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Part of
Drawing Attention to Metaphor: Case studies across time periods, cultures and modalities
Edited by Camilla Di Biase-Dyson and Markus Egg
[Figurative Thought and Language 5] 2020
► pp. 189–206

In search of deliberateness in Maya glyphic texts

| University of Warsaw

The extant Maya glyphic texts provide a unique window into Classic Mayan – a grapholect used by the ancient Maya people. Research has shown that Classic Mayan made frequent use of metaphoric and metonymic language and iconography (see Hamann, 2014; 2016; 2017). This paper discusses a number of conceptual metaphors and metonymies identified in Maya glyphic texts and accompanying iconography. It also investigates if any of the non-literal expressions (plus accompanying iconography) found in monumental inscriptions may be potentially interpreted as cases of deliberate metaphor as defined by Steen (2010; 2013; 2015).

Keywords: Classic Mayan, cognitive linguistics, metaphor and metonymy, deliberate metaphor
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Conceptual metaphor and metonymy in Classic Mayan
    • 2.1Verbs of cognition in Mayan languages
    • 2.2Birth and death
    • 2.3Agricultural connotations in Maya culture
    • 2.4Royal accession, Panel of 96 Glyphs
    • 2.5The language of war
  • 3.In search of deliberateness
  • Key to glosses
  • Notes
  • References
Published online: 8 April 2020
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/ftl.5.08ham
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