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An Example of Homophony in Maya Script

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

Stephen D. Houston
Stephen D. Houston*
Affiliation:
Department of Anthropology, Yale University, Box 2114 Yale Station, New Haven, CT 06520
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Abstract

This report demonstrates recourse to homophony in ancient Maya script, illustrating the generalization of signs on the basis of their phonetic values, apart from their primary semantic values. It focuses on substitutions, in eight glyphic contexts, of signs for “sky,” the number “four,” and “snake,” the words for which are homophonous or nearly homophonous in most Mayan languages. A final, unique glyphic context exhibits the use of homophony in a spelling of Kukulcan's name from the classic period.

Type
Reports
Information
American Antiquity , Volume 49 , Issue 4 , October 1984 , pp. 790 - 805
Copyright
Copyright © The Society for American Archaeology 1984

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