Perception verb complements in Akatek, a Mayan language

92 4. AKATEK, A `TYPICAL' MAYAN LANGUAGE
Table 1. The Mayan language family
Division Branch Group Languages
Huastek - Chicomuceltec (extinct),
Huasteke
Yukatek -Yukateks, Itzas,
Lakandons, Mopan
Western Greater Cholan Cholan - Chols, Chontal,
Chort s, Cholt (extinct)
Tzeltalan - Tzeltale, Tzotzile
Greater Kanjobalan Chujean -Tojolabale, Chujs
Kanjobalan - Kanjobal, Akateks,
Jakalteks, Mochos
Eastern Greater Mamean Mamean - Mams, Teco
Ixilan - Aguacatecs, Ixils
Greater Quichean - Uspantec
- Kekch s
Quiche - Quichee, Ach ,
Sacapultec, Sipacapa,
Tzutujile, Cakchiquele
Pocomam -Pocomams, Pocomch s
understanding of the analysis of Akatek PVCs in chapter 5. In section
2, traditional typological characteristics of Akatek as a representative
of the Mayan language family are presented.
1. Basic grammatical features
The following grammatical features are presented in this section.
Person marking and ergativity in section 1.1, characteristics of pronouns,
nouns and verbs in section 1.2, tense-aspect marking and negation
in section 1.3, noncon gurationality in section 1.4, and nally the
status of the subject in an ergative language like Akatek in section 1.5.
1.1. Person marking and ergativity. There are two sets of
pronominal a xes in Mayan languages each con ating person, number
and case. Due to the diversity of their function they are traditionally
referred to as set A and set B. For reasons of perspicuity I maintain
these notations. Set A a xes are always pre xed and have two instantiations:
a prevocalic ( V) and a preconsonantal ( C) one. Set B
a xes can occur as pre xes or as su xes and have only one instantiation.
There are markers for rst, second and third person in singular
and plural. Singular is the default, so that only the plural is speci cally
indicated in the glosses (p). For example, rst person singular Set A is