Polynesian Studies by Albert Davletshin
![Research paper thumbnail of A possible [ki] syllable in the Kohau Rongorongo script of Easter Island: A semantic guess and its formalization.](https://attachments.academia-assets.com/89666358/thumbnails/1.jpg)
Easter Island and the Pacific. Cultural and Enviromental Dynamics. Rapa Nui, p. 407-420., 2019
The “Staff” sign is one of the most frequently occurring in Kohau Rongorongo texts. It enters red... more The “Staff” sign is one of the most frequently occurring in Kohau Rongorongo texts. It enters reduplicated sequences ABAB, BABA and AAA; here “A” denotes the “Staff” sign and “B” any other sign. Formation of such sequences indicates that “Staff” is a phonetic sign, i.e., a sign which transmits an abstract sequence of sounds (C)V, where C stands for a consonant and V for a vowel. On the other hand, isolated occurrences of the sign suggest that its reading value corresponds to a lexical morpheme. Together with grammatical markers “Sitting Man”, “Leaved Vine”, “Straw Connected” and “Spear” plus “Straw”, “Staff” appears as an introductory glyph for numerous long sequences that form extended lists in the texts. These lists abound in the rhetorical and poetic devices, which are typical of Polynesian oral traditions. Lists introduced by “Staff” remind us of the Rapanui verb kī ‘to say, speak’ because of its peculiar distribution in texts. This interpretation is based on a semantic guess. However, very few Rapanui lexical morphemes have a CV structure and only kī ‘to say, speak’ makes sense as the lexical root in the introductory glyph. If the proposed analysis suggests that phonetic signs in the Kohau Rongorongo do not distinguish between short and long vowels.
Journal of the Polynesian Society, 2021
Most logosyllabic scripts opt for special word-signs denoting colour terms even though colours ar... more Most logosyllabic scripts opt for special word-signs denoting colour terms even though colours are abstract properties which are impossible to depict. Two strategies are attested in the invention of property signs for colour terms: prototypical objects can serve as an iconic source for the signs of corresponding colours, and “Colouring” can be applied in writing systems that make use of colour inks. In black-and-white systems, “Inking” of adjacent signs can be used as the sign for BLACK; in carved and incised texts “Hatching” is found instead of “Inking”. The observed behaviour of the word-signs for colour terms may be due to cognitive factors—we do not think about colours as objects on their own but rather perceive them as properties of objects. In the Kohau Rongorongo script of Easter Island (Rapa Nui), “Hatching” behaves as a word-sign for colours: first, hatched signs have plain equivalents; second, hatched and non-hatched signs show different distribution in texts; third, hatched signs are less frequent than their plain equivalents; fourth, only a part of a sign can be hatched; and fifth, hatching can spread on adjacent signs in parallel texts. “Hatching” and “Cross-Hatching” seem to be different signs because they follow different patterns of distribution. Both “Hatching” and “Cross-Hatching” appear as indicators of colours in the art of Easter Island. Comparison of iconographic and epigraphic data allows us to tentatively identify the signs for RED, “Hatching”, and BLACK, “Cross-Hatching”, in the Kohau Rongorongo script.
In a writing system with a large number of signs, in particular in the case of a pictorial script... more In a writing system with a large number of signs, in particular in the case of a pictorial script, some similarity of two graphic designs is an insufficient basis for considering them to have the same reading value. This paper seeks to apply concepts developed in the graphic analysis of other pictorial writing systems to the still undeciphered script of Rapa Nui (Easter Island). The following technical terms are adapted and defined from both theoretical and practical points of view: sign, reading value, graphic design, allograph, graphic variant, iconic formula, complete, incomplete and false substitution. A modified version of the substitution method (method of inverse sign substitution) is proposed for verifying equivalences and differences between readings values corresponding to the graphic designs analysed in this paper. This method is based on the assumption that two graphic designs that possess the same reading value are in free distribution, so the probability of sign substitution between them should be close to the probability obtained by multiplying the probabilities of their occurrences in texts. Application of these technical concepts to the parallel texts discovered by Boris Kudrjavtzev shows that many graphically similar signs with different reading values have not been previously recognised. This conservative graphic analysis also has permitted the identification of allographs in the strict sense of the word, i.e., signs that look different but possess the same reading value, though such allographs, in the strict sense of the word, seem to be relatively rare in the Kohau Rongorongo texts. It is suggested that the method of iconic formulae provides a useful foundation for future iconographic analysis of the highly pictorial signs of the Kohau Rongorongo script.
