A Possible [tze] Syllable and its Associates in Maya Writing

Sergei  Vepretskii; Albert  Davletshin

doi:10.19130/iifl.ecm.59.22X871

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Publicado: feb 7, 2022

DOI: https://doi.org/10.19130/iifl.ecm.59.22X871

Palabras clave:

Classic Maya Maya inscriptions epigraphy decipherment syllabary

Sergei Vepretskii

Russian State University for the Humanities & Institute of Anthropology and Ethnography

Albert Davletshin

Russian State University for the Humanities

Resumen

The decipherment of the Maya script is still far from completion and awaits the interpretation of a considerable number of logograms and syllabic signs. This paper is dedicated to the composite sign that has been previously considered a ligature of two syllabic signs, tzo and ko. The present analysis shows that these two graphic elements are never written separately and that the ko-like element differs from the other ko syllables attested in the corresponding inscriptions. The sign is found in the context of other syllables involving the mid-front e vowel, implying a previously unrecognized Ce syllable, with “C” standing for an unknown consonant. In Palenque, the sign follows the le syllable; the combination of these two signs is attested in the position of a predicate, which might be interpreted as the verb letz-e, “he/she climbed, went up”. The data collected allow us to propose the phonetic reading tze and fill one more gap in the Maya syllabic grid.

Cómo citar

Vepretskii, S. ., & Davletshin, A. . (2022). A Possible [tze] Syllable and its Associates in Maya Writing. Estudios De Cultura Maya, 59, 11-36. https://doi.org/10.19130/iifl.ecm.59.22X871

Número

Vol. 59 (2022): primavera-verano

Sección

Artículos

Esta obra está bajo una licencia internacional Creative Commons Atribución-NoComercial 4.0.

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Biografía del autor/a

Sergei Vepretskii, Russian State University for the Humanities & Institute of Anthropology and Ethnography

Russian. Master of History, Faculty of History, M.V. Lomonosov Moscow State University. He is a member of the Russian State University of Humanities and the Institute of Anthropology and Ethnography of Moscow, Russia. His main line of research is Maya epigraphy. His current project is entitled "The political organization of Kanu'l". Among his most recent publications are "Identifying the Provenance of Puerto Barrios Altar", "New Glyphic Appellatives of the Rain God", "Los monumentos de Itzimté (Petén, Guatemala): Nuevos datos e interpretaciones" and “La Estela 48 de Naranjo Sa’aal, Petén: contexto, hallazgo y texto jeroglífico La Estela 48 de Naranjo Sa’aal, Petén: contexto, hallazgo y texto jeroglífico", these last three in co-authorship.

Albert Davletshin, Russian State University for the Humanities

Doctor in History from the Yuri Khorozov Center for Mesoamerican Studies of the Russian State University for the Humanities. He is a member of the Russian State University of Humanities, Institute of Oriental and Classical Studies and the National Research University, Higher School of Economics, International Center of Anthropology in Moscow. His main lines of research are hieroglyphic writing systems and Mesoamerican and Polynesian languages. Among his most recent publications are "Signos numéricos y registros de cuenta en la escritura jeroglífica náhuatl Signos numéricos y registros de cuenta en la escritura jeroglífica náhuatl", "Laryngealized vowels and laryngealized consonants in the History of the Totonacan languages of Mexico" and "Building societies on outer islands: Sociopolitical institutions and their names in Polynesian Outliers", the latter two as sole author.

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