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  • Indus Signs Principles

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    Arnaud Fournet
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    The document discusses several principles for deciphering the ancient Indus script: [1] Non-symmetrical signs have mirror variants, and the direction of writing is usually given by the direction of animals depicted; [2] Each sign stands for the beginning sound of the word depicted, using an acrophonic principle; [3] Ko and kO, ya and yE/yO represent different vowels sounds, indicating a distinction between short and long vowels; [4] Numbers are sometimes used with signs, indicating abbreviated or interrupted writing.

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    The document describes how the Indus signs work as a writing system.

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    The document discusses several principles for deciphering the ancient Indus script: [1] Non-symmetrical signs have mirror variants, and the direction of writing is usually given by the direction of animals depicted; [2] Each sign stands for the beginning sound of the word depicted, using an acrophonic principle; [3] Ko and kO, ya and yE/yO represent different vowels sounds, indicating a distinction between short and long vowels; [4] Numbers are sometimes used with signs, indicating abbreviated or interrupted writing.

    Copyright:

    Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
    Download as PDF or read online from Scribd
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    149 views21 pages

    Indus Signs Principles

    Uploaded by

    Arnaud Fournet
    The document discusses several principles for deciphering the ancient Indus script: [1] Non-symmetrical signs have mirror variants, and the direction of writing is usually given by the direction of animals depicted; [2] Each sign stands for the beginning sound of the word depicted, using an acrophonic principle; [3] Ko and kO, ya and yE/yO represent different vowels sounds, indicating a distinction between short and long vowels; [4] Numbers are sometimes used with signs, indicating abbreviated or interrupted writing.

    Copyright:

    Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
    Download as PDF or read online from Scribd
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    of 21

    Indus Signs

    Deciphered as syllables
    THE DIRECTION OF WRITING
    The direction of writing

    Myth 1: the direction of writing is always from right to left.

    False. Non symmetrical signs have mirror variants.


    The direction of writing
    ta-Da "big"

    The direction is usually given by that of the animals.

    Regular

    but

    Regular
    Counter-example
    ACROPHONIC PRINCIPLES
    Acrophonic Method
    • Each sign stands for the beginning of the word
    expressed in the drawing:
    – ve- < big tree
    – ye- < water, river (*yed- )

    xx di n ye ve
    ye ve

    veyendixx "spirit" veye "god"


    modja "Gharial"
    mu-ko

    mu is derived from mo
    ko is acrophonic of komu "horn"

    yE is derived from yO
    Both have a long vowel yE-na yO-Di-kO
    "elephant" "ram"
    SHORT AND LONG VOWELS
    ko and kO are not similar
    ya and yE / yO are not similar

    mu-ko
    "horn"
    ya-Di-kO
    "bull"

    ye-ve yE-na yO-Di-kO


    "god" "elephant" "ram"
    PROPAGATION OF VALUES
    veye "god" veyen- "king"
    modja "Gharial" ve- "tree"

    yed- "water,
    ye-ve ye-ve river"
    mo

    xx da-mo ve-ye 2 daTa


    Hunt : 2 big Ta-da 3 xx
    cattle
    xx 3 big

    veye "god"
    modja "Gharial" veyeNT- "hunt"
    moda "cattle" veyen-xx "king"
    7 mo ve-xx "tree"
    mu-ko
    "horn"
    modja "Gharial"

    n mo
    hence hence
    xx-xx-n-ye-ve nu mu
    "spirit"

    ve-Du-nu-mu kO-De xx
    "we will hunt a bull"
    (R to L)

    ya-Di-kO
    "bull"

    (L to R)

    yO-Di-kO
    "ram"
    ABRIDGED WRITING
    Apparently
    complete
    ye ve d Di n ye ve writing

    veye "god" veyendid "spirit"

    Writing
    ve-ye : 2 apparently
    ve : 2 Hunt : 2 interrupted
    by numbers
    This sign cannot be the same as ye: it contrasts with ye here.
    Ve-(ye)- + numbers
    ve 7

    ve 2 ve-ye 2 da-Ta xx-kO mu-ko 7 ve

    Ta-da 2 ye-ve
    ya-Di-kO xx 2 ve ?? 7 ve
    Moda- "Cattle" + Numbers
    xx da-mo

    7 mo
    Numbers

    Ta-da 3 xx

    xx-xx-mo 8 xx ya-Di-kO 8 xx
    Numbers

    5 xx 2 xx 2
    Numbers

    xx 2 12 xx mo xx 3 xx

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