Artículo

Dictionary Design Decisions: A Status Report for a Mesoamerican Indigenous Sign Language

"Meemul Tziij" is the K'ichee'an (Mayan) name for a complex of Indigenous sign languages that are still used in communities scattered across Mesoamerica. Having likely originated from signs centuries before the Spanish invasion, these viseo-spatial languages may hold great value not merely for understanding the nature of certain Indigenous communities, but also for interpreting gestures represented in ancient Mesoamerican iconography, such as the art of the Classic Maya, Teotihuacanos, and Zapotecs. Yet these sign languages are today severely endangered. This poster outlines current efforts by the author to create a dictionary for one particular variety, used in western Guatemala, which K'ichee'an (Mayan) peoples of Nahualá call "Meemul Ch'aab'al", or "Mute Language" to help both scholars and members of the local indigenous signing community. The poster argues that effective lexicography must not just respond to, but also anticipate multiple and frequently divergent needs of these two groups. To illustrate this, the poster lays out the structure the dictionary of "Meemul Ch'aab'al" currently under construction, describing decisions made about objectives, theories, content, presentation, subdivisions, vocabulary, definitions, order, and etymolgies, while also giving examples of specific entries.

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