plicates fully as CVC. However, the final consonant of the reduplicated form is systematically realized as a
glottal stop, which makes it a reduced version of the original — a glottalized consonant (Hofling 2000:153):
(20)
C’-final roots
Gloss
b’əʔ-b’ək’-kih
very tangled
heʔ-heb’-kih open
heʔ-hep’-kih
squeezed tight
liʔ-liȼ’-kih slippery
luʔ-lut’-kih shivering
moʔ-mot’-kih shrunken
muʔ-mu(u)č’-kih
bumpy, lumpy
piʔ-piȼ’-kih slippery
səʔ-səȼ’-kih stretchy
siʔ-siit’-kih swollen
šaʔ-ša(a)k’-kih disordered
p’aʔ-p’aʔ-kih splittable
In other words, the Itsaj pattern shows that identical consonants are disallowed in the coda of reduplicated
roots, unless, as in the final example, the root ends in a glottal stop. Only roots ending in glottal stops
receive such treatment in Modern Yucatec (see [14] above).
1.2.2. REDUPLICATED ADJECTIVES MARKED BY -NAC. The Calepino de Motul contains evidence of only five
completely reduplicated adjectives marked by -nac:
(21) Full
Reduplication
Gloss
can-can-(n)ac
very swollen, tightened
cip-cip-nac slippery
co-co-nac
lewd, dishonest, dishonorable
tzak-tzak-nac
struck one after another
nib-nib-nac fervent
Of these, only the last example has a partially reduplicated counterpart, and both have the same meaning:
(22) Full
Partial
Reduplication
Reduplication
Gloss
nib-nib-nac ni-nib-nac fervent
On the other hand, the Calepino lists 46 partially reduplicated adjectives marked by -nac, of which the
following are representative:
336 REDUPLICATION
Table 13-3. Partially reduplicated adjectives marked by -kil in the Hocaba Dictionary (V. Bricker et al. 1998).
Adjective
Gloss
ʔá-ʔay-kil
obese (dog, horse)
ʔí-ʔiš-kil
rough [skin with rash or goose pimples; bark of tree]
ʔó-ʔoȼ’-kil
covered with wrinkles
ʔó-ʔol-kil
soft, tender [leaf, hands of someone who is idle]
ʔó-ʔop’-kil
fragile
ʔú-ʔus-kil
swollen
b’a-b’ah-kil
swollen, inflamed [with pus]; crowded (bus, house)
b’a-b’aš-kil
tight, packed (earth floor in house); grimy
b’a-b’ay-kil
straight
b’i-b’il-kil
clean, rubbed smooth
b’o-b’oh-kil
swollen, flatulent (stomach, like a drum); dry (cough, throat, lungs)
b’u-b’uh-kil
dense, thick (leaves on tree); splittable
ȼa-ȼah-kil
well toasted
ȼa-ȼaʔ-kil
very sharp (knife, scissors)
ȼan-ȼan-kil
hardened, tempered
ȼa-ȼap-kil
fuzzy
ȼu-ȼuȼ-kil
thick (forest)
ȼ’i-ȼ’ip-kil
slippery
ȼ’o-ȼ’op-kil
muddy, marshy
ȼ’u-ȼ’uh-kil
creamy (beans)
čo-čoč-kil
dried up, shrivelled
čo-čoh-kil
hanging (fruits)
ču-čuč-kil
shrivelled, tangled
č’a-č’al-kil
greasy
č’a-č’ay-kil
bloody (meat)
č’e-č’eh-kil
sticking up (points or tips)
č’i-č’iš-kil
thickly clustered (worms, plants)
ha-hal-kil
slippery, smooth
ha-hap’-kil
gritty
he-hep’-kil
tightened, cinched
he-het-kil
easily split, broken
hi-hiȼ’-kil
extractable; painful (crying)
hi-hič’-kil
porous, grainy
hi-hiš-kil
bumpy, pebbly
ho-hoȼ’-kil
disintegrated, rotten
ho-hoč’-kil
limp
ho-hol-kil
slippery
ho-hop-kil
flammable
ho-hoš-kil
grainy, bumpy; crackling (starched clothes); ringing hollow (stone)
hu-hup-kil
dusty [sinking in sand]
hu-huš-kil
bumpy (ground); granular, grainy; scaly
REDUPLICATION 337
Table 13-3. (cont’d) Partially reduplicated adjectives marked by -kil in the Hocaba Dictionary.
