by

Dr. Clyde Winters

The Olmec language is an agglutinative language. Words are formed in Olmec by the addition of suffixes to Olmec morphemes.

Due to homophony of Olmec monosyllabic signs the same sign and its word form can have multiple meanings. To understand Olmec writing you must use the acrophonic principle to interpret the Olmec logosyllabic signs.

The unit of the Olmec logosyllabary is consonant ( C) and vowel (V) or CCV. Each symbol can have multiple meanings. The Olmec consonant system is as follows p b f w m t d s r n k g h y kp gb

The Olmec consonants have the following pronounciation B D Gy F G K L M N boy dog jump full gull canvas log man note In Olmec nasal consonants occur in initial position before another sonsonant. For example, n is pronounced m before p and kb; n is pronounced before k and g. Pronouns The are three pronouns in the Olmec inscriptions. They are : p r s t pure ran saw tip sing

n,

I, me you, your

i,

a,

it, he; she

. In Olmec the pronoun is usually suffixed to the morpheme, but it can also occur in the initial position. For example, a a literal translation (Lit.) It is a leading tomb. A Lit. He ku Govenor po pure bu-mbo gigantic gyu spirit of tranquility it ku leading yu tomb

He is a Governor of gigantic purity the source of spiritual tranquility. A Lit. He ku in possession ni principle of life

He is in possession of the principle of life. A Lit. it ku stem po pure

It is a pure stem. A Lit. it ta here ni soul ngba home i thou

It is here. (This) is the home of your soul. The most common pronoun in Olmec was the second person pronoun i .

The pronoun i, means thine, thou, you and your. For example, S Lit. successful i thou

Thou art successful. Po Lit. pure i your to/tu King

Your pure King. I Lit. thou la firmly situation gyo divinity

Thou (art) firmly situated with the divinity. I Lit. Thou I po pure gyo pa admiration

Lit. thou cult leader

Thou (art) a cult leader of admiration There is only one example of the first person pronoun n, in the Olmec inscriptions. This phrase is nde po tu ta , Lit. my union purity rule sacred. The translation is My union (with) purity and sacred rule or it could read My union (with) purity (and) rule of the mystic order. Nouns There are three types of nouns in Olmec. These nouns represent inanimate and animate objects and qualities held to be superior traits for mankind. Inanimate Nouns

Bi, custom (habit), times of narration Bolo, vestibule

Da

prize

fa, container, place spot, proximity fa, abundance, full, plenitude; love fo, salutations ga , hearth, home

gbe, cleasing, sanctified

II

gyo, amulet, talisman effective in providing one with virtue

Ka, family maison, family house k, to study, learn, read

ki, order, commandment, law, envoy on a mission, raising star

O
Ta ki Sacred raising star kyu, tomb

la, good situation, apogee, foundation, gone to bed

la

po

tu

The pure craftsman of the cult association.

m, understanding, judgment, comprehension; skill

(n)de, uncultivated land, uncultivated land near a river nga, glow ngba, home

sa, air, heaven, end

, ,

su, city, home, village, home, domicle, village ta, habitation, place

ta ku (This) place (is) tops.

to, place of rest

tu, refuge, abode yo / yu , large hemisphere tomb

yu large hemisphere tomb

to place of rest

ta here

se realize

Here to be realized the large hemisphere tomb as a place of rest. Animate nouns include the following terms.

Ba, powerful, spirit body Bo, great, moral gradeur, to merit

II
,

Gyo-se, descendant of the divinity, son of god

Ku, head, Govenor Kye, man

La, craftsman, artisan

Sa, excellency, lord

II

Se gyo, supporter of the divinity

Tu / to, King, head of government, law

Nouns of Quality The are a number of Olmec nouns that describe a human quality or state of existence. These nouns include the following:

Bu , state of retreat

Fe, desire, wish Fa, possession

Gina, to be endowed with mysterious faculties

Gyu, spiritual tranquility

Ngbe, white, favorable

ni, principal of life

po, purity, righteous se, clever, victorious, power

ta, sacred object, mystic order, propriety

yo, vital spirit, image of the race Below are a number of quality nouns used in Olmec sentences. 1. , fe po kye The pure wish for order

The Olmec Adjectives and Adverbs

There are a number of adjectives in the Olmec language. The most common Olmec adjectives include the following:

Ba, grand, great, strong, robust

Bo, to finish

Bu, ample, big, large; Bu-mbo, size, bulk, bigness, gigantic

Da, grand (used to describe dignitaries, and elites)

P, vast, huge, immense

Po, pure, purity

Su, vigorous

Ku, leading

In Olmec the adjective usually follows the noun or verb. Here we have ba, which is joined to nouns to denote the idea of greatness, physical or moral, e.g., a ky ba, This man is great. For example lets look at the adjectives: bu, and p:

