CMGG entry for "GLYPH-B"      (This article is part of the Learner's Maya Glyph Guide.)
From: Lee, S. Classic Maya Glyph Guide, Part 1. Amsterdam: Self-published, 2023-2025. Contact: maya.glyphs@yahoo.com.
For sources given below as abbreviations under the glyphs or in the text, hover on the abbreviation to bring up the reference. For the full list of references and their abbreviations, see here.

Translation: Glyph-B – part of the SS
Part of speech: Noun

Spellings of "GLYPH-B"

                                                                                       

MHD (Stuart)                                   Safronov             = MHD (Ringle)                        MHD (Schele)

CRN Panel 1 B7                               CRN Panel 3 A8                                                     CPN Stela 5 East Altar A8

u.<<ch’o{k}>+K’ABA’>                    u.<<ch’o{k}>+K’ABA’>                                         Glyph-X.<u:<<CH’OK[ko]>+K’ABA’>>

 

                                                                                                               

MHD (Schele)                                                    MHD (Schele)                                  MHD (Fash)                        

CPN Stela 10 A8                                                CPN Stela 13 B7                              CPN Stela N                        

<u:<<ch’o[ko]>+K’ABA’>>.<*20:9>               u.<<CH’OK[ko]>+K’ABA’>              u.<<ch’o[ko]>+K’ABA’>    

 

                                                                    

MHD (von Euw)                                   MHD (Graham)                                  

NAR Stela 13 F7                                   NAR Stela 29 F7                                  

u.<<ch’o:ko>+K’ABA’>                       u.<<CH’OK[ko]>+K’ABA’>              

 

                                                                     

MHD (Schele)                                     MHD (Safronov)                               MHD (Tokovinine)

PMT Panel 1                                       PNG Panel 3 E1                                 YAX Stela 6

u.<<ch’o[ko]>+K’ABA’>                    u.<<ch’o[ko]>+K’ABA’>                    <u:<<ch’o[ko]>+K’ABA’>>.<20:9>

 

·    Glyph-B forms one of the standard components of the SS.

·    It’s a standard, “formulaic” phrase and is overwhelmingly uch’ok k’aba’ = his youth(ful) name.

o A search in MHD on “blsem contains Glyph B” yields 263 hits.

o A search in MHD on “blsem contains Glyph B” and “blengl does not contain young” yields 42 hits.

§ Of these 42 hits, adding “bllogosyll equals _” gives 24 hits, leaving 18 with an actual attempted reading.

§ Of the 18 hits of “blsem contains Glyph B” and “blengl does not contain young” and “bllogosyll does not equal _”, the two “arms” of K’ABA’ embrace:

·      Syllabogram a (to explicitly spell the final glottal stop of K’ABA’): 2 hits.

·      Muluk-u (syllabogram lo rotated 90 degrees clockwise): 3 hits.

·      K’UH (the “default” element embraced by the two arms of K’ABA’): 2 hits.

·      Other (glyph is visible but it’s uncertain what is written): 4 hits.

·      Eroded or no drawing: 7 hits.

In other words, practically all occurrences of Glyph-B are uch’ok k’aba’.

·    Glyph-B is optionally present when Glyph-X is present, but can be absent when Glyph-X is present. However, if Glyph-B is present, then Glyph-X is always also present. This is because giving the name (= Glyph-X) doesn’t require also stating that that’s the name (= Glyph-B), whereas stating “(this is) his youth(ful) name” (= Glyph-B) without giving the name (= Glyph-X) wouldn’t make any sense.

·    The examples give the full range of variation in the ways of writing Glyph-B:

o With the logogram CH’OK:

§ If the ko end phonetic complement is present, then it is always written infixed along the bottom, under the “spectacles” and covering the “teeth”.

o With the syllabograms ch’o and ko:

§ The ko can be infixed (covering the ear, on the right of the entire head, or even covering the mouth).

§ The ko can be below the ch’o.

§ The ko can be to the right of the ch’o.

It goes without saying that the u can be above or to the left of the rest.