Adjective
Gloss
hu-huy-kil
soft, smooth
ka-kal-kil
grainy, granulated; numb
ke-kel-kil
grainy, granular
ke-keš-kil
grainy
ki-kiʔ-kil
dirty, filthy (clothing)
ki-kiȼ’-kil
grimy
ko-koȼ-kil
frayed
ko-koh-kil
densely woven
ko-koš-kil
pimply, warty
ko-kot-kil
crowded
ku-kuč-kil
sticky
ku-kul-kil
smeared
ku-kup-kil
sultry, becalmed
ku-kut-kil
fat, bulbous
k’i-k’is-kil
swollen (breasts full of milk)
k’o-k’ol-kil
dirty, grimy
k’o-k’os-kil
dry (meal without grease)
k’u-k’uš-kil
gritty
le-leȼ’-kil
glistening, shining
le-len-kil
firm, heavy
lo-lot’-kil
shrivelled, wrinkled
ma-may-kil
fine, smooth, powdery
mu-muč-kil
shrivelled, frizzy
na-nat’-kil
cramped, crowded
ni-nič’-kil
itchy
no-noh-kil
hanging around
no-not’-kil
shrivelled
nu-nul-kil
lumpy [changes position]
pa-pač’-kil
weak [from drinking]
pe-peč-kil
stuck
pi-piʔ-kil
loose (post, tooth)
po-poȼ’-kil
very slippery
p’o-p’oč-kil
spotted, blotchy
p’o-p’ol-kil
developed, grown, well groomed
p’o-p’oš-kil
blotchy, spotted
sa-saȼ’-kil
elastic, weak, shaky
so-sot-kil
swollen [with air]; hollow (sound)
su-sul-kil
drenched
še-šeʔ-kil
dirty
ta-taʔ-kil
sticky
te-tep’-kil
easily burst
338 REDUPLICATION
Table 13-3. (cont’d) Partially reduplicated adjectives marked by -kil in the Hocaba Dictionary.
Adjective
Gloss
to-toč-kil
stiff, hard
to-toč’-k
il
very drunk
to-toh-kil
taut, tight
tu-tuʔ-kil
bulging
t’a-t’ay-kil
gelatinous
t’o-t’oč-kil
hardened
t’o-t’oh-kil
brittle
t’o-t’oy-kil
gooey; well done
t’u-t’uč-kil
well-built, shapely (woman)
wa-waŋ-kil
stuffed, blown up
we-weh-kil
loose (grains on corncob)
ya-yač’-kil
squishy (mud), oozy (blister)
ya-yal-kil
greasy
yu-yul-kil
lumpy (cyst under skin)
(23) Partial
Reduplication
Gloss
bo-boh-nac
ringing hollow
co-cop-nac
arched, bent, folded
chi-chic-nac
shaking violently
e-el-nac burning
ma-mak-nac
soft, tender
pe-pet-nac
going in circles
tu-tul-nac
overflowing
The complete set of such reduplicated adjectives can be found in Table 13-4.
Neither the full nor the partial forms of these reduplicated adjectives with -nac occur in the Hocaba
dialect of Modern Yucatec. However, they are well represented today in Itsaj, where they behave like the
-kih fully reduplicated adjectives, whose root-final glottalized consonants are reduced to a glottal stop in
the first syllable (but not in the root itself) (Hofling 2000:172–173):
(24)
C’-final roots
Gloss
b’aʔ-b’aak’-nak circling
b’əʔ-b’ək’-nak
tangled, tangling
č’oʔ-č’o(o)č’-nak
getting holey
heʔ-heb’-nak
opening (by itself)
luʔ-lu(u)t’-nak shivering
p’aʔ-p’aʔ-nak3
opening and closing
Mopan has at least one example of the same kind of construction: čeʔ-ček’-nak ‘stiff’ (Hofling 2011:23).
