1. A Possible [tze] Syllable and its Associates in Maya Writing.
- Author
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Vepretskii, Sergei and letshin, Albert Dav
- Subjects
- *
INSCRIPTIONS , *CONSONANTS , *VOWELS , *SYLLABARY , *ACQUISITION of data , *VERBS - Abstract
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 letze, “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. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2022
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