Editing Mam language (section)

==Morphology==
Mam has two sets of agreement markers, known to Mayanists as '''Set A''' and '''Set B''' markers, which can appear on both nouns and verbs. Mam uses '''Set A''' ([[ergative case|ergative]]) markers on nouns to mark possessor agreement and on verbs to cross-reference the transitive subject. Mam uses '''Set B''' ([[absolutive]]) markers on transitive verbs to cross-reference the object and on intransitive verbs to cross-reference the subject. Below is a table of '''Set A''' (ergative) and '''Set B''' (absolutive) prefixes from England.{{sfn|England|1983|p=56}}
{| class="wikitable" 
|+Mam Set A and Set B Pronominal Markers
!c=01| Person
!c=02| Set A
!c=03| Set B
!c=04| Enclitics
|-
!c=01| 1s
|c=02| n- ~ w-
|c=03| chin-
|c=04| -a ~ -ya
|-
!c=01| 2s
|c=02| t-
|c=03| Ø ~ tz- ~ tzʼ- ~ k-
|c=04| -a ~ -ya
|-
!c=01| 3s
|c=02| t-
|c=03| Ø ~ tz- ~ tzʼ- ~ k-
|c=04| –
|-
!c=01| 1p (excl.)
|c=02| q-
|c=03| qo-
|c=04| -a ~ -ya
|-
!c=01| 1p (incl.)
|c=02| q-
|c=03| qo- 
|c=04| –
|-
!c=01| 2p
|c=02| ky-
|c=03| chi-
|c=04| -a ~ -ya
|-
!c=01| 3p
|c=02| ky-
|c=03| chi-
|c=04| –
|}
{{clear}}

Phonologically conditioned allomorphs are as follows.
*n- ~ w-
**n- /__C
**w- /__V
*Ø ~ tz- ~ tzʼ- ~ k-
**k- /potential
**tzʼ- /__V initial root, non-potential
**tz- /__''uul'' 'arrive here', ''iky''' 'pass by', non-potential
**Ø- /__C, non-potential
*-a ~ -ya
**-ya /V__ ; In the first person in post-vowel environments, -''ya'' varies freely with -''kyʼa'' and -''y'''.
**-a /C__
{{clear}}

Some paradigmatic examples from England (1983) are given below. Note that "Ø-" designates a [[null morpheme|null prefix]]. Additionally, ''ma'' is an aspectual word meaning 'recent past'.
{{Columns-start}}
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! colspan=2|Set A markers + NOUN
|-
|''jaa''
|'house'
|-
|n-jaa-ya
|'my house'
|-
|t-jaa-ya
|'your house'
|-
|t-jaa
|'his/her house'
|-
|q-jaa-ya
|'our (not your) house'
|-
|q-jaa
|'our (everyone's) house'
|-
|ky-jaa-ya
|'you (pl)'s house'
|-
|ky-jaa
|'their house'
|}
{{Column}}
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! colspan=2|Set B markers + VERB
|-
|''bʼeet-''
|'''to walk'''
|-
|ma chin bʼeet-a
|'I walked.'
|-
|ma Ø-bʼeet-a
|'You walked.'
|-
|ma Ø-bʼeet
|'He/she walked.'
|-
|ma qo bʼeet-a
|'We (not you) walked.'
|-
|ma qo bʼeet
|'We all walked'
|-
|ma chi bʼeet-a
|'You all walked.'
|-
|ma chi bʼeet
|'They walked.'
|}
{{Columns-end}}

===The Mam verb complex===
Verbs in Mam can include inflection for person, aspect and mode, as well as auxiliaries in the form of directionals.{{sfn|England|1983|p=161}} The verb complex has distinct forms for transitive and intransitive verb stems depending in part on whether the complex cross-references one or two arguments. The lexical status of the verb complex is ambiguous.{{sfn|England|1983|p=40}} The inflections with vowels are phonologically independent (indicated by spaces). Transitive verb complexes with directionals have a dependent suffix. Two of England's examples of intransitive and transitive verb complexes are shown below.