REDUPLICATION
339
Table 13-4. Partially reduplicated adjectives marked by -nac in the Calepino de Motul (Ciudad Real 1600?).
Adjective
Gloss
a-an-(n)ac
noisy, thunderous (thunder, earthquake)
ba-bac-nac
wide, open; strong
ba-bach-nac
lean, thin, slender, weak
ba-bal-nac
wide
be-bech-nac
shaking (tall objects)
bi-bik-nac
wriggling
bi-bix-nac
late
bo-boh-nac
ringing hollow
bo-bok-nac
shaking violently (water in vessel)
bu-buc-nac
move back and forth
bu-buch-nac
losing time while walking, wandering alone sadly
co-coy-nac
wrong, unequal, uneven, tilted
co-col-nac
loose
co-cop-nac
arched, bent, folded
cu-cuc-nac
very ripe (fruit)
cu-cuy-nac
hardened (fruit); trembling
ça-çac-nac
dry, parched by the sun (leaves of tree)
ça-çal-nac
drying out (clothes, earth)
ço-çot-nac
swollen, full of air (wine bag), inflated, stuffed (stomach full of food or gas)
ɔo-ɔoc-nac
feeling intensely
chi-chic-nac
half mad, insane, crazy; half silly, foolish, stupid; astonished that he does not do
what he was told nor fetches what he was requested to bring
chi-chic-nac
shaking violently
e-el-nac
burning
ha-ha[ɔ]-nac
shiny, glossy
ka-kam-nac
lifeless, floating
le-lem-nac
resplendent, shining, glittering, bright, flashing
li-lik-nac
on the verge of leaving
lo-loc-nac
brought to a boil
lo-lop-nac
bent, folded, curved
lu-luc-nac
tender, soft, delicate; feeble, weak, frail; flimsy
ma-mak-nac
soft, tender
mi-miz-nac
dragging
mu-muc-nac
hidden, covered, wrapped
mu-muz-nac
itchy
mu-muk-nac
patient, long-suffering
na-nac-nac
unsteady (child, drunk, sick person)
ni-nib-nac
fervent
o-oɔ-nac
wrinkling here and there
o-och-nac
bent, bowed, stooped, crouched
o-om-nac
boiling
340 REDUPLICATION
Table 13-4. (cont’d) Partially reduplicated adjectives marked by -kil in the Hocaba Dictionary.
Adjective
Gloss
o-ot-nac
throbbing
pa-pal-nac
trembling from fright or fear
pe-pet-nac
going in circles
ppu-ppuc-nac
stooped, crouched
ppu-ppuc-nac
spongy, soft like unspun cotton
ti-tipp-nac
throbbing, pulsating (pulse); move back and forth (boat in water)
tu-tul-nac
overflowing
2. PARTICIPIAL REDUPLICATION
Colonial Yucatec had several kinds of reduplicated participles, one marked by a suffix, three marked by
infixes, and one with no affixes at all.
