Notes on Orthography
Orthography involves how to spell and pronounce Mayan words in another language such as English or Spanish. The initial approach used English-based alphabets with a romance language sound for vowels:
Hun – Hoon Ne – Nay Xoc – Shoke Ix – Eesh
Ik – Eek Yohl – Yole Mat – Maat May – Maie
Sak – Sahk Ahau – Ah-how Yum – Yoom Ek – Ehk
Consonants of note are:
H – Him J – Jar X – “sh”
T – Tz or Dz Ch – Child
Mayan glottalized sounds are indicated by an apostrophe, and pronounced with a break in sound made in the back of the throat:
B’aakal K’uk Ik’nal Ka’an Tz’ak
Later the Spanish pronunciations took precedence. The orthography standardized by the Academia de Lenguas Mayas de Guatemala is used by most current Mayanists. The major difference is how H and J sound:
H – practically silent, only a soft aspiration as in hombre (ombray)
J – soft “h” as in house or Jose (Hosay)
There is some thought among linguists that the ancient Maya had different sounds for “h” and “j” leading to more dilemma. Many places, roads, people’s names and other vocabulary have been pronounced for years in the old system. The Guatemala approach is less used in Mexico, and many words in my book are taken from Yucatek Mayan. So, I’ve decided to keep the Hun spelling rather than Jun for the soft “h.” But for Pakal, I’ve resorted to Janaab rather than Hanab, the older spelling. I have an intuition that his name was meant by the ancient Mayas to have the harder “j” of English; this gives a more powerful sound.
For the Mayan word Lord – Ahau – I use the older spelling. You will see it written Ahaw and Ajaw in different publications. For English speakers, Ahau leads to natural pronunciation of the soft “h” and encourages a longer ending sound with the “u” rather than “w.”
Scholarly tradition uses the word Maya to modify most nouns, such as Maya people and Maya sites, except when referring to language and writing, when Mayan is used instead. Ordinary usage is flexible, however, with Mayan used more broadly as in Mayan civilization or Mayan astronomy. I follow this latter approach in my writing.
Acknowledgements
The contributions of many people provide a supportive framework for this book. My greatest respect goes to the archeologists who devoted years to uncovering hidden ruins and analyzing the messages communicated through stones, structures, artifacts and hieroglyphs. Seminal work uncovering Maya civilization was done by Teobert Mahler, Alfred Maudslay, Sylvanus Morley and J. Eric Thompson. Early decipherment made progress through Ernst Forstemann, Eduard Seler, Joseph T. Goodman and Juan Martinez. Franz Blom made early maps of Palenque structures and Heinrich Berlin advanced epigraphy by identifying emblem glyphs for cities.
Alberto Ruz Lhuillier made the famous discovery of Janaab Pakal’s tomb deep inside the Temple of the Inscriptions. Merle Green Robertson, whose drawings of Palenque structures still captivate researchers, gathered an inter-disciplinary team in the Mesa Redondas held near the archeological site. The Palenque Dynasty was identified by the Mesa Redonda teams including Linda Schele, Floyd Lounsbury, Simon Martin, David Stuart, Peter Mathews, Nicolai Grube and Karl Taube. David Stuart and his father George Stuart continued to advance knowledge of Palenque rulers, while Michael Coe captured the public’s interest in books about Maya culture and deciphering the Maya hieroglyphic code.
Two Russian scholars figured large in Maya research. Tatiana Proskouriakoff rendered beautiful reconstructions of cities and uncovered patterns of dates that recorded historical events on monuments. Epigraphy leapt forward with the work of linguist Yuri Knorosov showing that Maya symbols were both syllabic and phonetic. Later scholars added the concept polyvalence, when a single sign has multiple values and a sound can be symbolized by more than one sign.
Dennis Tedlock translated the Popol Vuh, giving us a poetic rendition of Maya creation mythology. Edwin Barnhart oversaw the masterful Palenque Mapping Project, uncovering numerous hidden structures west of the Great Plaza and demonstrating that Palenque was a very large city. Prudence Rice provided fresh and instructive interpretations of Maya social and political organization, including the may cycle in which ceremonial and political leadership passed cooperatively among cities.
Gerardo Aldana explored different interpretations of Palenque dynasties, power structures and astronomy. The amazing intellectual feats of Maya royal courts were exemplified in the 819-day count, a calendric construct used to maintain elite prestige. Aldana’s acumen in reading glyphic texts was pure inspiration for me, leading to major ideas for the succession surrounding Sak K’uk and Muwaan Mat, and Pakal’s reconstruction of the destroyed portal to the gods.
Arnoldo Gonzalez Cruz directed the excavations at Palenque that revealed the tomb of the “Red Queen,” first uncovered by Fanny Lopez Jimenez. The story of discovering the first Mayan queen’s sarcophagus was told in lively fashion by journalist Adriana Malvido in La Reina Roja. Arturo Romano Pacheco determined that the bones were those of a woman, one of the queens in my novel.
The richness of my experiences with indigenous Mayas goes beyond description. I could not write about the ancient Maya without the insights and revelations gained in ceremony and study with mentors Hunbatz Men and Aum Rak Sapper, who initiated me into Maya spirituality, and the examples of ancient rituals provided by Tata Pedro Cruz, Don Alejandro Cirilio Oxlaj, Don Pedro Pablo and members of the Grand Maya Itza Council of Priests and Elders.
Every author needs a cadre of readers willing to suffer through first drafts and catch errors. Thanks to my kind but incisive readers Lisa Jorgensen, Cate Tennyson, Becky Rowe, Karen Van Tassell, and Ginger Bensman. Endless accolades and many hugs to my husband David Gortner, inveterate web researcher who ferreted out esoteric facts and elusive images, tirelessly re-read chapters, dissected grammar, and always challenged me to get things straight and make them clear.
Other Works by Author
Dreaming the Maya Fifth Sun: A Novel of Maya Wisdom and the 2012 Shift in Consciousness
Suppose dreams were portals to different realities? ER nurse Jana Sinclair’s recurring dream compels her journey to jungle-shrouded Maya ruins where she discovers links with ancient priestess Yalucha, who was mandated to hide her people’s esoteric wisdom from the Conquistadors. Jana’s reluctant husband is swept into strange experiences and warns against further involvement. As the Maya calendar approaches the 2012 cycle end, Jana answers the call across centuries to re-enact a mystical ritual for transiting into the new era. She struggles against dark shamanic forces bent on preventing her mission and faces her husband’s devastating ultimatum, activating forces that could heal or destroy their relationship. Fans of historical fiction with adventure and romance will love this story of an ancient Maya priestess and contemporary woman whose lives weave together in the countdown to 2012, as they unravel secret bonds to fulfill the Maya prophecy that can make the difference for the planet’s future.
Hyperlink for book:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004ZH8NO4/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=211189&creative=373489&creativeASIN=B004ZH8NO4&link_code=as3&tag=madforsuc-20
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The Visionary Mayan Queen: Yohl Ik'Nal of Palenque Page 32