The Moriori hunter-gatherers of Eastern Polynesia: A study of adaptive variations in culture // Yu. Latushko and I. Stavrov (eds.), Russian Far East and the Pacific Rim сountries in changing World, pp. 353-363. Vladivostok: Dalnauka, 2009 (in Russian)., 2009
A seemingly on-going sound change in Takuu language of Papua New Guinea: historical and theoretical implications // Journal of Language Relationship 12: 1-20, 2014., 2014
Opening sentences, which mark the beginning of a new text, are attested in very different
cultur... more Opening sentences, which mark the beginning of a new text, are attested in very different
cultures and belong to universal characteristics of the text. By comparing the signs that mark
the beginning for surviving kohau rongorongo texts it was possible to identify a long opening
sequence that heralds four texts. This sequence of signs functions as an opening sentence, but it
is also attested in the middle of other inscriptions. This fact can indicate that several of the surviving
tablets contain more than one text. It has been suggested that the sequence of signs in question
marks the beginning of texts belonging to a particular genre.
2nd International Conference “Hierarchy and Power in the History of Civilizations” (St.-Petersburg, July 4-7, 2002), Abstracts. P. 249. Moscow, 2002., 2002
Journal of the Polynesian Society 121(3): 243-74, Sep 2012
mano o ke akua. Invoke we now the 40,000 gods, the 400,000 gods, the 4,000 gods! Opening and clos... more mano o ke akua. Invoke we now the 40,000 gods, the 400,000 gods, the 4,000 gods! Opening and closing formula of Old Hawaiian prayers (Beckwith 1940: 79) ABSTRACT Typological considerations and combinatory properties of the "Crescent" sign suggest that "Crescent" and its multiplied combinations represent numerals in the kohau rongorongo script of Easter Island. Probable phonetic complements for the "Crescent" sign identified by means of the substitution method reinforce this interpretation. As a result, some phonetic readings and an alternative content interpretation of the socalled calendric passage on the Mamari Tablet are proposed.
Name in the Kohau Rongorongo script (Easter Island) // Journal de la Société des Océanistes, 134(1): 71-85, 2012., 2012
Rongorongo script of Easter Island have been proposed, but nowadays only the suggestion about a g... more Rongorongo script of Easter Island have been proposed, but nowadays only the suggestion about a genealogy on the Small Santiago Tablet offered by Yuri seems to be trusted. The paper seeks answers on two controversial questions related to this suggestion: What is the function of sign 076? And why the a possessive marker is absent there? Three Kohau Rongorongo texts represent name lists, supposedly, of either defeated and sacrificed enemies or newborns. Structural analysis of the tablets shows that some signs, which frequently appear in a certain position in the names, may be titles. Many names are complemented with possible titles, others are not. The genealogy consists of six names marked by the same title, which follow a passage free of names. Probably, this passage is inserted into the name list and refers to the most prominent person mentioned. The proposed suggestions indicate that Kohau Rongorongo texts served as an important media of sociopolitical integration.
Proceedings of the Symposium on "Easter Island: Cultural and Historical Perspectives". Wien-Zürich: LIT VERLAG GmbH & Co. KG. Forthcoming.
There is an inclination in rongorongo studies to consider the Easter Island script as an essentia... more There is an inclination in rongorongo studies to consider the Easter Island script as an essentially syllabic writing system. This assumption is problematic from a typological point of view. The purpose of the paper is to show that word-signs are present in the script referring to combinatorial properties of signs only. For this I propose methods that permit to identify particular signs as word-signs. The use of some signs in isolation, their dependence on context and phonetic complements suggest that kohau rongorongo is a heavily logographic script with a solid phonetic component, apparently lacking semantic determinatives. Bio: Albert Davletshin was born in Norilsk, Russia in 1976. He completed his Ph.D. thesis "Palaeography of Maya hieroglyphic writing" at Knorozov Centre for Mesoamerican Studies, Russian State University for the Humanities, Moscow (2003). He works on Eastern Polynesian languages and anthropology, Aztec, Epi-Olmec, Harrapan, Mayan and Zapotec scripts, typology of logo-syllabic writing systems, iconography and Mesoamerican historical linguistics. He is the founder of the projects on proto-Totonacan (University of Mexico, 2007) and on Aztec script (
Grammatical markers in the Kohau Rongorongo Script of Easter Island and three different methods of their identification // 12 ICAL: The 12th International Conference on Austronesian Linguistics, 02-06 July 2012, Udayana University, Bali-Indonesia, P. 58., 2012
The author pursues the idea that the Kohau Rongorongo Script of Easter Island is most likely a lo... more The author pursues the idea that the Kohau Rongorongo Script of Easter Island is most likely a logo-syllabic writing system from a typological point of view. This statement implies, first, that at least two extensive functional types of signs are present in the scriptphonetic signs (used to transfer abstract sequences of sounds) and word-signs (used to spell words and indicate their meaning) and, second, against the commonly held opinion, grammatical markers are to be frequently found across the hieroglyphic texts recorded by means of phonetic signs. Because of the well-known grammatical peculiarities of Polynesian languages, I am inclined to regard as impossible to retrieve and decode a Rapanui text if written without explicitly spelt grammatical markers.
The Hoa-haka-nana'ia stone statue in the British Museum of London is one of the most well-known s... more The Hoa-haka-nana'ia stone statue in the British Museum of London is one of the most well-known specimens of pre-contact Rapa Nui art. An important object of the tangata manu (birdman) cult, it was originally situated at the ceremonial village of 'Orongo. It is famous for the designs of two birdmen, a manutara (sooty tern), 'ao (ceremonial paddles), and komari (vulva) symbols carved on its back and painted with bright colors. This paper is dedicated to the documentation and analysis of a hitherto unrecognized image carved on statue's front torso. The image is described, tentatively drawn, and analyzed for the first time, and is defined as an "atypical" birdman, which grasps an egg in its extended hand without fingers, is crowned with feathers, and has a long hooked beak holding one more egg. Several komari symbols and other unclear designs may surround this figure. The image is badly obliterated. Its "pecking and abrading" method of carving differs from the method of carving used for the dorsal designs. Tentatively defined stylistic traits of the birdman carved on the statue's front are different from the two birdmen of the late phase on its back and permit us to potentially date the frontal image to earlier times. The finding opens the question of multiple re-use of this unique statue and its exceptional role in the birdman cult.
Development of the Proto-Polynesian vowels and metrical structure: traditional Hawai'ian, Tongan and Rapanui texts // Aspects of Comparative Linguistics. Vol. 4. P.144-151. Moscow: RSUH Publishers (co-author Artem Kozmin), 2009
Development of the Proto-Polynesian vowels and metrical structure: Traditional Hawai'ian, Tongan ... more Development of the Proto-Polynesian vowels and metrical structure: Traditional Hawai'ian, Tongan and Rapanui texts The article deals with verse structure in three oral Polynesian traditions: Tongan, Hawai'ian and Rapanui. The authors introduce a special "coefficient of variation" in order to formalize the analysis of metric rules dominating the verse. They show that all of these traditions are characterized by syllabic verse with a tendency towards isochronism (same number of morae within one line). On one hand, the most well-ordered verse in this respect is the Tongan one, with Hawaii'an occupying an intermediate position and Rapanui as the least dominated by fixed rules.
4th International Conference "Hierarchy and Power in the History of Civilizations" (Moscow, June 13-16, 2006), Abstracts. P. 164. Moscow, 2006, 2006
РОССИЙСКАЯ АКАДЕМИЯ НАУК Центр цивилизационных и региональных исследований Институт Африки РОССИЙ... more РОССИЙСКАЯ АКАДЕМИЯ НАУК Центр цивилизационных и региональных исследований Институт Африки РОССИЙСКИЙ ГОСУДАРСТВЕННЫЙ ГУМАНИТАРНЫЙ УНИВЕРСИТЕТ Факультет истории, политологии и права Abstracts Moscow 2006
Third International Conference "Hierarchy and Power in the History of Civilizations" (Moscow, Juny 18-21, 2004), Abstracts. Igor L. Alekseev, Dmitri D. Beliaev, Dmitri M. Bondarenko (edrs.) Moscow, Russian Academy of Sciences. 2004. P.94-95., 2004
Hieroglyphic Writing Systems by Albert Davletshin
Reseña del dossier temático de la Revista Española de Antropología Americana, 2023
El número especial de la Revista Española de Antropología Americana (reaa) que reseñamos aquí ata... more El número especial de la Revista Española de Antropología Americana (reaa) que reseñamos aquí atañe en su conjunto a un tema que nos interesa profundamente: la naturaleza de los sistemas de escritura. Los diez ensayos que lo conforman están articulados de forma análoga a un libro colectivo, que a su vez es el producto de las reuniones académicas Sign and Symbol, desarrolladas año con año desde 2016 en la Universidad de Varsovia. Es debido a estas circunstancias que consideramos
oportuno externar nuestro punto de vista sobre los resultados y posturas teóricas enunciadas en dicho número.
