Yucateco language
- noun
- Many people in Mexico speak the Yucateco language.
Examples
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Many ancient inscriptions in the Yucateco language are written on stone tablets in the Yucatán Peninsula.
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She is fluent in Spanish, English, and Yucateco language.
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A dictionary of the Yucateco language was published to support language preservation efforts.
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Many ancient inscriptions in the Yucatán Peninsula are written in Yucateco language.
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The Yucateco language is rich in history.
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A dictionary of the Yucateco language was published to support language preservation efforts.
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She is fluent in several languages, including Yucateco language, Spanish, and English.
Synonyms
1
9.9
A Mayan language spoken in the Yucatán Peninsula of Mexico
A Mayan language spoken mainly in the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico and in nearby parts of Belize and Guatemala
A Mayan language spoken by people in the Yucatán Peninsula of Mexico
A Maya language spoken in the Yucatán Peninsula
Surface Forms
Morphology
This is a straightforward nominal composition: X + language = ‘the language of X’. If a learner knows 'Yucateco' (relating to the Yucatán/Yucatec people) and 'language', they can reliably infer it denotes the language spoken by that group. The pattern is cross-linguistically common, so it is immediately comprehensible to B1 learners who know the constituents.
Etymology
Yucateco language means the language of people from the Yucatán. One popular story says early Spanish explorers asked local people where they were and the locals replied words that sounded like 'I don't understand you', so the Spaniards thought that was the place name and the people and their language came to be called Yucateco.