Introduction to Maya Hieroglyphs - Wayeb

Kettunen & Helmke 2011
The Writing System
AJAW a-AJAW-wa AJAW AJAW-wa
8. SYLLABLES (SYLLABOGRAMS)
The Maya writing systems uses, besides logograms, also phonetic signs in expressing syllables, or more precisely:
syllabograms. These syllables can either work as CV (consonant-vowel) syllables, or C(V) sounds (the sound of the
consonant without the sound of the accompanying vowel). As a rule, the last vowel
wi of the last syllable in a given word drops out (and as always, there are exceptions to
this rule). Thus, the word for mountain, witz, can be written phonetically with two
syllables, wi and tzi. Since the last vowel is discarded (due to the harmony
tzi principles), the word reads wi-tz(i) > witz.
9. PHONETIC COMPLEMENTS
A phonetic complement is a sign that “helps” the reading of the logogram. It is a pronunciation “assistant” in
cases when the main sign has more than one possible reading. Phonetic complements are very common in the
Maya script, and they have also played a major role in the modern decipherment of the Maya writing system.
Phonetic complements, which cued ancient Maya readers, also cue modern readers thereby facilitating the
reading of ambivalent logographic signs.
In the following example, the syllable wi (shaded sign) works as a phonetic complement for the logogram WITZ.
The presence of the prefixed syllable wi- therefore informs us that the word represented by the logogram also
begins with the phonetic value wi-...
wi-WITZ
witz
“mountain”
In the example below, the syllabogram ki (shaded sign) is attached to the zoomorphic logogram to provide the
final sound …-k of the word Chahk (or Chaak) to distinguish it from a another reading of a similar head in the
word Kalomte’.
CHAK-ki
Chahk / Chaak
Name of a deity
KAL-TE’
Kalomte’ / Kaloomte’
Exalted royal title
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