11-09-2017, 06:01 PM
Davidsch, I think you're attacking the problem in the wrong way. You're asking what a character looks like to give you a clue to what it might mean. But appearances are both 1) subjective, so that people have different opinions, and 2) deceptive, so that even if it looked like something it doesn't mean that it is that thing. Even if you become convinced that this character is a 'g' or a '9', it means little to other researchers.
I think that a broader question is more useful and answers your point: is this character a numeral, with a number value, or a letter, with a sound value? The answer is that it cannot be a numeral alone, as the script has too many characters (and works in the wrong way) to be a numeral system. It might also not be a letter only, as there are no obvious numerals and so letters may double up as numerals.
I think that a broader question is more useful and answers your point: is this character a numeral, with a number value, or a letter, with a sound value? The answer is that it cannot be a numeral alone, as the script has too many characters (and works in the wrong way) to be a numeral system. It might also not be a letter only, as there are no obvious numerals and so letters may double up as numerals.