Historical Reconstruction of Mayan Applicative and Antidative Constructions

Abstract

In this paper I examine comparative data on the applicative ‐b’e suffix and its related syntax (including antidative constructions) in Mayan languages in order to contribute to their reconstruction. I present evidence in favor of a Proto‐Mayan reconstruction of an applicative construction that optionally focused instruments, locatives, and addressees, and a Proto‐Central‐Mayan (Eastern and Western Mayan) reconstruction of the ‐b’e suffix. I discuss the possible sequence of events in the history of the applicative and related constructions from Proto‐Mayan to the descendant subgroups, including the Greater Tzeltalan subgroup, thought by most linguists and epigraphers to constitute the basis of the language represented in Classic Lowland Mayan hieroglyphic texts. I then hypothesize on possible scenarios that can be tested against the evidence from Classic Lowland Mayan texts.

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