Chʼolan languages

Chʼolan
Cholan
Geographic
distribution
Belize, Guatemala, Mexico / former
Guatemala, Mexico / now
EthnicityMaya peoples
Native speakers
229,500 (2002–2005)
Linguistic classificationMayan
  • Core Mayan
    • Western Mayan
      • Chʼolan–Tseltalan
        • Chʼolan
Early form
Proto-languageProto-Ch’olan
Subdivisions
  • Eastern Chʼolan
  • Western Ch’olan
Language codes
Glottologchol1286
NotesClassification, subdivisions per Aissen, England & Zavala Maldonado 2017, pp. 44–45. Speakers, distribution per Becquey 2012, paras 1, 14.

The Chʼolan languages form a branch of the Mayan family of languages, comprising four languages, namely, Chʼol, Chʼoltiʼ, Chʼortiʼ, and Chontal. Notably, the language of Mayan hieroglyphs is now deemed the ancestor of one or more of the Ch’olan languages.