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Decoding the Mayan Glyphs

Decoding the Mayan Glyphs. Linguistics, culture and writing systems. Sociolinguistics. Study of language and society Way social categories (age, gender, class) influence speech patterns Gendered speech- distinct male and female speech patterns

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Decoding the Mayan Glyphs

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  1. Decoding the Mayan Glyphs Linguistics, culture and writing systems

  2. Sociolinguistics • Study of language and society • Way social categories (age, gender, class) influence speech patterns • Gendered speech- distinct male and female speech patterns • Dialects- regional or sub-cultural variations of language • Controversial- dialect often viewed as “substandard’ form by dominant group

  3. Ethnolinguistics • Study of relationship between language and culture • “Feedback loop” • Sapir-Whorf hypothesis • Language reflects what a culture thinks is most important • Linguistic Relativity- the differences in the language are unique to the language (and come from culture)

  4. Linguistic Determinism • Related to Linguistic Relativity • So…Language shapes the way we think about things and view the world BUT sometimes language reflects the cultural reality orthe conditions specific to the culture’s environment etc. In other words: our world shapes our language

  5. More subtle: Thought is shaped by language • Way cultures think of and express past, present and future (verb tenses) • How people organize space/activities in the physical world • How people comprehend/think of numerical, spatial etc. relationships • Way we learn affects the structure of our brains • Brain is very plastic(changeable)

  6. Proxemics • Social space/personal space • Distance people place themselves in relation to one another • Use of and organization of space • Micro = people in groups • Macro=how cities and towns laid out

  7. Mayan Proxemics Blue Creek site, Belize

  8. Proxemics and the landscape Blue Creek, Belize

  9. Writing Systems • Writing =Systematically organized set of visible or tactile signs used to represent units of language • *Oftencoincide w/ early nation-state • Distance info must travel with no change • Indicates new use, importance of recorded info *For Maya, these were not the factors that led to writing, -Legitimization of leadership, dynasty -Creation of identity centered on town, lord -Time/remembrance /deification of leader

  10. Maya Writing system • Legitimization of leadership, dynasty • Creation of identity centered on the town and the lord • Time/remembrance /deification of leader

  11. Types of writing systems • Alphabetic- Symbols = language sounds • Phonemes- smallest units of sound (i.e. letters , b = \b\) • (Relatively) small number of symbols • Ex: Phoenician system upon which modern alphabet is based • Logographic-Symbols = concepts/ideas, or Morphemes • Morpheme = the smallest units of language that carry meaning • (in English, the smallest morpheme is “s” for plurals) • Hundreds, if not thousands of symbols • Ex : Chinese

  12. Types of writing systems • Pictographic: Concepts, ideas and objects and associated meanings are visually represented • Logo-phonetic- combines symbols that represent sounds and symbols representing morphemes/concepts • Sometimes also called “complex” • Syllabic-Symbols represent entire syllable or ‘chunk’ of sound • Often “extra” symbols representing numbers, numerical concepts • Japanese Kana

  13. Mayanis“Logo-syllabic” • 550 Logograms • 150Syllabograms • 100 glyphs for place names, names of gods etc. • Abt. 300 glyphs used commonly

  14. Organization of Mayan writing • Paired columns • Read in a zig-zag A B 1. (A1) 2. (B1) 3. (A2) 4. (B2)

  15. Mayan writing origin • 2006-Earliest Example of Mayan writing : • San Bartolo, Guatemala • 2300 years BP • Refers to a “ruler” or “lord”

  16. San Bartolo, Guatemala

  17. Mayan Region

  18. What this all means • One of three known systems to develop independently • Sumerian cuneiform • Chinese • Prob. start as pictographs, then incorporated sound symbols • No single “Mayan” language- many different groups and related languages

  19. What this all means • The written Mayan was a prestige form of the language used by elites, priests and high officials. • Classic Ch'olti'an, extinct form of Eastern Ch’olti • Mayan texts are religious/sacred • Intertwining of political organization and religion • Reveals more abt. gender, worldview Rabbit!

  20. New Understanding • Women had key role in religion • Maintaining shrines • Recording events • Images of women weaving = metaphor for role in creating “fabric” of kinship • Depictions of noble women as weavers A female scribe presents her work

  21. The Maya Today We are not myths of the past, ruins in the jungle or zoos. We are people and we want to be respected, not to be victims of intolerance and racism.--RigobertaMench'uTum, winner of the 1992 Nobel Peace Prize.

  22. Mayan People Today • Yucatecan Mayan is the linguistic basis to decipher the writing • From “Cho’lti” Mayan spoken in Classic period • Stelaew/ both forms of the language • Many forms of Mayan still spoken • reflect history as confederated city-states

  23. Modern Maya Involvement • Mayan people have helped decipher the glyphs • Recognize stories • Pointed out “over-translation” of ruler’s names -like calling Dr. Brian Carroll (my husband) “Climbing Stag” – (translation of his first and last name in Irish Gaelic) • References to traditions that are still practiced • In Mayan communities, an effort is being made to reclaim the writing system

  24. < Crazy iguana Lady of Chichen Itza, from the Simpsons

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