Language has a natural tendency to change over time – except when it doesn’t. During a 300-year period at Tikal, the demands of genre dictate an astounding adherence to grammatical form in monumental texts of the historical narrative genre. This presentation provides the audience with foundational knowledge on literacy as a social practice before discussing specific findings on the apparent conservatism of grammar in selected Late Classic texts.

Emily Davis-Hale (they/them) is a PhD Candidate in the Department of Anthropology at Tulane University. Their dissertation work on the Maya writing system focuses on monumental texts at Tikal, Guatemala during the Late Classic period. They have published and presented on various topics of epigraphy and historical linguistics, including comparative work on premodern literacy.

Lunch will be served by M.A.R.I. The menu is pizza!