PHONETIC FEATURES OF THE CHARACTERS. 



371 



Dresden Codex (see Fig. 378), it signifies "footsteps" or the act of 

 •n-alking. As the Maya word Be signifies "journey," '"wood," 

 "march," and also " journeying " and "marching," it is possible that 

 this symbol is also phonetic, although apparently only a modified 

 form of the footprint. This supposition is strongly supported by 

 the fact that it is found in numerous and varied relations, single and 

 in combination. 



The symbol for 20 (Kal), No. 1 of the preceding list, is apparently 

 phonetic. This view appears to be confirmed by its use otherwise 

 than as a numeral symbol at several points in the text of the Manu- 

 script Troano. For example, in the third division of Plate 

 XVII* it appears in this form, fv^ I while immediately below 

 is the representation of an idol ^/^^jp head in a vessel covered 

 with a screen or basket, as shown in Fig. 388. The Maya verb 



Fig. 338. Wooden idol in vessel with ba.sket cover. 



Kal signifies to "imprison" or "inclose," which is certainly appro- 

 priate to what we see in the figure. As the symbol is over each of 

 the three similar figures in the division, it is probable that it is 

 intended to denote something relating to or observable in them. In 



^ theseconddivisionof Plates XV* and XVI*, same codex, 



/_L H^j^\ is this symbol, several times repeated, and below each the 

 I r . . ..J . figure of a priest or deity at work, each carving, with a 

 ^ \tmmKmii' machete or hatchet, the head of an idol. The probable 

 signification is "Give twice twenty strokes with a machete," and 

 hence is but partially phonetic. 



Other examples bearing on this question may be found, biit these 

 are believed to be sufficient to warrant the belief that at the time 

 these codices were written Maya culture had reached that stage 

 where the idea of phoneticism was being introduced into the writ- 

 ing. Yet it is certain, and even susceptible of demonstration, that a 

 large portion, perhaps the majority, of the characters are symbols. 



The more I study these characters the stronger becomes the con- 

 viction that they have grown out of a pictographic system similar 

 to that common among the Indians of North America. The first 

 step in advance appears to have been to indicate, by characters, the 

 gesture signs. 



