Deciphering Maya hieroglyphics SCHOLARS FIRST BEGAN to unravel the ancient Maya "script" during the 1980s, based primarily on phonetic decipherment of individual signs with reference to recorded languages. But to move beyond simple interpretation to a deeper, grammatical understanding required the application of historical linguistic techniques. From the late 1990s to the present, the understanding of the phonology and grammar of Maya inscriptions has undergone a further revolution. The Linguistics of Maya Writing catches that "second great wave in Maya epigraphy, " bringing together the work of some of the most prominent scholars in the field and perhaps providing the foundation for the next generation of breakthroughs in Maya hieroglyphic decipherment.