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Ethnologue > Web version > Country index > Americas > Guatemala > K’iche’, Central

K’iche’, Central

A language of Guatemala

ISO 639-3: quc
This ISO 639-3 code has undergone change through the merging of one or more retired code elements. For more information, see the code change history documentation.

Population	1,900,000 (2000 SIL).
Region	Central highlands, Totonicapán, southern El Quiché, eastern Sololá, eastern Quezaltenango departments.
Language map	Guatemala, reference number 4
Alternate names	Cachabel, Central Quiché, Chiquel, Quiché
Classification	Mayan, Quichean-Mamean, Greater Quichean, Quichean, Quiche-Achi
Language use	Vigorous. All domains, interpreters required in courts, some bilingual schools, oral use in religious services. Positive attitude. 300,000 are monolingual in K’iche’, 400,000 have varying proficiency in Spanish, about 100,000 know Kaqchikel or Tzutujil [tzi], a few speak Q’eqchi’ [kek] or Mam [mvc].
Language development	Literacy rate in L1: Below 1%. Literacy rate in L2: 25%–35%. 40,000 readers, 20,000 can write. Taught in primary schools. Radio programs. Videos. Dictionary. Grammar. Bible: 1995.
Writing system	Latin script.
Comments	SVO. Agriculturalists. Traditional religion, Christian.

Entries from the SIL Bibliography about this language:

Academic Publications

ARNOLD, Dean E.; NEUENSWANDER, Helen L., editors. 1977. Cognitive studies of southern Mesoamerica.

ARNOLD, Dean E.; NEUENSWANDER, Helen L., editors. 1977. Estudios cognitivos del sur de Mesoamérica.

BENDOR-SAMUEL, John T., author. 1968. Review of: Languages of Guatemala, Marvin K. Mayers, editor.

BURGESS, Dora, author. 1966. "Quiche."

CHUC, Pedro E.; FOX, David G.; RUIZ, Rosalio, authors. 1980. "Quiché texts from Cantel."

CROSSLEY, Charissa, author. 1989. "El uso del idioma kʼicheʼ en los hogares de Chuixchimal, Totonicapan, Guatemala."

DOTY, Phyllis; SOUDER, Shirley D., authors. 1971. "Quiché (Joyabaj dialect)."  

DOTY, Phyllis; SOUDER, Shirley D., authors. 1972. "Quiché de Joyabaj."

EIDSVOOG, Sonya, author. 1998. Language maintenance in Cunenteco Quiché.

FOX, Carol; FOX, David G.; HENNE, David L.; HENNE, Marilyn G., authors. 1971. "Quiché (Cantel dialect)."  

FOX, Carol; FOX, David G.; HENNE, David L.; HENNE, Marilyn G., authors. 1972. "Quiché de Cantel."

FOX, Carol; FOX, David G.; SAQUIC C., Felipe R., authors. 1977. "Alfabeto quiché."

FOX, David G., author. 1961. "Some psycholinguistic considerations in Quiché literacy."

FOX, David G., author. 1965. "Literary style and translation."

FOX, David G., author. 1965. Lecciones elementales en quiché.

FOX, David G., author. 1966. "Quiché grammatical sketch."

FOX, David G., author. 1966. "Quiché: Gramática."

HART, David R., author. 1985. Stratificational analysis of a Quiche procedural text.

HENNE, David L., compiler. 1980. Diccionario quiché-español.

HENNE, Marilyn G., author. 1975. "La comida quiché, su estructura cognitiva en Chichicastenango, Guatemala."

HENNE, Marilyn G., author. 1977. "La comida quiché: Su estructura cognitiva en Chichicastenango, Guatemala."

HENNE, Marilyn G., author. 1977. "Quiche food: Its cognitive structure in Chichicastenango, Guatemala."

HENNE, Marilyn G., author. 1985. Why mother tongue literature has failed to take root among the Maya Quiche: a study in the sociology of language in a field program of the Summer Institute of Linguistics, 1955-1982, Guatemala, Central America.

LANGAN, Katherine, author. 1990. Language proficiency use and attitudes in Santo Tomas Chichicastenango: a study of language competition.

LANGAN, Katherine, author. 1993. "Ambivalent attitudes in a conservative Kʼicheʼ community."

