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

Alternative readings: CHA'
Translation: metate, grindstone
Part of speech: Noun

Logogram spellings of ka'

                                                                   

TOK.p36.r5.c2 = BMM9.p20.r4.c1                              Stuart-APSfM.p1.fig1

?                            K’A’ (typo, should be KA’)              ?

 

                                                                                                                                                 

Stuart-APSfM.p1.fig2a               Stuart-APSfM.p1.fig2b                   Stuart-APSfM.p1.fig2c                   Stuart-APSfM.p1.fig2d                    Stuart-APSfM.p2.fig4

TIK Stela 31                                  COL La Florida(?) vessel                 COP Stela 4                                      K1882                                                 [no reference given]

KA’ / CHA’                                     KA’ / CHA’                                        <KA’/CHA’>:a                                   “MAGUEY”:<KA’/CHA’>                  <KA’/CHA’>.a

 

·     The iconography of the glyph is that of a smaller stone on a larger one.

·     Do not confuse this with the visually similar “Three Rocks”.

·     Do not confuse this with the visually similar EHB (stone rolling down a stair) = “stair” / “ladder” and T’AB (foot ascending a stair) = “to ascend”.

·     Do not confuse this with the phonetically similar k’a’ = “to diminish (die)”:

o ka’ = “metate” has an initial k-, whereas k’a’ = “to die” has an initial k’-.

o BMM9.p20.r4.c1 has K’A’ but this appears to be a typo.

·     Features:

o The salient feature is the large, step-shaped KAWAK in the “centre” of the glyph – the step resembles the outline of T’AB or EHB, but here consists of only one step.

o In that “depression” / “step” is a smaller KAWAK, representing the hand-held mano, used to perform the grinding.

o Optionally, below:

§ Two smaller KAWAKs – in line with one another and both under the larger KAWAK, or

§ One KAWAK on the right – tucked into the bottom right corner of the larger KAWAK.

·     Dorota Bojkowska: on K1882 the whole thing is not a glyph or glyph-block – it is in the iconography, so there is no “reading” for it. The top part is iconography for maguey/agave, and the bottom part is for the grindstone itself.

·     Stuart-APSfM and Stuart-AUoC discuss a tentative reading for this logogram:

o An old nickname for it was “bent cauac”.

o The large KAWAK is the main part of the metate, which provides the grinding surface.

o The two optional KAWAKs underneath are the supports.

o The small KAWAK above (if present) is the mano, the stone which is manipulated to perform the grinding.

§ This can be replaced / covered by a MANIK (“hand”).

§ The MANIK could represent either:

·       The hand doing the grinding, or

·       chi{h} KA’ NAL è chih ka’ (nal) “maguey metate/grinding (place)”.

o When a syllabogram a is present at the end, this can be seen as an end phonetic complement (or is the repeating of the main vowel, to indicate that the word ends in a glottal stop – hence often underspelled).