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

Alternative readings: CHAPAHT
Translation: centipede
Part of speech: Noun

Logogram spellings of chapaat

                                                                           

K&H.p81.#3                      TOK.p22.r5.c1                     BMM9.p15.r5.c1                   JM.p58.#2                               S&Z.p179.#75

CHAPAT                             CHAPAHT                             CHAPAT                                   CHAHPAT                                CHAPAT

 

                                                              

K&L.p20.#1 = KuppratApp                                                                             Kettunen&Davis-SCSC.p33.tab1.1              Kettunen&Davis-SCSC.p33.tab1.3

CHAPAT                                                                                                             CHAPAT                                                           cha:CHAPAT:ti

 

MHD (Looper)

Altar O' / Monument 23 C01-D02

tzi:<ka.<CHAPAAT:HAAB>.ka>              

 

·     Do not confuse this with the semantically related wak and kamis, which are two other words for “centipede”.

·     The full-figure variant, from Altar O' / Monument 23:

o Shows a human-like body with the head of a centipede, identified by the two characteristic fangs.

o Is quite rare, in this case infixed in the ISIG to match the HAAB-month of the ISIG’s LC.

·     The mouth is usually open, but in some cases, it can be closed (when the mouth is closed, it might be confused with the “CHAPAAT-variant” of BAAK).

·     Diagnostics to help distinguish it from the “CHAPAAT-variant” of BAAK are:

o CHAPAAT often has a “scroll” within the top part of the head (which BAAK never has).

o CHAPAAT often has a forehead ornament (especially if the mouth is closed) Note: the “CHAPAAT-variant” of BAAK also sometimes has a forehead ornament!

·     Do not confuse this with the visually similar (perhaps uncommon variant of) CHAN = “snake” with an open mouth (see CHAN = “snake”).

 

Syllabogram spellings of chapaat

                                                   

Kettunen&Davis-SCSC.p33.tab1.2                    Kettunen&Davis-SCSC.p33.tab1.4

K1256                                                                     Ceramic Vessel

cha.<pa:ti>                                                            SAK.<cha:pa:tu>

 

·     Martin-GBoLMotMC.t0:13:00 also gives Kettunen&Davis-SCSC.p33.tab1.2 without giving the source; Martin states that this is the one instance from which we know that the logogram for a centipede is pronounced chapaat, but Kettunen&Davis-SCSC.p33.tab1.4 shows another, and EB.p48..pdfp53 #3 lists cha?-pa-tu > chapat RAZ Tomb 19 Vessel, which is probably the same reference as Kettunen&Davis-SCSC.p33.tab1.4.

·     The drift of Martin’s assertion is still important: there are preciously few sources from which we can surmise that the central consonant is ‑p‑; however, Ch’olti’, Ch’orti’, Yucatec and Mopan all have clearly related cognates, with ch‑p‑t (Kettunen&Davis-SCSC.p26-27).