Translating Maya Hieroglyphs

402 Pages·2013·10.52 MB·English

by  Scott A. J. Johnson

Translating Maya Hieroglyphs
S c o t t A . J . J o h nSo n
TranslaTing Maya HieroglypHs
This book is published as part of the Recovering Languages and Literacies of the Americas initiative.
Recovering Languages and Literacies is generously supported by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.
scoTT a. J. JoHnson
Tr anslaTing Maya Hieroglyp Hs
University of oklahoma press : norman
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Johnson, Scott A. J., 1983–
Translating Maya Hieroglyphs / Scott A.J. Johnson.
pages cm
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-8061-4333-0 (hardcover)
1. Maya language—Grammar. 2. Maya language—Writing.
3. Maya language—Syntax. 4. Translating and interpreting.
5. Inscriptions, Mayan. I. Title.
PM3969.J64 2013
497'.42711—dc23
2012041253
The paper in this book meets the guidelines for permanence and
durability of the Committee on Production Guidelines for Book
Longevity of the Council on Library Resources, Inc. ∞
Copyright © 2013 by the University of Oklahoma Press, Norman,
Publishing Division of the University. Manufactured in the U.S.A.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced,
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any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or
otherwise—except as permitted under Section 107 or 108 of the
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reproduce selections from this book, write to Permissions, University
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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
I dedicate this book to Linda Schele and her belief that epigraphy should be open to everybody,
but also to Lauren, for her constant support and encouragement.

conTenTs
List of Illustrations xi
Drawing Credits xiii
List of Tables xv
Acknowledgments xvii
Abbreviations xix
inTrodUcTion 3
0.1. Why This Book Is Needed 3
0.2. Today’s Major Controversies 4
0.3. How This Book Is Laid Out 4
0.4. A Brief History of the Maya 5
0.5. A Short History of Maya Decipherment 8
0.6. Where Glyphs Are Encountered 11
Further Reading 12
1. THe naTUre of THe scripT 15
1.1. Glyph Blocks 15
Exercise 1.1. Schematic Depiction of Glyph Blocks 18
Exercise 1.2. Piedras Negras, Stela 3 19
Exercise 1.3. Palenque, Tablet of the 96 Glyphs 20
1.2. Reading Order within an Inscription 21
1.3. Reading Order within a Glyph Block 25
Exercise 1.4. Main Signs and Affixes from Piedras Negras, Stela 3 28
1.4. Common Inscription Format 33
1.5. Logograms 34
Exercise 1.5. Identify Logograms 34
1.6. Syllabograms 36
Exercise 1.6. Identify Syllables 42
Exercise 1.7. Identify Syllables II 43
1.7. Semantic Determinatives 45
1.8. Numeral Classifiers 48
1.9. Transcription 50
Exercise 1.8. Syllabic Spellings 53
Exercise 1.9. Transcribe, Transliterate, and Translate 54
1.10. Transliteration 55
1.11. Translation 56
Further Reading 57
viii contents
2. spelling and langUage 59
2.1. Sounds in Classic Mayan 59
2.1.1. Consonants 59
2.1.2. Vowels 60
2.2. Synharmony 62
2.3. Disharmony 62
Inset Box 2.1. Key Controversy: Disharmonic Spellings of Complex Vowels 64
Exercise 2.1. Synharmonic Transliterations 67
Exercise 2.2. Disharmonic Transliterations 68
2.4. Phonetic Complements 69
2.5. “New” versus “Old” Orthography 70
2.6. Language(s) Represented Glyphically 71
Further Reading 72
3. daTes and nUMbers 73
3.1. Numbers 73
Exercise 3.1. Numerals 78
3.2. Long Count 81
Inset Box 3.1. Key Controversy: Long Count Correlations 86
3.3. Calendar Round 87
Exercise 3.2. Calculate Calendar Round Dates 92
Exercise 3.3. Identify Calendar Round Dates 93
3.4. Supplementary Series 94
Exercise 3.4. Identify Supplementary Inscription Elements 100
3.5. Distance Numbers 101
Exercise 3.5. Identify Distance Numbers 106
Exercise 3.6. Reconstruct Dates: Yaxchilan, Hieroglyphic Stairway 3 110
Exercise 3.7. Reconstruct Dates: Piedras Negras, Stela 3 111
Exercise 3.8. Reconstruct Dates: Palenque, Tablet of 96 Glyphs 112
Exercise 3.9. Reconstruct Dates: Piedras Negras, Altar 2 113
Exercise 3.10. Reconstruct Dates: Palenque, Hieroglyphic Stairway 114
Exercise 3.11. Inscription Date Reconstruction: Palenque, Sarcophagus 115
Exercise 3.12. Reconstruct Dates: Palenque, Palace Tablet 117
3.6. Short Counts 119
contents ix
4. basic graMMar 121
4.1. Prepositions 121
Exercise 4.1. Identify Prepositions 123
4.2. Pronouns 124
Exercise 4.2. Identify Pronouns 134
Exercise 4.3. Pronouns 135
Exercise 4.4. Pronouns II 136
4.3. Nouns, Noun Suffixes, and Morphosyllables 137
Exercise 4.5. Derived Nouns 142
Inset Box 4.1. Key Controversy: Plural Markers 143
Inset Box 4.2. Key Controversy: Morphosyllables 145
Exercise 4.6. Identify Titles 151
4.4. Adjectives and Adverbs 152
Exercise 4.7. Derived Adjectives 153
4.5. Word Order in Classic Mayan 155
Exercise 4.8. Noun Phrases 157
4.6. Stative Clauses and Particles 158
4.7. Complete Examples 160
Exercise 4.9. Piedras Negras, Stela 3 162
Exercise 4.10. Piedras Negras, Altar 2 163
Further Reading 164
5. Verbal graMMar 165
5.1. Transitive Verbs 166
5.1.1. Active 166
5.1.2. Passive 169
5.1.3. Mediopassive 169
5.1.4. Antipassive 170
5.1.5. Imperative 170
Exercise 5.1. Transitive Verb Voices 172
Exercise 5.2. Transitive Verb Voices II 173
Exercise 5.3. Transitive Verb Voices III 174
5.2. Intransitive Verbs 175
5.2.1. Root 175
5.2.2. Derived 175
5.3. Positional (and Causative) 178
Exercise 5.4. Intransitive Verbs 179
Exercise 5.5. More Intransitive Verbs 180
5.4. Inchoative 181
5.5. Affective 183
5.6. Stative Particles 183
5.7. Expressing Time 184
Inset Box 5.1. Key Controversy: Aspect versus Tense 185