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

Translation: tail
Part of speech: Noun

Logogram spellings of neh

                 

AT-E1168-lecture11.t0:38:02                    

Incised Travertine Vessel B2-B3               

K’AHK’.<NEH:<[chi]hi>:?> XOOK              

 

                                                                             

mayavase.com (EMC2021-AW-D3)              mayavase.com (EMC2021-AW-D3)                  

K1181                                                                 K4116                                                                     

K’AHK’.NEH tz’u.tz’i{h}                                    K’AHK’.NEH tz’u.tz’i{h}                                        

 

·    Do not confuse neh = “tail” with the phonetically similar nehn = “mirror”.

·    The example from the Incised Travertine Vessel B2-B3 is the name of a person: K’ahk’ Neh Chih Xook = Fire Tail(ed) Deer Shark.

·    This logogram (and a number of others, like BAAH) is also used very often acrophonically as a syllabogram (without the end consonant). As in the case of BAAH, its use as a syllabogram may well exceed its use as a logogram. In such cases, it almost becomes a philosophical point whether there still is a logogram use, or whether it’s always a syllabogram use, and – in cases of writing the “original” meaning – it’s a matter of underspelling. I.e. the above examples could be transliterated either as NEH or ne{h}. My personal preference is to transcribe NEH whenever the meaning of “tail” is being written, as in the above examples, and only transliterate as ne when the glyph is being used purely for its sound-value.