User:Generalissima/List of Linear B syllabograms

Charts

Core Linear B syllabograms

	a		e		i		o		u
∅	𐀀	a *08	𐀁	e *38	𐀂	i *28	𐀃	o *61	𐀄	u *10
d	𐀅	da *01	𐀆	de *45	𐀇	di *07	𐀈	do *14	𐀉	du *51
j	𐀊	ja *57	𐀋	je *46	—		𐀍	jo *36	—
g/k(h)	𐀏	ka *77	𐀐	ke *44	𐀑	ki *67	𐀒	ko *70	𐀓	ku *81
m	𐀔	ma *80	𐀕	me *13	𐀖	mi *73	𐀗	mo *15	𐀘	mu *23
n	𐀙	na *06	𐀚	ne *24	𐀛	ni *30	𐀜	no *52	𐀝	nu *55
b/p(h)	𐀞	pa *03	𐀟	pe *72	𐀠	pi *39	𐀡	po *11	𐀢	pu *50
kʷ(h)	𐀣	qa *16	𐀤	qe *78	𐀥	qi *21	𐀦	qo *32	—
l/r	𐀨	ra *60	𐀩	re *27	𐀪	ri *53	𐀫	ro *02	𐀬	ru *26
s	𐀭	sa *31	𐀮	se *09	𐀯	si *41	𐀰	so *12	𐀱	su *58
t(h)	𐀲	ta *59	𐀳	te *04	𐀴	ti *37	𐀵	to *05	𐀶	tu *69
w	𐀷	wa *54	𐀸	we *75	𐀹	wi *40	𐀺	wo *42	—
z	𐀼	za *17	𐀽	ze *74	—		𐀿	zo *20	—

Phonetic gaps

There are six gaps within the chart of core syllabograms, representing unattested signs for ji, ju, qu, wu, zi, and zu.

Signs for ji and wu would represent sequences that are not phonotactically permitted in Greek, and would probably only exist if such signs existed in Linear A and were repurposed to write foreign words; however, it is likely that such words would be represented simply with the signs i and u. However, a ju sign could quite reasonably exist—/yu/ is a permissible sequence in Greek, and such a sign could also represent a glide between the vowels /i/ and /u/.

A qu sign is unlikely to exist, as Greek labiovelars had been delabialised by the period Linear B is attested; as such, the sign would be redundant with ku. If qu did exist, its use would be extremely infrequent and unlikely to be evidenced by surviving texts. The hypothetical sign zi would represent the sequence /dzi/; while this is phonotactically permissible, it could only emerge in Greek etymology from the palatalization of the invalid sequence /yi/. As such, zi would probably be a borrowed sign from Linear A used to write words originating from Minoan or other non-Greek languages. A sign zu, representing /tsu/ and /dzu/ could reasonably exist; however, there are only three known Greek roots that such sounds could have evolved from.

List

List of Linear B syllabograms

Number	Sign		Transcription	Origin	Notes
01			da	Linear A
02			ro	Linear A
03			pa	Linear A
04			te	Linear A
05			to	Linear A
06			na	Linear A
07			di	Linear A
08			a	Linear A
09			se	Linear A
10			u	Linear A
11			po	Linear A
12			so	Original
13			me	Linear A
14			do	Original
15			mo	Original
16			qa	Linear A	Transliterated as pa2? before 1961
17			za	Linear A
18			(unknown)	Linear A
19			(unknown)	Linear A
20			zo	Linear A	Transliterated as z?o before 1956
21			qi	Linear A	Identical to the ideogram ovis, 'sheep'
22			(unknown)	Linear A
23			mu	Linear A	Transliterated in 1956
24			ne	Linear A
25			a2	Original
26			ru	Linear A
27			re	Linear A
28			i	Linear A
29			pu2	Linear A
30			ni	Linear A
31			sa	Linear A
32			qo	Original
33			ra3	Original
34			(unknown)	Linear A	Recognized as the same glyph as *35 in 2000
36			jo	Original
37			ti	Linear A
38			e	Linear A
39			pi	Linear A
40			wi	Linear A
41			si	Linear A
42			wo	Original
43			a3	Linear A
44			ke	Linear A
45			de	Linear A
46			je	Linear A
47			(unknown)	Linear A
48			nwa	Linear A	Transliterated as nu2? before 1956
49			(unknown)	Linear A
50			pu	Linear A
51			du	Linear A	Transliterated as da2 before 1956 and 1961
52			no	Original
53			ri	Linear A
54			wa	Linear A
55			nu	Linear A
56			(unknown)	Linear A
57			ja	Linear A
58			su	Linear A	Transliterated as qo2? before 1956
59			ta	Linear A
60			ra	Linear A
61			o	Linear A
62			pte	Original
63			(unknown)	Original
64			(unknown)	Original
65			(unknown)	Linear A	Identical to the ideogram far, 'flour'
66			ta2	Linear A	Transliterated as ta2? before 1956
67			ki	Linear A
68			ro2	Original
69			tu	Linear A
70			ko	Linear A
71			dwe	Original	'Extra' sign, transliterated in 1961. Some scribes render the sign with horizontal 'arms'; this is plausibly a simplified form.
72			pe	Original
73			mi	Linear A
74			ze	Linear A	Transliterated as z?e before 1956
75			we	Linear A
76			ra2	Linear A
77			ka	Linear A
78			qe	Linear A
79			(unknown)	Linear A
80			ma	Linear A
81			ku	Linear A
82			(unknown)	Linear A
83			(unknown)	Original
85			au	Linear A	Transliterated in 1970
86			(unknown)	Linear A
87			twe	Likely original	'Extra' sign, transliterated in 1970. Possibly derived from Linear A 𐙆, but likely original.
90			dwo	Likely original	'Extra' sign, transliterated in 1961. Possibly derived from Linear A 𐄷, or, more likely, from mirroring Linear B 𐀺 (wo).
91			two	Original	'Extra' sign, transliterated in 1965. As it is has been found on only one inscription, used to write the personal name O-two-we-o, it may be an idiosyncratic shortening by a particular scribe.

List of deprecated Linear B syllabograms

Number	Sign	Notes
35		Recognized as the same glyph as 34 in 2000
84
88
89

Notes

Bibliography

• Judson, Anna P. (2020). The Undeciphered Signs of Linear B: Interpretation and Scribal Practices. Cambridge University Press. doi:10.1017/9781108859745. ISBN 9781108494724.
• Melena, José L. (2014). "Mycenaean Writing". In Duhoux, Yves; Morpurgo Davies, Anna (eds.). A Companion to Linear B: Mycenaean Greek Texts and their World. Vol. 3. Peeters. pp. 1–186. ISBN 9789042929326.
• Steele, Philippa M., ed. (2017). Understanding Relations Between Scripts: The Aegean Writing Systems. Oxbow Books. doi:10.2307/j.ctvh1dr51. ISBN 9781785706479. JSTOR j.ctvh1dr51.
  • Steele, Philippa M; Meißner, Torsten. "From Linear B to Linear A: The Problem of the Backward Projection of Sound Values". 93–110.
  • Judson, Anna P. "Processes of Script Adaptation and Creation in Linear B: The Evidence of the 'Extra' Signs". 111–126.