2.1. REDUPLICATED PARTICIPLES MARKED BY -VC. The Calepino de Motul has examples of participles
marked by -Vc with both full and partial reduplication. The following participles are fully reduplicated:
(25) Full
Reduplication
Gloss
biɔ-biɔ-ic
tapered, sharp
coɔ-coɔ-oc
rolling up, coiling
coy-coy-oc
tilted, uneven
em-em-ec downhill
kech-kech-ec
twisting, deviating
kom-kom-oc
full of holes
mech-mech-ec
twisted, bent
pacħ-pacħ-ac
crumpled, rumpled, flattened
ucħ-ucħ-uc
very narrow
Partially reduplicated participles marked by -Vc appear below. The reduplicand is a CV:
(26)
Partial
Reduplication
Gloss
bi-biɔ-ic
tapered, sharp
co-coɔ-oc
rolled up (parchment)
co-coy-oc
wrong, unequal, uneven, tilted, inclined to one side
cu-cuch-uc
stacked one above the other (objects in load)
cu-cul-uc
low, short (person, tree, stone tower, merlon of battlement)
e-em-ec4 downhill
he-het-ec
split, cracked, broken, burst
he-hetħ-ec
split, boken in many places (ceramic objects)
pa-pay-ac
narrow, tight
ppu-pput-uc
small in stature
REDUPLICATION
341
ta-tal-ac everywhere
uo-uol-oc
round, spherical
xi-xicħ-ic
full, stuffed, swollen
xi-
xil-ic
bristling, standing on end
In both cases, the vowel in the suffix echoes the vowel in the root.
Such reduplicated participles do not occur in the Hocaba dialect of Modern Yucatec, but they are
derived from a few positional roots in Itsaj (Hofling and Tesucún 1997:477, 612, 625):
(27) Partial
Reduplication
Gloss
ȼe-ȼel-ek
rather sloped
no-nok-ok
rather hunched over
tu-tuȼ’-uk
rather oval
2.2. REDUPLICATED PARTICIPLES WITH INFIXES. Three kinds of infixes co-occur with fully reduplicated par-
ticiples: -Vl-, -VN-, and -maN-.
2.2.1. REDUPLICATED PARTICIPLES MARKED BY -VL-. Many reduplicated participles in the Calepino de Motul
have the syllable, Vl, inserted between the reduplicated elements:
(28) Full
Reduplication
Gloss
biz-il-biz
bored, pierced, perforated
çau-al-çau
tangled, topsy-turvey (thread)
ɔoc-ol-ɔoc
worn out, in pieces
em-el-em downhill
hat-al-hat
torn, ripped, split in many places
muk-ul-muk
long suffering
nup-ul-nup
opposing, hostile, resistant
ppit-il-ppit
persistent, insistent
tom-ol-tom
disorganized, incoherent
uec-el-uec
spilled, scattered, shed here and there
In each case, the vowel in the infix echoes the vowel in the root. Other examples of such reduplicated par-
ticiples appear in Table 13-5.
The Hocaba dictionary of Modern Yucatec has one example of such a reduplication: čéʔeh-il-čéʔeh
‘smiling’ < čéʔeh ‘laughter,’ in which the infix (-il-) does not echo the vowel in the root /e/. It also has a
contextual example of this reduplicated participle:
(29)
čéʔeh-il-čéʔeh uy ič
‘he is smiling’ (V. Bricker et al. 1998:68)
2.2.2. REDUPLICATED PARTICIPLES MARKED BY -UN- AND -EN-. The general pattern in the Calepino de
Motul was one of infix-vowel disharmony, such that roots with the back vowels, /o/ and /u/, co-occurred
with -eN-, and roots with the front vowel, /e/, co-occurred with -uN-. The examples in (30) illustrate the use
of -eN- with /o/ roots:
342 REDUPLICATION
Table 13-5. Reduplicated adjectives with -Vl- infix in the Calepino de Motul (Ciudad Real 1600?).
Adjective
Gloss
app-al-app
broken ground
biz-il-biz
bored, pierced, perforated in several places
bik-il-bik
wriggle, wind
buh-ul-buh
split in several places
cin-il-cin
severely wounded
cutz-ul-cutz
splintered (wood), unravelled (edge of cloth)
çaal-al-çal
drying after being wet
çau-al-çau
tangled, topsy-turvy (thread)
çib-il-çib
full of wood borers
cuɔ-ul-zuɔ
thrown, stretched, spread out, extended here and there {çuɔulzuɔ misspelled}
tzay-al-tzay
A Historical Grammar of the Maya Language of Yucatan (1557-2000) Page 56
