MAYA HIEROGLYPHS — WHORF 489 



not included in figure 1 (but confirmed by other evidence) while a 

 is 1 and hw is 5 of figure 1. 



No. 4 of figure 2 occurs in texts of the Codex Tro-Cortesianus 

 dealing with hunting and illustrated with hunting pictures. It is 

 obviously a sign cluster or word referring to animals killed by 

 spears or arrows, and the commentary in the Villacorta edition ^ of 

 the Tro-Cortesianus calls it "signo de caceria por medio de flecha y 

 lanza." It is a writing composed synthetically with doubling of 

 one subsyllabic sign. At the top is the cup-and-loop sign Zw, Zo, No. 

 14 of figure 1, written within the outlines of No. 15, m, ma, which is 

 doubled, the lower member of the doubled pair enclosing the tail sign 

 w, No. 17 of figvire 1. When we find doubled a sign which according 

 to the total set-up is probably to be interpreted as a syllabic con- 

 firmed by a subsyllabic, we may transliterate without using the con- 

 vention of writing a superscript, using instead a convention that 

 permits of possible interpretation as a long consonant or vowel, e. g., 

 in this case not ma-ma but m-ma. No. 4 is then transliterated 

 lu-m-ma-n or lo-m-ma-n, which is a word meaning exactly what the 

 accompaniment of pictured scenes tells us. It is the passive par- 

 ticipial inflection in -an of the stem lorn, which means a spearing 

 or stabbing thrust or blow, and by extension a spear, while with the 

 verbal inflection it denotes the occurrence of a spearing action. The 

 Motul dictionary gives Horn: tiro de lanza, o dardo, y cosas assi, 

 y estocada, o puiialada." This stem with the transitive verbal in- 

 flection is given by the Motul as ''^lomah, 6b : fisgar, o harponear, dar 

 estocada o puiialada, alancear y aguijonear," this citation being fol- 

 lowed by that of the passive participial form, ''Homdn: cosa que esta 

 assi fisgada." Hence this word loman written in the hieroglyphs of 

 the Maya text means speared, stabbed; pierced, wounded or killed 

 by a spear, arrow, etc. 



No. 5 of figure 2 is synthetic with doubling of the inherent vowel 

 of one sign. It is common in the hunting section of the Codex Tro- 

 Cortesianus, and is obviously the word denoting catching of animals 

 by a noose or lasso, or in a noose snare — a trap consisting of a noose 

 set to spring by a stretched rope triggered and attached to a small 

 bent-down tree so that when the animal steps in the noose and 

 releases the trigger the tree springs back, drawing the slipknot of the 

 noose and catching the animal. The glyph or sign cluster No. 5 

 accompanies pictures of this operation, e. g., Tro-Cortesianus 42c. 

 Villacorta calls it "signo de caceria por trampa." It consists of the 

 double loop or knot sign Z, Ze, No. 13 of figure 1, and the dot sign ^, 

 No. 3 of figure 1, and is to be transliterated le-e and read le "loop, 

 noose, slipknot, noose trap or snare," Motul He : lazo para cazar y 



^ J. Antonio Villacorta C. and Carlos A. Villacorta, COdices Mayas, published in 

 Arqueologia Guatemalteca, 1932. 



