamerica.[1]

They are spoken by at least 6 million native Maya, mostly in Guatemala, Mexico, or Belize. In 1996, Guatemala formally recognized 21 Mayan languages by name,[2] and Mexico recognized eight others.
The Mayan languages are some of the best documented and most studied languages in the Americas.[3] Those spoken today come from Proto-Mayan, a language that was probably spoken at least 5000 years ago and has been partly reconstructed.
References
change- ↑ In linguistics, it is usual to use Mayan when talking about the language
- ↑ Spence, Jack; David R. Dye, Paula Worby, Carmen Rosa de Leon-Escribano, George Vickers, and Mike Lanchin (1988). "Promise and Reality: Implementation of the Guatemalan Peace Accords". Hemispheres Initiatives. Archived from the original on 2007-09-28. Retrieved 2006-12-06.
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: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ↑ Campbell, Lyle (1997). American Indian Languages: The Historical Linguistics of Native America (Oxford Studies in Anthropological Linguistics, 4). New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-195-09427-1. p.165.