Stoll.] •^56 [Feb, 6, 



Uspanteca branch, and the Cakchiquel with the nearly allied 

 Tzutuhil) offer a peculiar interest to the comparative philologist. 

 These idioms have undoubtedly been long ago separated from the 

 common Maya stock and may safely be reckoned among the old- 

 est branches of this family. We may derive this fact not only 

 from the geographical area they occupy in our days, but also from 

 the changes which the languages themselves have undergone in 

 the course of time. It is to be hoped that in a few years from 

 now the lack of sufficient materials regarding them will no longer 

 be an obstacle to rational etymological research, and that we 

 shall be able not only to define the differences between the 

 Quiche languages and the classic Maya, but even to trace out the 

 laws, according to which these differences have realized them- 

 selves. 



At present, only a few hints can be given in this direction. 

 With respect to the Cakchiquel in particular, its present stock 

 of words seems to be formed by three different groups. 



First, we find a group of words which have perpetuated them- 

 selves unchanged since the Cakchiquel became independent of 

 the Maj'a. Such are the following : 



a/*, cane, grass. balam, tiger. 



oJ, heavy, weight. chi, mouth. 



am, spider. mam, grandfather, etc. 



XoTE 1 : In many words the difference between Maya and 

 Cakchiquel is no real one, but must simply be attributed to the 

 alphabets in which the two languages are written. So are the 

 following Maya words : ioin younger brother, amac inhabitant of 

 a great village, bac bone, cux heart, life, identical with the Cak- 

 chiquel words : i^ in, ama^, bak, qux or fjUX, both in meaning 

 and pronunciaiion, though different in orthograph}-. 



Note 2 : We may range among the first group a number of 

 words in which the Cakchiquel has added a final y to the Maya 

 root as in : 



Cakch: bay. 

 bey. 

 qhoy. 



