Putative duplication glyph in the rongorongo script

ABSTRACT This article discusses a possible identification of a duplication marker in the rongorongo script. Several structural observations as well as statistical analysis point to “split circles” glyph as a likely bearer of reduplication functions. This notion springs from internal analysis of the genealogy portion in the Small Santiago Tablet as well as syntax patterns exhibited by “split circles” in other inscriptions. As a result of the analysis performed in this work, several semantically constrained meanings for “split circles” glyphs are proposed. All of them relate to the doubling character of “split circles.” If the identification is correct, it might be an advancement in our understanding of the rongorongo script and could allow for further progress in the decipherment.

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