Intransitive verb complex with directional{{sfn|England|1983|p=162}}
{{interlinear|glossing=link|indent=5
|ma chin jaw tz'aq-a
|REC ABS.1.SG DIR slip-ENC
|"I slipped (just now)."}}

Transitive verb complex with directional{{sfn|England|1983|p=175}}
{{interlinear|glossing=link|indent=5
|(ok) k-kub'-l-tz t-tzyu-ʔn-a
|POT ABS.3.SG-DIR-POT-DIR ERG.2.SG-grab-DEP-ENC
|"You will grab them."}}

Mam extends the Set A (ergative) person markers in the context of focused adverbials and certain subordinate clauses.{{sfn|England|1983|p=259}} In these contexts, the Set A markers cross-reference the subject of intransitive verbs and both the subject and object of transitive verbs. The following examples show the extended ergative marker /t-/ in '''bold'''.

Intransitive verb complex with extended ergative marking{{sfn|England|1983|p=259}}
{{interlinear|glossing=link|indent=5
|n-chi ooq' '''t'''-poon ky-txuuʔ
|PROG-ABS.3.PL cry '''ERG.3.SG'''-arrive ERG.3.PL-mother
|"They were crying when their mother arrived."}}

Transitive verb complex with extended ergative marking{{sfn|England|1983|p=259}}
{{interlinear|glossing=link|indent=5
|ok '''t'''-kuʔ-x ky-awa-ʔn xjaal kjoʔn b'iʔx n-0-xiʔ cheenaq' t-iʔj
|When '''ERG.3.SG'''-dir-dir ERG.3.PL-plant-DEP person cornfield all_at_once PROG-ABS.3.SG-go bean ERG.3.SG-REL.PAT
|"When the people plant (it) in the cornfield at the same time the beans go in."}}

<section begin="list-of-glossing-abbreviations"/><div style="display:none;">
REC:recent past
POT:potential aspect
ABS:absolutive agreement (Set B)
ERG:ergative agreement (Set A)
DEP:dependent suffix
DIR:directional
ENC:person enclitic
REL:relational noun
PAT:patient
</div><section end="list-of-glossing-abbreviations"/>

===Verb morphemes===
{{col-begin}}
{{col-2}}
'''Transitive verbal affixes'''
*-bʼaa 'transitivizer' (vowel length can also be used)
*-laa 'applicative'
*-wa 'applicative'
*-bʼV 'causative'
*-chV 'causative' (variants: -chaa, -chii, -chuu)
*-kʼuu 'causative'
*-lV 'causative'
*-mV 'causative'
*-nV 'causative'
*-pV 'causative'
*-qʼV 'causative'
*-saa 'causative'
*-tzii 'causative'
*-tzʼV 'causative'
*-txʼii 'causative'
*-wV 'causative'
*-najee' 'repetitive'
*-'kJ 'processive'
*-'tz 'processive imperative'
{{clear}}

'''Intransitive verbal affixes'''
*-n 'antipassive'
*-Vn 'affect'
*-ax 'versive'
*-ee' 'versive'
*-eet 'passive'
*-j 'passive'
*-njtz 'passive'
*-bʼaj 'processive passive'
*-bʼa 'intransitivizer'
*-ch 'intransitivizer'
*-chaj 'intransitivizer'
*-paj 'intransitivizer'
*-t 'intransitivizer'
*-tzʼaj 'intransitivizer'
*-tzʼaq 'intransitivizer'
*-' ... -al 'specific termination'
{{clear}}

{{col-2}}
'''Other verbal affixes'''
*-l 'infinitive'
{{clear}}

'''Aspects'''

Mam verbs have 6 aspects that are prefixed to the verb root.{{sfn|England|1983|pp=58, 161–162}}
*ma 'recent past'
*o 'past'
*ok 'potential' (not obligatory)
*n- 'progressive'
*x- 'recent past dependent' (used in subordinate clauses)
*Ø- 'past dependent' (used in subordinate clauses)
{{clear}}

'''Modes'''
*Potential transitive: -a'
*Potential intransitive: -l
*Imperative: -m (-n before directionals)
{{clear}}

'''Directionals'''

Directionals are auxiliary elements in verb phrases. They are derived from intransitive verbs.

*xi 'away from'
*tzaj 'toward'
*ul 'there to here'
*pon 'here to there'
*kubʼ 'down'
*jaw 'up'
*el 'out'
*ok 'in'
*kyaj 'remaining'
*aj 'returning from here'
*ikyʼ 'passing'
*bʼaj 'complete'
{{clear}}
{{col-end}}

===Pronouns===
Mam has no independent pronouns.{{sfn|England|1983|p=155}} Rather, pronouns in Mam always exist as [[bound morpheme]]s.