LEWIS, M. Paul, author. 1991. "Language maintenance, standardization and national trends: Lessons learned fron the Quiche survey."

LEWIS, M. Paul, author. 1993. "Real men don’t speak Quiché: Quiché ethnicity, Ki-che ethnic movement, Kʼicheʼ nationalism."

LEWIS, M. Paul, author. 1993. Real men don't speak Quiché: Quiché ethnicity, Ki-che ethnic movement, K'iche' nationalism.  

LEWIS, M. Paul, author. 1994. Social change, identity shift and language shift of Kʼicheʼ in Guatemala.

LEWIS, M. Paul, author. 2001. Kʼicheʼ: A Study in the Sociology of Language.  

LEWIS, M. Paul, author. 2001. Of sociolinguistics, Bible translation, and dancing.

MAYERS, Marvin K., author. 1966. "Linguistic comparisons [between Mayan languages]."

MAYERS, Marvin K., editor. 1966. Languages of Guatemala.

NEUENSWANDER, Helen L.; SOUDER, Shirley D., authors. 1977. "El síndrome caliente-frío, húmedo-seco entre los quichés de Joyabaj: Dos modelos cognitivos."

NEUENSWANDER, Helen L.; SOUDER, Shirley D., authors. 1977. "The hot-cold wet-dry syndrome among the Quiche of Joyabaj: Two alternative cognitive models."

OLTROGGE, David F., author. 1975. Ponencias de los miembros del Instituto Lingüístico de Verano, A.C., en la XIV Reunión de Mesa Redonda de la Sociedad Mexicana de Antropología y la I Reunión de Antropólogos e Historiadores de Centramérica y México, Tegucigalpa, Honduras, 22 al 28 de junio de 1975.

SHAW, Mary, editor. 1971. According to our ancestors: Folk texts from Guatemala and Honduras.  

SHAW, Mary, editor. 1972. Según nuestros antepasados: Textos folklóricos de Guatemala y Honduras.

VIELMAN, Julio, translator; MAYERS, Marvin K., editor. 1966. Lenguas de Guatemala.

Vernacular Publications

Aprenda el idioma quiche. 1974.

Cartilla quiché 4. 1956.

Cartilla quiché de Joyabaj, edición provisional: [parte uno], parte dos. 1980.

Cartilla quiché número uno. 1958.

Catij incaparina che a chukʼab. 1969.

Chasiqʼuij uwowuj. 1966.

Chatakej uwowuj. 1966.

Chawetamaj uwowuj. 1958.

Chawetamaj uwowuj. 1966.

Chawetamaj uwowuj. 1981.

Chketamaj ri español = Aprendamos español . 1990.

Chketamaj ri español. 1980.

Chmja uwach wuj (Cuaderno de trabajo; Joyabaj Quiché 1). 1971.

Chqet'amaj kastiy = Aprendamos Español. 1992.

El alfabeto quiché. 1980.

Enseñando el quiché por vía del español. 1958.

Guía para el uso de la cartilla quiché Chawetamaj uwowuj. 1979.

Guia para maestros: enseñado español por vía del Quiché. 1958.

Jron rech catijo. 1969.

Jun yabil ubeʼ tuberculos. 1971.

Kasiqʼuij baʼ uwowuj. 1985.

La ri lobal. 1971.

Leamos nuestro idioma. 1998.

Leamos nuestro idioma: Cartilla bilingüe para los que ya saben leer en castellano. 1983.

Leche rech catijo. 1971.

Oxib tzijobelil re ri imul = Los tres cuentos del conejo. 1983.

Oxib tzijobelil re ri imul. 1972.

Primera cartilla quiché de Joyabaj. 1973.

Primera cartilla quiché. 1971.

Quieb oxib tzijbobelil. 1973.

Ri alaj ec' ri man utz tä u chomanic = El pollito tonto . 1983.

Ri banbal tak chulaj chʼajchʼoj. 1973.

Ri cʼax ri cuban ri tzam che jun winak. 1969.

Ri conalaj chʼiw. 1972.

Ri ojer tak mayas. 1983.

Ri wäbal = Los alimentos. 1970.

Sonrisas infantiles campesinas, por Reinaldo Alfaro Palacios. 1973.

Ustaj catij trag. 1971.