Talk:Decipherment of rongorongo/De Laat


 * A fully developed writing system

De Laat (2009) transliterates and translates in full the text of three tablets (E or Keiti, B or Aruku Kurenga and A or Tahua, respectively) and proposes that rongorongo is a predominantly syllabic writing system capable of accurately recording the Rapanui language. Compared to Barthel and Pozdniakov, the accompanying syllabary substantially reduces the number of basic glyphs, in the first place because of the classification of a number of signs as being variants of the same glyph and secondly because a substantial number of signs are identified as fused glyphs, i.e., as composites of two or more basic glyphs. The signs representing the pure vowels are also used for the CV-combinations with consonants h and glottal stop. The vowels can be long as well as short.


 * {| class=wikitable width=600px

!width="40"| !!width="50"|(h) !! ng !! k !! m !! n !! p !! r !! t !! v ! a ! || (h)a || nga || ka || ma || na || pa || ra || ta || va ! e ! || (h)e || nge || ke || me || ne || pe || re || te || ve ! i ! ||  (h)i || ngi || ki || mi || ni || pi || ri || ti || vi ! o ! ||  (h)o || ngo || ko || mo || no || po || ro || to || vo ! u ! || (h)u || ngu || ku || mu || nu || pu || ru || tu || vu
 * +Basic syllabic grid according to De Laat
 * - align=center
 * [[Image:RR 01.png|8px|glyph 1]] [[Image:RR 95.png|18px|glyph 95]]
 * [[Image:RR 09.png|15px|glyph 9]] [[Image:RR 200V.png|25px|glyph 200V]]
 * [[Image:RR 700.png|12px|glyph 700]] [[Image:RR 700V.png|16px|glyph 700V]]
 * [[Image:RR 730.png|20px|glyph 730]] [[Image:RR glyph 755V.png|22px|glyph 755V]] [[Image:RR 670V.png|20px|glyph 670V]]
 * [[Image:RR 10.png|9px|glyph 10]] [[Image:RR 010V.png|16px|glyph 010V]]
 * [[Image:RR 05.png|15px|glyph 5]]
 * [[Image:RR 03.png|8px|glyph 3]]
 * [[Image:RR 600.png|22px|glyph 600]] [[Image:RR 400.png|20px|glyph 400]] [[Image:RR 600V.png|25px|glyph 600V]] [[Image:RR 400V.png|20px|glyph 400V]]
 * [[Image:RR 024.png|20px|glyph 24]]
 * - align=center
 * - align=center
 * [[Image:RR 22.png|10px|glyph 22]] [[Image:RR 41.png|12px|glyph 41]] [[Image:RR 042-042V.png|20px|glyph 42]]
 * [[Image:RR 054.png|25px|glyph 54]] [[Image:RR 032V.png|20px|glyph 32V]]
 * [[Image:RR 14.png|18px|glyph 14]] [[Image:RR 099V.png|24px|glyph 099V]]
 * [[Image:RR 53.png|12px|glyph 53]]
 * [[Image:RR 037.png|20px|glyph 37]]
 * [[Image:RR 60.png|15px|glyph 60]] [[Image:RR 060V.png|30px|glyph 060V]]
 * [[Image:RR 017V.png|25px|glyph 17V]]
 * - align=center
 * [[Image:RR 017V.png|25px|glyph 17V]]
 * - align=center
 * - align=center
 * [[Image:RR 61.png|10px|glyph 61]]
 * [[Image:RR 144.png|20px|glyph 144]]
 * [[Image:RR 06.png|12px|glyph 6]]
 * [[Image:RR 001V.png|15px|glyph 1V]]
 * [[Image:RR 901.png|15px|glyph 901]] [[Image:RR 038V.png|30px|glyph 038V]]
 * [[Image:RR 084V.png|25px|glyph 84V]]
 * [[Image:RR 034V.png|25px|glyph 34V]]
 * - align=center
 * [[Image:RR 034V.png|25px|glyph 34V]]
 * - align=center
 * - align=center
 * [[Image:RR 04.png|10px|glyph 4]]
 * [[Image:RR 545V.png|22px|glyph 545V]]
 * [[Image:RR 44.png|12px|glyph 44]] [[Image:RR 044.png|10px|glyph 44]]
 * [[Image:RR 720.png|25px|glyph 720]] [[Image:RR 76.png|12px|glyph 76]]
 * [[Image:RR 071.png|20px|glyph 71]] [[Image:RR 020.png|15px|glyph 20]]
 * [[Image:RR 70.png|20px|glyph 70]] [[Image:RR 070V.png|20px|glyph 70]]
 * [[Image:RR 62.png|10px|glyph 62]] [[Image:RR 062V.png|14px|glyph 62]]
 * [[Image:RR 02.png|12px|glyph 2]] [[Image:RR 002V.png|18px|glyph 002V]]
 * - align=center
 * - align=center
 * - align=center
 * [[Image:RR 065.png|20px|glyph 65]] [[Image:RR 280V.png|24px|glyph 280V]]
 * [[Image:RR 058.png|20px|glyph 58]]
 * [[Image:RR 63.png|15px|glyph 63]]
 * [[Image:RR 08.png|20px|glyph 8]] [[Image:RR 008V.png|22px|glyph 008V]]
 * - align=center
 * [[Image:RR 63.png|15px|glyph 63]]
 * [[Image:RR 08.png|20px|glyph 8]] [[Image:RR 008V.png|22px|glyph 008V]]
 * - align=center
 * - align=center
 * - align=center
 * }

