66,717 research outputs found
The Carnegie Maya: the Carnegie Institution of Washington Maya Research Program, 1913-1957
No full textIncludes bibliographical references and index.The Carnegie Maya I -- The Carnegie Maya II -- The Carnegie Maya III -- The Carnegie Maya IV
Distinctness effects on VOS order: Evidence from Yucatec Maya
No full textSkopeteas S, Verhoeven E. Distinctness effects on VOS order: Evidence from Yucatec Maya. MIT Working Papers in Linguistics. 2009;59(New Perspectives in Mayan Linguistics):135-152
Encoding information structure in Yucatec Maya : on the Interplay of prosody and syntax
No full textThe aim of this paper is to outline the means for encoding information structure in Yucatec Maya. Yucatec Maya is a tone language, displaying a three-fold opposition in the tonal realization of syllables. From the morpho-syntactic point of view, the grammar of Yucatec Maya contains morphological (topic affixes, morphological marking of out-of-focus predicates) and syntactic (designated positions) means to uniquely specify syntactic constructions for their information structure. After a descriptive overview of these phenomena, we present experimental evidence which reveals the impact of the nonavailability of prosodic alternatives on the choice of syntactic constructions in language production
Distinctness effects on VOS order: Evidence from Yucatec Maya
No full textSkopeteas S, Verhoeven E. Distinctness effects on VOS order: Evidence from Yucatec Maya. In: Avelino H, ed. New Perspectives in Mayan Linguistics. Newcastle: Cambridge Scholars Publishing; 2011: 275-300
The interaction between topicalization and structural constraints: evidence from Yucatec Maya
No full textSkopeteas S, Verhoeven E. The interaction between topicalization and structural constraints: evidence from Yucatec Maya. The Linguistic Review. 2009;26(2-3):239-259
Left peripheral arguments and discourse interface strategies in Yucatec Maya
No full textSkopeteas S, Verhoeven E. Left peripheral arguments and discourse interface strategies in Yucatec Maya. In: Neeleman A, Kucerova I, eds. Contrasts and positions in information structure. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press; 2012: 296-321.Constituents in the left periphery are often assumed to bear information structural functions such as topic and focus. Yucatec Maya provides the empirical basis for a challenging case study in this respect, since it provides a distinction between a sentence-initial position that is characterized by a series of enclitics and is labeled ‘topic position’, and an immediately preverbal position that is labeled ‘focus position’. This paper addresses the issue where do the interpretational properties of the left peripheral constituents come from and considers two alternative hypotheses: (a) the left peripheral constituents occupy the Specifier positions of functional projections that bear information structural features such as ‘topic’ and ‘focus’ and (b) the syntactic positions in the left periphery are underspecified with respect to information structure. The data presented in this paper support the view of hypothesis (b) and show that the interpretational properties of the left peripheral positions can be accounted for through the interaction of discourse principles that are independent from syntax with the properties of prosodic phrasing, that indirectly refer to constituent structure
On the universality of prosodic reflexes of contrast: The case of Yucatec Maya
No full textKügler F, Skopeteas S. On the universality of prosodic reflexes of contrast: The case of Yucatec Maya. Presented at the 16th International Congress of Phonetic Sciences (ICPhS XI), 6-10 August 2007, Saarbrücken, Germany
Lowland Maya lime plaster technology: a diachronic approach
No full textLime plasters are mixtures of burnt lime, aggregates and other materials that are employed
in masonry architecture. Lime plasters were widely used by the ancient Maya in public
monumental buildings and constitute important elements of ancient Maya material culture.
This research analyses archaeological samples of lime plasters from three different
lowland Maya sites: Palenque, Calakmul and Lamanai. The thesis examines how these
building materials changed through time, and includes samples from ca. 400 BC to the 16
th
century AD.
In addition to the analysis of archaeological samples, the research also reviews
various sources of information, including ethnographic and ethnohistorical descriptions, for
the understanding of ancient Maya lime plaster production.
