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, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise—except as permitted under Section 107 or 108 of the United States Copyright Act—without the prior written permission of the University of Oklahoma Press. To request permission to reproduce selections from this book, write to Permissions, University of Oklahoma Press, 2800 Venture Drive, Norman OK, 73069, or email [email protected]. 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