===Nouns===
The Mam language displays [[inalienable possession]]. Certain Mam nouns cannot be possessed, such as ''kya'j'' 'sky' and ''che'w'' 'star'.{{sfn|England|1983|p=69}} On the other hand, some Mam nouns are always possessed, such as ''t-lokʼ'' 'its root' and ''t-bʼaqʼ'' 'its seed'.

Noun phrase structure can be summarized into the following template.{{sfn|England|1983|p=140}}

:{| class="wikitable" frame=void style="vertical-align:top; text-align:center; white-space:nowrap;"
|-
| '''Demonstrative'''
| '''Number'''
| '''Measure'''
| '''Plural'''
| '''Possessive affixes'''
| '''NOUN <br/>ROOT'''
| '''Possessor'''
| '''Adjective'''
| '''Relative clause'''
|}

The plural clitic is ''qa''.{{cn|date=September 2024}}

{{col-begin}}
{{col-2}}
'''Noun affixes'''
*aj- 'agent'
*aj- 'native'
*-l 'agentive'
*-eenj 'patient'
*-bʼil 'instrumental'
*-bʼeen 'resultant locative'
*-bʼan 'reminder'
*-al 'abstract noun'
*-abʼiil 'abstract noun'
*-leen 'abstract noun'
*-le'n 'abstract noun'
*-an 'ordinal'
*-bʼji'bʼil 'nominalizer'
*-bʼal 'nominalizer'
*-bʼatz 'nominalizer'
*-l 'nominalizer'
*-tl 'nominalizer'
*-tz 'nominalizer'

'''Relational noun affixes'''
*-u'n 'agent, instrument, causative'
*-ee 'dative, possessive, patient, benefactive'
*-i'j 'patient, thematic'
*-uukʼal 'instrument, comitative'
*-iibʼaj 'reflexive'

'''Locative affixes'''
*-bʼutxʼ 'at the corner'
*-i'jla 'around'
*-iibʼaj 'over'
*-jaqʼ 'under'
*-txa'n 'at the edge of'
*-txlaj 'beside'
*-tzii' 'at the entrance of'
*-uj 'in'
*-witz 'on top of'
*-wi' 'on, at the tip of'

{{col-2}}
'''Classifiers'''
*jal 'non-human'
*nu'xh 'baby'
*xhlaaqʼ 'child'
*bʼixh 'person of the same status (intimate)'
*qʼa 'young man'
*txin 'young woman'
*ma 'man'
*xu'j 'woman'
*swe'j 'old man'
*xhyaa' 'old woman'
*xnuq 'old man (respectful)'
*xuj 'old man (respectful)'

'''Measure words'''

Measure words quantify [[mass noun]]s.

*baas 'glassful' (< Spanish ''vaso'')
*ma'l 'shot of liquor'
*laq 'plateful'
*pixh 'piece'
*txut 'drop'
*ba'uj 'a lot'
{{col-end}}

===Numerals===
[[San Ildefonso Ixtahuacán]] Mam numbers are as follows.{{sfn|England|1983|p=84}} Numbers above twenty are rarely used in Ixtahuacán and are usually only known by elderly speakers. Although the number system would have originally been [[vigesimal]] (i.e., base 20), the present-day number system of Ixtahuacán is now [[decimal]].

{|class=wikitable
!Numeral !! Word
|-
|1 || {{lang|mam|juun}}
|-
|2 || {{lang|mam|kabʼ}}
|-
|3 || {{lang|mam|oox}}
|-
|4 || {{lang|mam|kyaaj}}
|-
|5 || {{lang|mam|jweʼ}}
|-
|6 || {{lang|mam|qaq}}
|-
|7 || {{lang|mam|wuuq}}
|-
|8 || {{lang|mam|wajxaq}}
|-
|9 || {{lang|mam|bʼelaj}}
|-
|10 || {{lang|mam|laaj}}
|-
|20 || {{lang|mam|wiinqan}}
|-
|40 || {{lang|mam|kyaʼwnaq}}
|-
|60 || {{lang|mam|oxkʼaal}}
|-
|80 || {{lang|mam|junmutxʼ}}
|}