The first way to fit Greek into open syllables (Every Sign Ends in a Vowel) is the simplest: leave some consonants out. The scribes did this in two places, at the end of a word and before another consonant.
Key idea
Final consonants are not written (l, m, n, r, s), and neither are l, m, n, r and s when they close a syllable before another consonant: ka-ko is khalkos (bronze), pa-ta is panta (all), ko-wo is korwos (boy). A final k sound is written with the vowel before it: wa-na-ka.
| Signs | Spelled | Said | What the spelling does |
|---|---|---|---|
| 𐀏𐀒 | ka-ko | khalkos | l before k dropped; final s dropped |
| 𐀞𐀲 | pa-ta | panta | n before t dropped |
| 𐀒𐀺 | ko-wo | korwos | r before w dropped; final s dropped |
| 𐀵𐀟𐀼 | to-pe-za | torpedza | r before p dropped |
| 𐀞𐀏𐀙 | pa-ka-na | phasgana | s before g dropped (and ph and g share signs with p and k) |
| 𐀓𐀖𐀜 | ku-mi-no | kuminon | final n dropped |
| 𐀵𐀨𐀐 | to-ra-ke | thorakes | final s dropped |
The two rules
- At the end of a word: l, m, n, r and s are simply left off. Greek words very often end in -s or -n, so this rule is everywhere.
- Before another consonant: l, m, n, r and s are left off when they close a syllable. The next consonant starts a new syllable and gets the vowel. So khal-kos loses its l, and pan-ta its n.
One exception: when a word ends in a stop such as the k sound of wanaks, the scribe writes it with the vowel before it, wa-na-ka, and drops the s.
Why it works
Why these consonants? l, m, n, r and s are "soft" consonants that can trail at the end of a syllable. A syllable-based reader expects each syllable to start with a consonant and end with a vowel; the trailing consonant has no place, so it falls away. Harder stops like t, k and p, when they come first in a cluster, start their own syllable instead; you will meet that in Clusters and Empty Vowels.
Common mistake
Reading the spelled form as the whole word, as if ka-ko were said "kako". The Greek word is khalkos; the spelling leaves out sounds the reader supplied. Check: when a Linear B word looks too short, ask which l, m, n, r or s might be missing before a consonant or at the end.
Worked example: Spell it
How would a scribe write panta (all)?
- Split into syllables: pan-ta.
- The n closes the first syllable before t, so it is not written: pa.
- ta is a plain sign.
Answer: pa-ta
Worked example: Spell it
How would a scribe write korwos (boy)?
- Split: kor-wos.
- r closes the first syllable before w: dropped, so ko.
- wos: the final s is dropped, so wo.
Answer: ko-wo