A small number of glyphs is believed to be of a disyllabic nature (VCV or CVV) The failure to identify a number of glyphs such as ne and nu as syllables is partly explained by the fact that words such as nei ("here") and nui ("big") in which they occur most frequently have signs of their own.

A special case is haka, which is formed from the ha-head and a torso with outstretched limbs. It is used to create causatives from verbs and verbs from adjectives or adverbs.


 * {| class=wikitable width=600px

! ! ina || kai || mai || nei || nui || to(h)u || vae || haka
 * +Disyllabic glyphs
 * - align=center
 * [[Image:RR 25.png|18px|glyph 25]]
 * [[Image:RR 50.png|12px|glyph 50]]
 * [[Image:RR 52.png|10px|glyph 52]]
 * [[Image:RR 27.png|18px|glyph 27]]
 * [[Image:RR 678.png|20px|glyph 678]] [[Image:RR 490.png|22px|glyph 490]]
 * [[Image:RR 109.png|20px|glyph 109]]
 * [[Image:RR 240.png|26px|glyph 240]]
 * - align=center
 * }


 * Words

The majority of the syllabic and disyllabic glyphs are morphemes representing verbs, nouns, adverbs, adjectives or grammatical particles. The ma-sign for example may stand for the verb maa ("to know", "to examine", "to clean") or the benefactive particle ma ("for") and the ta-glyph for the noun ta ("mark"), the verb ta ("to strike"), the emphatic possessive particle ta ("possession of") or taha, "side" or "to evade". Other words are created by fusing together two or more of these basic glyphs. Usually, these compounds are realized by simply pasting together two adjacent glyphs as in the case of hoki ("back", "again", "also"), taina ("brother", "sister"), tapu ("taboo"), tari ("to bring") and era ("there") or by putting them on top of each other: (h)au ("hat", "rope", "family", "scratch"), uha ("woman", "wife", "hen"), rangi ("to cry"), patu ("to lead away"), roro ("skull", "head", "mind"). Consequently, the prevailing reading order is from left to right and from top to bottom, although there are exceptions, especially in the more complex glyphs. Occasionally, one glyph is incorporated by another, as for example re by tu in ture ("grief", "rule"). The origins of the components involved sometimes get blurred to a certain degree as in raua ("they") and riva ("good").


 * {| class=wikitable width=900px


 * +Examples of fused glyphs
 * - align=center
 * [[Image:RR 004-006.png|35px|glyph 4-6]] || [[Image:RR 600-007.png|66px|glyph 600-7]]
 * [[Image:RR glyph 400-063.png|48px|glyph 4-63]] || [[Image:RR glyph 607.png|40px|glyph 607]]
 * [[Image:RR 022V.png|18px|glyph 22]]
 * [[Image:RR 280.png|30px|glyph 280]] || [[Image:RR 047V.png|28px|glyph 47]] || [[Image:RR 59.png|30px|glyph 59]]
 * [[Image:RR 005-008.png|35px|glyph 5-8]] || [[Image:RR 046.png|20px|glyph 46]] || [[Image:RR 008V-037.png|38px|glyph 8-37]]
 * [[Image:RR glyph 049.png|20px|glyph 49]] || [[Image:RR 28.png|26px|glyph 28]]
 * - align=center
 * ho-ki || ta-ina || ta-pu || ta-ri || e-ra || (h)a-u || u-ha || ra-ngi || pa-tu || ro-ro || tu-re || ra-u-a || ri-va
 * }

The fusion proces is greatly facilitated by the fact that basic glyphs can have different appearances, that they can be reduced in size or that only parts of them need to be used: e.g., the personal pronouns maatou (exclusive "we") and taatou (inclusive "we") are formed with partial ma- and ta-signs. In this last sign the ta-body is used, while tae ("not"), tutae ("filth", "to seduce") and mata ("axe", "spear", "eye", "face") are assembled with only the ta-birdhead. The ma-part in mate ("to die", "dead") differs slightly from that in maatou and mata.

Syllable nga is represented by two apparently totally unrelated signs. The two nga-glyphs are the 'arrow-with-horns' which is easily appended to other glyphs (e.g. toenga ("rest")) and the 'headless body', which usually functions as carrier of other glyphs: for example in omnipresent composites as anga ("to do", "to work"), hanga ("to like", "to want") or tangata ("man"). This last figure also illustrates another of the script's features: the double use of the phonetic value of one of a composite's components, in this case that of ta. Other examples of this phenomenon are ika-i(ka) ("victims") and rongo-ro(ngo) ("to recite", "to believe").

Fusing of glyphs, however, is not obligatory in the writing of words: in apinga hauhaa ("valuable possessions"), for example, the initial glyph stands alone, and in poto-poto ("short") all the glyphs remain unconnected. The last example also illustrates that reduplicated forms can be written out in full as well.


 * {| class=wikitable width=900px


 * +Examples of fusions involving parts of glyphs and of component reduplication
 * - align=center
 * [[Image:RR 670.png|38px|glyph 670]] || [[Image:RR 660.png|38px|glyph 660]] || [[Image:RR 451.png|24px|glyph 451]]
 * [[Image:RR glyph 008-451.png|50px|glyph 8-451]] || [[Image:RR glyph 430.png|25px|glyph 430]] || [[Image:RR glyph 755.png|25px|glyph 755]]
 * [[Image:RR 002-041-009.png|48px|glyph 2-41-9]] || [[Image:RR 200.png|26px|glyph 200]] || [[Image:RR 300.png|33px|glyph 300]]
 * [[Image:RR 006-700-006.png|44px|glyph 6-700-6]] || [[Image:RR 515.png|32px|glyph 515]]
 * [[Image: RR_001-001V-009-290-096.png|90px|glyph 1-1V-9-290-96]] || [[Image:RR 070-002-070-002.png|68px|glyph 70-2-70-2]]
 * - align=center
 * maa-tou || taa-tou || ta-e || tu-ta-e || ma-ta || ma-te|| to-e-nga || (h)a-nga || ta-nga(-ta) || i-ka-i(-ka) || ro-ngo-ro(-ngo) || a-pi-nga ha-u-ha-a || po-to-po-to
 * }

According to De Laat, the fact that the phonetic value of a number of syllables is clearly derived from the name of the represented object - for example ta from taha ("frigate bird"), ka from ika ("fish"), ma from mango ("shark"), ina from mahina ("moon") and tu from hetuu ("star") - gives support to Guy's idea that the peculiar verses of the so-called procreation chant Atua Matariri are in fact a spelling bee overheard and misinterpreted by the illiterate informant Ure Va'e Iko. De Laat suggests that the names that were used by the pupils to enumerate the syllabic components in such an exercise were the names of the objects these had originally been derived from''":

The remark of Eyraud that "each figure has its own name" seems to confirm such a scenario:


 * Texts

The following excerpts from the analysis of the text of tablet E or Keiti. illustrate the principles at work in the formation of sentences out of words. This text - like that of the other two tablets that were analysed - appears to contain spoken words only:

In all three the subject of the (lengthy) discussions is a disturbing event which happens or has happened as the text begins. In the text of tablet E this is the murder of a woman. A man called Taea - presumably her husband - is accused by members of the victim's family of having killed his wife with his stone axe. In the beginning the man denies that his weapon is involved until this is firmly established. He then argues that it must have been used by someone else and he ridicules his accusers' inability to find conclusive evidence against him:


 * {| class=wikitable width=900px


 * +Excerpts from lines Er6-Er8
 * - align="left"
 * [[Image:RR sequence of glyphs from line Er6 (1).png|from line Er6]]
 * [[Image:RR sequence of glyphs from line Er7 (1).png|from line Er7]]
 * - align="left"
 * e  he  tanga(ta)  riva    o   mata     e    tae     anga   ki  ko  uha
 * mo   haaki  na    ariki    e     ta(ta)ri      mea era
 * - align="left"
 * (Taea:) (I) (am) an honest man regarding this axe, then (I) did not use (it) against that woman!
 * If (you) inform the chief, (he) will be expecting something!
 * - align="left"
 * [[Image:RR sequence of glyphs from line Er7 (2).png|from line Er7]]
 * [[Image:RR sequence of glyphs from line Er8 (1).png|from line Er8]]
 * - align="left"
 * too na   ina     o   mata     e   tae     haaki kee ki   anga  tohu    hauu
 * e  tae        anga            tapa       na hakari na
 * - align="left"
 * (He) will accept nothing regarding this axe, then (it) would not present different information when a slave was the evildoer!
 * And surely (her) body is not going to give an account?
 * }

This temporarily confuses the accusers until one of them suggests that the use of a sharp weapon and the resistance of the victim will probably have left some marks on the body of the attacker. At this point, they begin to understand that their suspect has covered himself with elaborate bodypaintings to hide the evidence of his crime:


 * {| class=wikitable width=900px


 * +Excerpts from lines Ev1-Ev7
 * - align="left"
 * [[Image:RR sequence of glyphs from line Ev1 (1).png|part of line Ev1]]
 * [[Image:RR sequence of glyphs from line Ev1 (2).png|part of line Ev1]]
 * [[Image:RR sequence of glyphs from line Ev2 (1).png|part of line Ev2]]
 * - align="left"
 * to-a      to     vie      tanga(ta)  ira
 * mahaki        iti       vie
 * maa    ta            ta       o-ka  -  o-ka          taea
 * - align="left"
 * (Accusers:) That man there (is) the murderer of (his) wife!
 * (That) woman (was) a dear relative!
 * (We) will investigate signs of stabbing, Taea!
 * - align="left"
 * [[Image:RR sequence of glyphs from line Ev4 (1).png|part of line Ev4]]
 * [[Image:RR sequence of glyphs from line Ev4 (2).png|part of line Ev4]]
 * [[Image:RR sequence of glyphs from line Ev7 (1).png|part of line Ev7]]
 * - align="left"
 * au       ha-hau      to-a      taea
 * mata ite  ko   a-pi      taea
 * rero-re(ro) haii   mo  renga na rero-re(ro) ko naa ta vae
 * - align="left"
 * The scratches will fasten the murderer, Taea!
 * The face (we) see has been covered, Taea!
 * Are those smears enveloping (you) because (it's) beautiful (or) are those smears hiding the marks (on your) legs?
 * - align="left"
 * [[Image:RR sequence of glyphs from line Ev7 (2).png|part of line Ev7]]
 * [[Image:RR sequence of glyphs from line Ev7 (3).png|part of line Ev7]]
 * [[Image:RR sequence of glyphs from line Ev7 (4).png|part of line Ev7]]
 * - align="left"
 * maa  haka-ki[te] ra  koro ngaaha huha
 * he huha haauraa  huha    tae ite  raua   maa
 * i   au   ii   no     kona  -  kona    ha-ha
 * - align="left"
 * Cleaning (them) will reveal if (your) limbs are torn!
 * These unseen limbs (are) meaningful limbs: they (are) the evidence!
 * These scratches here simply fill (every) bodypart (we) touch!
 * }


 * Further observations and speculations

The fact that there appears to be only dialogue brings De Laat to speculate upon the function of the examined tablet texts as belonging or being related to some form of dramatical performance. Furthermore, the author points at the "supplementary layers of meaning" that are present in some parts of the texts. Sometimes, these make use of the pictographical dimension of the glyphs - much in the same way as is done in other hieroglyphic systems. An example of this is the writing of prefix tae ("not") which often turns its 'head' away from the word it precedes as if to visibly underline the negation (cf. the excerpts of lines Er6-8). Others appear to be connected with certain numbers: the beginning of tablet A for instance, contains sequences of ten tu-, ten rae/era- and ten (h)u-glyphs (3 x 10 = 30). Barthel (1962) has noted that among the Easter Islanders existed a group of clearly preferred numbers, namely three, six, ten and thirty. De Laat speculates that the lunar calender detected by Barthel on tablet C or Mamari could very well be such a layer of meaning supplementary to the primary text. As features such as these have clearly been directed at a reader, the question is presented whether these rongorongo texts were exclusively meant to be read aloud to an audience.


 * Notes


 * References


 * Bibliography