The results demonstrate that plasters from the three sites have different
characteristics that are due to different access to raw materials and different building
traditions at each of the sites. Some of the changes seem to be related to changing economic
and political conditions, which is very clear in the use of clays instead of lime for the
manufacture of architectural plasters during the Terminal Classic periods at Calakmul and
Palenque. Other observations include the use of local meteoritic deposits in the lime
mixtures of Palenque, the use of non-local volcanic materials in the late plasters from
Lamanai, and the likely use of volcanic ash at Calakmul for the production of hydraulic
plasters.
In addition to the technological analyses of ancient plasters, the research also
provides suggestions for future research and recommends those analytical methods that are
most suitable for the examination of Maya lime plasters
COSMOLOGY AND SOCIETY: HOUSEHOLD RITUAL AMONG THE TERMINAL CLASSIC MAYA PEOPLE OF YAXHA (ca. A.D. 850-950), GUATEMALA
No full textThis study of domestic ritual and symbolism centers on the ancient Maya kingdom of Yaxha in northeastern Guatemala, during the last part of the Classic period (A.D. 850-950/1000). Classic Maya high-culture functioned within a dynastic cosmology that framed royalty’s power. The central question in this dissertation is ‘how did the non-royal population participate and interact with this dynastic cosmology?’
Exploring some possible ways in which ancient Yaxhaeans participated and interacted with the local dynastic cosmology, I have hypothesized three possible behaviors derived from ethnographic studies: active engagement, resistance, and passive compliance. A comparative study of ritual practices and symbolism in ten residences of different social ranks provides the grounds for the discussion. This sample of residences includes the royal palace, a noble palace, two high-end commoner residences, and six low-end commoner residences. While the data from the eight commoner residences was obtained through original research, the information from the royal and noble palaces was recovered from previous research and salvage archaeology projects at Yaxha. The same ritual and symbolic aspects were investigated: symbolism in architectural layouts, ritual feasting, funerary rituals, dedication and termination rituals, and ritual paraphernalia.
I have concluded that while nobles and high-end commoners were actively engaged with the ruling dynastic cosmology, low-end commoners were more reluctant. A certain degree of disconnection in the ritual practices of the higher and lower ranks has been detected, suggesting that low-end commoners might have been more passively compliant than actively engaged with the ruling cosmology. No evidence for overt resistance has been found. Although passive compliance is not a behavior usually associated with social change, ethnographic observations suggest that as a form of passive resistance, it might be a symptom of social unrest
Meshes of the afternoon: the possibility of poetic cinema in Maya Deren's film
No full textDissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Centro de Comunicação e Expressão, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Letras/Inglês e Literatura Correspondente, Florianópolis, 2004Abstract : This thesis examines the work of the filmmaker Maya Deren in the light of the aesthetics proposed by her main writings -"An Anagram of Ideas on Art, Form and Film"(1946), "Cinema as an Independent Art Form" (1946), "Cinematography: The Creative Use of Reality"(1960) -, as well as its relations to her first short film Meshes of the Afternoon, placing it among the numerous aesthetic and film trends in which it figured. Her writings depict a solid theoretic background, as well as her attempt to construct what she called "poetic cinema," through the conjunction of various forms of artistic expression. Such an attempt is made no less evident in the analysis of Meshes of the Afternoon, whose dream-like narrative evolves from the peculiar combination of symbolic elements and is responsible for the poetic effect coveted by the filmmaker.Esta dissertação tem como objetivo examinar o trabalho da cineasta Maya Deren, principalmente no que se refere à estética proposta por ela em seus principais escritos: "An Anagram of Ideas on Art, Film and Form" (1946), "Cinema as an Independent Art Form" (1946) "Cinematography: The Creative Use of Reality" (1960) - e à relação que estes estabelecem com seu primeiro curta-metragem Meshes of the Afternoon, situando-o em meio às inúmeras correntes estéticas e cinematográficas com as quais se relacionou. Seus escritos evidenciam uma formação teórica sólida, bem como sua tentativa de elaborar o que denominou de "poetic cinema,"através do encontro das diversas formas de expressão artística. Esta tentativa fica não menos evidente ao se analisar Meshes of the Afternoon, cuja narrativa de caráter onírico se desenvolve a partir de uma combinação peculiar de elementos simbólicos, responsável pelo efeito poético almejado pela cineasta
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