Language as a marker of ethnic identity among the Yucatec Maya.

ABSTRACT: Most human variation is structured around symbolically marked cultural ('ethnic') groups that require common codes of communication. Consequently, many have hypothesised that using others' linguistic competences as markers of their descent is part of an evolved human psychology. However, there is also evidence that the use of language as ethnic markers is not universally applied, but context specific. We explore the tension between these views by studying responses to bilingualism among 121 adults living in Mayan communities undergoing rapid socioeconomic changes involving increased contact with Spanish-speaking towns. We show that, although competences in Mayan were strongly tied to perceiving others as having a Mayan ethnic identity, ethnolinguistic category membership was not seen as st

SUBMITTER: Padilla-Iglesias C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10427450 | biostudies-literature | 2020

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature