Today I Learned (TIL)

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TIL the pictures in ancient Mesoamerican codex's are a multilingual language (www.youtube.com)

submitted 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) by [email protected] to c/til

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[–] [email protected] 8 points 2 months ago

There's an even earlier version of that script, used by the Zapotecs already back in ~500 BCE. And it's probably not even the first.

And much like you see with the other families of scripts elsewhere, over time you see a lot of developments. The video mentions it around 8:00 - the Mixtec culture used the script as almost pure logographic, and the exceptions followed the rebus principle*; in the meantime the Nahuatl-speaking Mexica and the Mayas were using them also for sound sequences.

*Rebus principle is to represent words by logographs for other similar-sounding words. In English for example this would be like representing "I" and "be" with an eye and a bee.