Metonyms and Metaphors in Hieroglyphic Texts of the Ancient Maya

Abstract

This article discusses the presence of figurative language resources, specifically metonyms and metaphors, in the language used in the hieroglyphic inscriptions of the ancient Maya. In particular, it is argued that certain syntactic constructions, previously not addressed by scholars, that appear in the inscriptions actually express metonyms and metaphors related to anger and bravery. This has become possible when the hieroglyphic texts are not merely rendered as literal translations but analysed philologically, which in this case has enabled to identify the figurative resources. Thus, considering the linguistic references in use by the descendants of the ancient Maya, and based on particular cases taken from representative inscriptions, the article highlights the main features of the metonymies and metaphors in question. The fact that these figurative resources are located in royal titles or attributive adjectives forming names of rulers is stressed. Therefore, the article includes a discussion of