Xipal (MH796r)

Xipal (MH796r)
Compound Glyph

Glyph or Iconographic Image Description:

This black-line drawing of the simplex glyph for the personal name Xipal (“Lips”) is attested here as a woman’s name. The glyph shows two small, square, turquoise tesserae (xiuh-), which provide a near homophone for the start of the name Xi-. Above the tesserae is a flag (pamitl) in profile, facing the viewer’s right. The flag (-pan) provides a near homophone for the -pal ending to the name. It is a little bit curious that a Xipal glyph does not feature a set of lips, unless the reading here is incorrect. Perhaps an emphasis on lips might have raised concerns from the clergy.

Description, Credit:

Stephanie Wood

Added Analysis:

If this decipherment is correct, this is a rare compound that is fully phonographic.

A few other examples of compounds that are potentially entirely phonetic appear below. One can also use the Advanced Search for the Sign Type=“Compound Glyph” simultaneously with Writing Features=“Compound Fully Phonographic.”

Added Analysis, Credit:

Stephanie Wood

Gloss Image:

Gloss Diplomatic Transcription:

rocion xiphal

Gloss Normalization:

Rocio Xipal

Gloss Analysis, Credit:

Stephanie Wood

Source Manuscript:

Huexotzinco, Matrícula de (MH)

Date of Manuscript:

1560

Creator's Location (and place coverage):

Huejotzingo, Puebla

Semantic Categories:

personal name

Syntax:

noun(s)

Writing Features:

simplex or element as phonogram

Cultural Content & Iconography:

Anatomy, human body parts

Flags, banners

Gender (female)

Names (personal and/or theonym)

Turquoise or Jade

Cultural Content, Credit:

Jeff Haskett-Wood

Colors:

black & white drawing (no color)

Parts (compounds or simplex + notation):

Keywords:

banderas, teselas, turquesa, labios, nombres de mujeres

Glyph or Iconographic Image:

Relevant Nahuatl Dictionary Word(s):

xipal(li), lips, https://nahuatl.wired-humanities.org/content/xipalli

Glyph/Icon Name, Spanish Translation:

Labios

Spanish Translation, Credit:

Stephanie Wood

Image Source:

Matrícula de Huexotzinco, folio 796r, World Digital Library, https://www.loc.gov/resource/gdcwdl.wdl_15282/?sp=666&st=image.

Image Source, Rights:

This manuscript is hosted by the Library of Congress and the World Digital Library; used here with the Creative Commons, “Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 License” (CC-BY-NC-SAq 3.0).

Orthography:

"ph" for f, p, or b

errors and revisions

intrusive "n"

Historical Contextualizing Image: