My first reaction at reading this dictionary was of surprise. I was expecting the standard style I have seen in Spanish, French and Italian dictionaries. The format for this Maya itzaj language was a hybrid between a language textbook and the actual dictionary.
It is a fairly new piece of writing published on 1998 by the prestigious University of Utah Press. The author is Charles Andrew Hofling, who has been studying the Mayan culture and focused on the preservation of this ancient almost extinct language. It is available on both paper and electronic formats, and it can be purchased worldwide from the web.
The real life use of this book is rather limited. The projects it can help on are very specific and geared towards the Anthropological study of the Mayan culture and traditions. It can also be used as a textbook for those who wish to study and keep this dying language alive.
The contents list page has an organized structure. The book begins by giving robust set on historical information about the language, followed by clear instructions on how to understand and read the letters of the language. The dictionary is numbered from pages 1 to 320 following the ABC sequence in Mayan language. For example the word b’aa means “Swim” and each Mayan word is given the unique meaning in English or set of meanings under that word.
People who turn to this dictionary as a source will find it highly useful. It is really helpful to have big portions of the book to explain the complexity of the language. Since the book is rather new, it contains contemporary information and provides resources in addition to just being a dictionary.