Астекская иероглифическая письменность: вопросы типологического описания // Труды научной конференции «Ломоносов-2006». М., 2006. С.138-142., 2006
M. Kõiva, H. Mürk, I. Pustõlnik (eds.), Cultural context from the archaeoastronomical data and the echoes of cosmic events. Abstracts submitted for the SEAC 2002 10th Annual Conference, 27-30 August in Tartu, Estonia. Tartu, 2002. P.25-26., 2004
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Polynesian Studies by Albert Davletshin
cultures and belong to universal characteristics of the text. By comparing the signs that mark
the beginning for surviving kohau rongorongo texts it was possible to identify a long opening
sequence that heralds four texts. This sequence of signs functions as an opening sentence, but it
is also attested in the middle of other inscriptions. This fact can indicate that several of the surviving
tablets contain more than one text. It has been suggested that the sequence of signs in question
marks the beginning of texts belonging to a particular genre.
Hieroglyphic Writing Systems by Albert Davletshin
oportuno externar nuestro punto de vista sobre los resultados y posturas teóricas enunciadas en dicho número.
cultures and belong to universal characteristics of the text. By comparing the signs that mark
the beginning for surviving kohau rongorongo texts it was possible to identify a long opening
sequence that heralds four texts. This sequence of signs functions as an opening sentence, but it
is also attested in the middle of other inscriptions. This fact can indicate that several of the surviving
tablets contain more than one text. It has been suggested that the sequence of signs in question
marks the beginning of texts belonging to a particular genre.
oportuno externar nuestro punto de vista sobre los resultados y posturas teóricas enunciadas en dicho número.
Este capítulo se sustenta en dos disciplinas académicas: la lingüística histórica y la gramatología o teoría de la escritura. Mediante la primera reconstruimos una buena parte del mundo cultural de los olmecas que, proponemos, hablaban protozoque en La Venta y protomixe en San Lorenzo. Estas dos lenguas hoy extintas se hablaron ente los años 1700 y 300 a.C. Por su parte, mediante la gramatología analizamos la evidencia que existe sobre la posible invención de la escritura en América por los olmecas, equiparando ese fenómeno con el origen de la escritura en otras partes del mundo (Sumeria, Egipto, Valle del Indo, China y la Isla de Pascua).
From Maya point of view palanquins were symbolic representations of the celestial space and their principal function was to visualise for the people divine king's presense in the heavenly sphere. In several cases the palanquin basement depicts a stairway leading from the earth to heaven, which is featured as Cosmic Monster or ‘Starry Deer Crocodile’. Personal names of particular palanquins we know from the Tikal inscriptions rather refer to various particular celestial beings than to supernatural protectors of kings.
Basing themselves on colonial and contemporaneous Amerindian literary traditions Mesoamericanists search for those rhetorical devices they are familiar with, just to name difrasisms and couplet deletion, and ignore those stylistic figures they enjoyed and/or hated in their good old high school days.
Ancient Greek rhetoric is probably the most elaborated and well understood having been studied about 2500 years and asks to be used as a working model for studying “other” literary traditions. Having it in mind such common Classical Greek devices as antimetabole, appositional expansion, chiasmus, multiple genitive, name and place name exhaustion are easily recognized in Maya hieroglyphic texts from the Classic period inscriptions to the Postclassic Dresden Codex. Interestingly enough, some of the above mentioned rhetorical devices are restricted to the texts of a particular genre. Identification of the rhetorical figures explain many obscure places that were previously considered to be scribal errors.
En el curso se presentarán los avances de las investigaciones recientes; el propósito es demostrar cómo se puede llegar a entender lo "incomprensible", es decir, exponer el método. Aparte de las exposiciones, se incluirán ejercicios y tareas en la clase. La escritura se basa en la lengua y sus textos transmiten un modo determinado de existencia humana. Por ello, en el curso se impartirá información básica sobre la lengua rapanui, la iconografía de poder pascuense, la organización política de las sociedades polinésicas, sus modos de subsistencia, su literatura y poesía.