CMGG entry for alay      (This article is part of the Learner's Maya Glyph Guide.)

Translation: here
Part of speech: Adverb

Spellings of alay

AT-E1168-lecture18.t0:00:19

K791 C-D

a.<AL:ya> T’AB

 

                                           

mayavase.com                                         mayavase.com                               (lost reference)                                                     mayavase.com                                           

K1398                                                        K1837 PSS-A – PS-B                                                                                                        K2295                                                          

a.<AL:ya> T’AB.yi                                      a.<AL:ya> T’AB[yi]                                                                                                         a.<AL:ya> T’AB.yi                                       

 

                              

mayavase.com                                                  

K2914 A1-B1                                                                 

a.<AL:ya> T’AB:yi                                               

 

                                         

mayavase.com                                             mayavase.com                                                        

K7750                                                             K7786                                                                        

a.<AL:*ya> T’AB.yi                                        a.<AL:ya> T’AB.yi                                                    

 

                 

mayavase.com                                            mayavase.com                                       

K9099                                                           Vase from El Señor del Peten             

a.<AL:ya> T’AB[yi]                                      a.<AL:ya> T’AB.yi                                  

 

 

Krempel&Matteo-EPTaY.p246.pdfp4.Abb2               

Berlin Museum Plate                    

a.<AL:ya> T’AB.yi                                   

 

                                                                         

mayavase.com                                                       mayavase.com                                    mayavase.com                                                    mayavase.com

K2796                                                                       K4387                                                   K4669                                                                   K8728

a.<AL:ya> T’AB[yi?]                                                a.<AL:ya> T’AB:yi                               a.<AL:ya> T’AB[yi]                                               a.<AL:ya> T’AB:yi

 

              

mayavase.com                                         

K9144                                                         

a.<AL:ya> T’AB[yi]                                    

 

                 

mayavase.com                                             

K3642

a.<AL:ya> <K’AL:?>.?                                                                       .

 

                                                                       

mayavase.com                                              mayavase.com                                              mayavase.com                                           mayavase.com                       

K4997                                                              K5452 B1                                                       K5452 B2                                                     K7460                                            

a.<AL:ya> <K’AL:?>.?                                    a.<AL:ya> <K’AL:?>.?                                    a.<AL:ya> <K’AL:?>.?                                   

 

                                                                                                

Polyukhovych&Looper-aPftXA.p4.fig4               Polyukhovych&Looper-aPftXA.p5.fig5                  .

FUNBA plate (MS5320)                                         Fundación La Ruta 1.2.179.9                                 

a.<AL:ya> <K’AL:?>.?                                              <K’AL:?>.?                                           

 

·    The examples in this entry show (where possible) alay t’abay, but are grouped by variant of t’abay, not alay.

·    Meaning: “Here is presented …”

·    This is the most common way to start the PSS (“Primary Standard Sequence”) of a “vase”. Although sometimes generically referred to as “vases”, they are in fact ceramic vessels of a wide range of shapes; mostly receptacles for holding food – either for storage or consumption – plates, bowls, cups, etc.

·    The PSS is also known as the “Dedicatory Formula”. PSS is the earlier term, coined before epigraphers understood the function of this standard phase. “Dedicatory Formula” is now the preferred term, but PSS is still very commonly used. The PSS is most often written along the rim of the vessel.

·    In the PSS, the word after alay is normally either t’abay or k’alhlaj = “(Here is) raised or presented” (AT-E1168-lecture18.t0:01:40).

·    Variants (3):

o A. Head-based – features:

§ Left: older variant of HUL (as found in Glyph-G) optionally with an infixed “AK’AB”-like glyph, rotated 90 degrees anticlockwise or “breath” or life force emerging from an old man (in death?).

§ Right: Old man’s head.

o B. Stairs-based – features:

§ Left: older variant of HUL (as found in Glyph-G) optionally with an infixed “AK’AB”-like glyph, rotated 90 degrees anticlockwise.

§ Right: A series of stone steps.

o C. Hand-based – features:

§ Left – two or three elements stacked:

·      Top: (optional) four non-touching dots.

·      Middle: HAAB.

·      Bottom: K’AL.

§ Right: female head

There is considerable doubt if the hand-based variant is read as t’abay. It could be a different verb with the same or a slightly (or even very?) different meaning. Grouped here for convenience. Some epigraphers transcribe it as k’al ? (the “?” is for the female head), MHD gives tab?. Dramatically different glyphs can have exactly the same reading, so the hesitation on t’ab might be because there have been no initial or final phonetic complements seen, to support the reading.

·    Pronunciation: while the head-based and stair-based variants are read quite confidently (and interchangeably) as t’abay, it is uncertain if the hand-based variant also has this reading (it is sometimes “informally” read this way, because it occurs in that context, but there appear to be some doubts about the validity of the reading).

·    See also AL/YAL = “daughter (of)”.

·    davies (dead link) = http://users.misericordia.edu/davies/maya/dancers1.htm is a black and white photo with a higher resolution than the mayavase.com one.

·    For writing alay, the overwhelming number of instances use the “LEM" variant.

·    The drawing and the photograph of K791 are both from AT-E1168-lecture18.t0:00:19, but the drawing has been simplified by Tokovinine in two or three spots for pedagogical purposes. One major change was that he replaced CHAN = “sky” with the four dots of the “bar-and-dot” notation; another that he replaced ha with ja; yet a third was that he replaced a “CHAB-based” ALAY with the more regular “LEM‑based” one.