Time to learn the signs themselves. In How a Syllabary Works you saw that the first row of the grid holds the vowels alone. These five signs are the most common in Linear B, because Greek words often begin with a vowel or have two vowels side by side.
Key idea
Five signs stand for a vowel by itself: a, e, i, o and u. They are the first row of the grid, and they write a vowel that has no consonant before it, at the start of a word (a-mi-ni-so) or after another vowel (pa-i-to).
| Sign | Number | Value | A way to remember it |
|---|---|---|---|
| 𐀀 | *08 | a | a stem with two arms bent down, like a little tree |
| 𐀁 | *38 | e | a tall peak with a box inside |
| 𐀂 | *28 | i | three prongs, like a trident with a crossbar |
| 𐀃 | *61 | o | a pennant on a pole |
| 𐀄 | *10 | u | a hook at the top of a stem, like a crooked f |
Where vowels appear
A vowel sign is needed whenever a syllable has no consonant before it. That happens at the start of many words, 𐀀𐀖𐀛𐀰 (Amnisos), 𐀁𐀨 (Hera), 𐀂𐀦 (horse), 𐀃𐀺𐀸 (one-handled), 𐀄 in the middle of 𐀦𐀄𐀒𐀫 (cowherds), and wherever two vowels meet, as in 𐀞𐀂𐀵 (Phaistos).
Why it works
Why does a syllabary need separate vowel signs at all? Because the other signs always begin with a consonant. A word like Amnisos starts with the sound a, with nothing before it. Without a sign for a alone, the scribe could not begin the word. In the grid, the vowel row is the row whose "consonant" is nothing.
Common mistake
Mixing up signs that look alike. 𐀀 (a) and 𐁀 (a2, read ha) both look like a branching stem; 𐀂 (i) and 𐀩 (re) both have upward prongs. Learn each vowel with its own shape and check the details: a's arms bend down, i has three prongs and a crossbar. The flashcards have a vowel deck for practice.
Worked example: Read the vowel
What is the first sign of 𐀁𐀨?
- It is the tall peak with a box inside.
- That is *38, the vowel e.
Answer: e
Worked example: Which sign?
Which vowel sign stands between pa and to in 𐀞𐀂𐀵 (Phaistos)?
- The middle sign has three prongs and a crossbar.
- That is i: pa-i-to.
Answer: i, 𐀂