Guatemala
Guatemala culture and history is rich in variety. The origins are pre-Columbian, Meso-american which was the height of the Mayan civilization and Spanish rule. Because of all these influences from Spanish and Mayan culture there are over twenty indigenous languages being used by the 14.2 million natives of the second most populated Central American State.
Recorded there are 55 languages listed for Guatemala, 53 are living languages and 2 have no known speakers. Although Spanish is now the official language, natives have endeavoured to keep the Mayan languages alive. The Mayan languages are a family of languages that go back 5000 years in the pre-Columbian era of Meso-America.. These many languages have their own grammatical and phonetic structure base. Tourist areas also have many that speak English.
The origins of Mayan languages mean that influence has come from and also influences dialects in; Southern Mexico; Belize; western Honduras and El Salvador. Some of the language family that has descended from Proto-Mayan include the following; Huastecan, Yucatecan, Ch’olan, Q’anjobalan-Chujean,Mamean, Quichean, Poqom. The most used of these is Yucatec Maya. This is known simply as Maya to those that speak it. The natives that speak Yucatec are mostly in the Yucatec Peninsula of Mexico and in some parts of Belize. Interestingly, in Yucatec language, there is no word for “yes,” A Maya will rephrase what was said positively. Some may use “sí” if needed. There is no word for “please” and thank you literally translates as “God pays.”
There is a non-profit foundation named Proyecto Linguistico Francisco Marroquis created in order to maintain and preserve the native languages of Guatemala and Mayan people. They do this by training linguists and teachers. The foundation promotes the culture and pride of Mayan identity. In addition a Guatemalan Academy of Mayan Languages was established as part of the 1996 Peace Accords.
For those looking to visit Guatemala, learning key phrases in Spanish will be the best options. Popular are Spanish schools offering stays in various locations where students can learn the language in a beautiful and cultural location. Many of the schools are located in Antigua.