The importance of language and bilinguality in the
development, perpetuation, and "degeneration" or change of
culture is a central theme throughout this treatise.
Original pictorial representations of Mayan hieroglyphic
sculpture are included as examples, and represent artistic
styles and language variations of written Cholan and
Yucatec. Modern Cholan and Yucatecan languages are
important in the decipherment of Mayan hieroglyphic
writing, because these two languages were the languages of
the ancient hieroglyphs.
Bilinguality as a positive factor Is considered in
the florescence and duration of the central lowland Mayan
area. The impact of Spanish language on indigenous
languages of Mesoamerica is traced from 1519 to the
present. Special consideration and speculation is given to
the role of Yucatec and Chol as "divine" non secular
languages in the florescence of Mesoamerican cultures.
This thesis is a continuation and development of
undergraduate anthropologic field work undertaken in
Mesoamerica during the 1970s. / Graduation date: 1994
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:ORGSU/oai:ir.library.oregonstate.edu:1957/35900 |
| Date | 11 February 1994 |
| Creators | Smith, William Hoyt |
| Contributors | Beals, Kenneth |
| Source Sets | Oregon State University |
| Language | en_US |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis/Dissertation |
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