1. Tyu a ki bu Lit. Tomb his laws ample Trans. His tomb (is) ample Law. 2. Tu pe I p Lit. King prodigious is superior. Trans. The prodigious king is superior. In many cases the pronoun usually follows the adjective in Olmec sentences. The most common pronoun in Olmec is a , he, she, it. For example,

ba 1. La ku ba

ku

la

Lit. dormitory Governor large i Trans. The Governors large dormitory .

a La ku ba-a

ba

ku

la

Lit dormitory Governor large it Trans. The Governors dormitory (family burial site) it is large. In some cases the adjective is placed before the noun. This is especially true in relation to the adjective p , extensive, vast, and important. For example, 1. P kyu Lit. Prodigious Tomb.

2. P gyo a kye ba Lit. important effective wonder making power he man/personage considerable Trans. He is indeed an important personage (with) considerable wonder making powers. 3. P gyo po ni Lit. vast talisman pure soul Trans. A vast talisman is the pure soul 4. Po ka I se Lit. pure family mansion your realized Trans. Your pure family mansion is realized (here).

Adverbs
In Olmec there are five adverbs. Like the adjectives in Olmec the adverb can be placed either at the beginning of a sentence or after a noun or verb. For example, a, indeed 1. a I p gyu Lit. indeed thou assumed source of spiritual tranquility Trans. Thou indeed (have) assumed the (posture) (of a) source (of) spiritual tranquility.

The term 2. la pe ta p

p , indeed is also an adverb. For example,

Lit. craftsman prodigious superior indeed Trans. The prodigious craftsman indeed, is superior. b , representing the verb to be, it can also represent

In addition to

the adverb here and very much. For example, 3. B ni gyo Lit. Here/ very much propriety talisman Trans. This talisman has very much propriety.

Olmec adverbs

da now, at this moment and

bi, ,

present, moment, and coincidence are frequently used . For example, 4. yu po gbe bi

Lit. big hemisphere tomb sanctified at present Trans. The big hemisphere tomb at this moment is sanctified. 5. da bu po I ki Lit. at this moment in state of retreat purity thou an envoy on a mission Trans. At this moment (you are) in a state of retreat, thou purity (is like) an envoy on a mission (to spread good). 6. ta la da bo Lit. sacred object craftsman grand moral grandeur Trans. Sacred object (of) the grand Craftsman of moral grandeur. Other Olmec adverbs include li indeed, ta here, and ku cleansing. For example, 7. li gyo Lit. Indeed a specialist of the cult/religious order. 8. lit u Lit. Indeed, the Ruler. 9. ni lu nga ta Lit. propriety much glow here Trans. Much propriety glows here. 10. po mi ta Lit. pure imbibitions here Trans. Here are pure imbibitions. 11. su po ku i nu Lit. offer libations pure cleansing thou habitation

Trans. Offer pure cleansing libations in though habitation.

Olmec Articles

The article the, this, etc., are usually not written in the Olmec inscriptions. But

there are to frequently used articles in Olmec

i the, this, and

tu this. These articles are usually suffixed to adjectives especially po pure, purity. For example, 1. gyo po Lit. talisman effective in providing one with virtue pure Trans. pure talisman effective in providing one with virtue Gyo po-i Lit. talisman effective in providing one with virtue pure this Trans. This pure talisman effective in providing one with virtue. 2. fa po tu Lit. container pure Law Trans. Container of the pure Law I fa po tu Lit. this container pure law Trans. This container (of) the pure Law.

Olmec Sentence

The Olmec inscriptions provide us with several sentence patterns, depending on the type of inscriptions. The terseness of the Olmec inscriptions allowed considerable grammatical license in the inscriptions. The favorite sentence pattern of a language includes a subject (S), verb (V) and object (O). The order of Olmec sentences vary, but the usual sentence pattern is SVO. For example,

ni 1. ta Lit. habitation b very much ni propriety

ta

Trans. This habitation has very much propriety.

su 2. tu

ta fa

fa ta

tu su

Lit. abode possession partisan of the mystic order offer up libations Trans. This abode is in the possession of the partisan of the mystic order, (here) offer up libations.

3. su

su

Lit. domicile

is

honored as a libation

Trans. This domicile is honored as a libation. 4. tu yu ta i is ngbe unblemished

Lit. king tomb sacred object

Trans. The kings tomb is a sacre unblemished object. 5. ki Lit. the order ku to touch from a distance lu hold it upright

Trans. (He) touches from a distance the order (of the cult), to hold it upright. There are also some VSO sentences in Olmec. The VSO sentences are usually short statements. For example, 1. tu gbe

Lit. cause to grow righteousness 2. da bo

Lit. arrange moral gradeur. 3. ta Lit. welcome me understanding