A reanalysis of tense in Chuj (Mayan)

Abstract

In this paper, I provide a reanalysis of Chuj’s tense/aspect system. Carolan argues that Chuj is a tensed language, using data from two markers, ix and ∅, that she analyzes as marking perfective aspect and recent and distant past tense, respectively. Using original data collected via semantic fieldwork methods, I show that these two markers can be used with multiple temporal references, indicating that they encode only aspectual information, not tense. I analyze them as recent and remote perfect markers, marking the relationship and the distance between topic time and event time. These findings show that previous descriptions of tense and aspect in Chuj are insufficient, calling for further study to create a more complete understanding of the semantics of verbal markers. Additionally, it is more likely that Chuj is a tenseless language, but future research should seek to confirm this.