diff --git a/.vscode/ltex.dictionary.en-US.txt b/.vscode/ltex.dictionary.en-US.txt
index 85dd19e..6b560b4 100644
--- a/.vscode/ltex.dictionary.en-US.txt
+++ b/.vscode/ltex.dictionary.en-US.txt
@@ -106,3 +106,5 @@ Vh
aa
Underspelling
disharmonic
+overspelling
+polyvalent
diff --git a/maya/linguistics.sty b/maya/linguistics.sty
index 6dbfa04..30b1e3f 100755
--- a/maya/linguistics.sty
+++ b/maya/linguistics.sty
@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@
\newcommand{\english}[1]{\emph{#1}\xspace}
\newcommand{\spanish}[1]{\emph{#1}\xspace}
\newcommand{\nahuatl}[1]{\emph{#1}\xspace}
+\newcommand{\japanese}[1]{\emph{#1}\xspace}
\newcommand{\zeromorpheme}{$\emptyset$\xspace}
\newcommand{\thompson}[1]{T#1\xspace}
\newcommand*\elide{\textup{[\,\dots]}}
diff --git a/references.bib b/references.bib
index 06ccafd..25bdb02 100644
--- a/references.bib
+++ b/references.bib
@@ -275,6 +275,15 @@ @book{boot2009
url = {http://www.mesoweb.com/resources/vocabulary/Vocabulary-2009.01.pdf}
}
+@article{whittaker2009,
+ author = {Whittaker, Gordon},
+ journal = {G\"{o}ttinger Beitr\"{a}e zur Sprachwissenschaft },
+ title = {The Principles of Nahuatl Writing},
+ volume = {16},
+ year = {2009},
+ pages = {47--81},
+}
+
@book{crystal2010,
author = {Crystal, David},
title = {The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Language},
diff --git a/terminology/img/japanese-ho.pdf b/terminology/img/japanese-ho.pdf
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..f7b2f4b
Binary files /dev/null and b/terminology/img/japanese-ho.pdf differ
diff --git a/terminology/img/japanese-ho.svg b/terminology/img/japanese-ho.svg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..a4f5b22
--- /dev/null
+++ b/terminology/img/japanese-ho.svg
@@ -0,0 +1,54 @@
+
+
+
+
diff --git a/terminology/img/japanese-hon.pdf b/terminology/img/japanese-hon.pdf
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..cfe5c67
Binary files /dev/null and b/terminology/img/japanese-hon.pdf differ
diff --git a/terminology/img/japanese-hon.svg b/terminology/img/japanese-hon.svg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..9dcac38
--- /dev/null
+++ b/terminology/img/japanese-hon.svg
@@ -0,0 +1,69 @@
+
+
+
+
diff --git a/terminology/img/japanese-mu.pdf b/terminology/img/japanese-mu.pdf
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..0749fa5
Binary files /dev/null and b/terminology/img/japanese-mu.pdf differ
diff --git a/terminology/img/japanese-mu.svg b/terminology/img/japanese-mu.svg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..541fd6f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/terminology/img/japanese-mu.svg
@@ -0,0 +1,54 @@
+
+
+
+
diff --git a/terminology/img/japanese-n.pdf b/terminology/img/japanese-n.pdf
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..464e394
Binary files /dev/null and b/terminology/img/japanese-n.pdf differ
diff --git a/terminology/img/japanese-n.svg b/terminology/img/japanese-n.svg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b8bc8d7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/terminology/img/japanese-n.svg
@@ -0,0 +1,54 @@
+
+
+
+
diff --git a/terminology/img/japanese-ou.pdf b/terminology/img/japanese-ou.pdf
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..32f233d
Binary files /dev/null and b/terminology/img/japanese-ou.pdf differ
diff --git a/terminology/img/japanese-ou.svg b/terminology/img/japanese-ou.svg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..c9e5537
--- /dev/null
+++ b/terminology/img/japanese-ou.svg
@@ -0,0 +1,54 @@
+
+
+
+
diff --git a/terminology/img/japanese-sei.pdf b/terminology/img/japanese-sei.pdf
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..386fbc0
Binary files /dev/null and b/terminology/img/japanese-sei.pdf differ
diff --git a/terminology/img/japanese-sei.svg b/terminology/img/japanese-sei.svg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..d07ef28
--- /dev/null
+++ b/terminology/img/japanese-sei.svg
@@ -0,0 +1,54 @@
+
+
+
+
diff --git a/terminology/img/japanese-u.pdf b/terminology/img/japanese-u.pdf
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..13f6b07
Binary files /dev/null and b/terminology/img/japanese-u.pdf differ
diff --git a/terminology/img/japanese-u.svg b/terminology/img/japanese-u.svg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..8b0a6fa
--- /dev/null
+++ b/terminology/img/japanese-u.svg
@@ -0,0 +1,54 @@
+
+
+
+
diff --git a/terminology/img/japanese-umu.pdf b/terminology/img/japanese-umu.pdf
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..949e2f6
Binary files /dev/null and b/terminology/img/japanese-umu.pdf differ
diff --git a/terminology/img/japanese-umu.svg b/terminology/img/japanese-umu.svg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e7e3353
--- /dev/null
+++ b/terminology/img/japanese-umu.svg
@@ -0,0 +1,54 @@
+
+
+
+
diff --git a/terminology/terminology.tex b/terminology/terminology.tex
index 980ebf1..6529b03 100644
--- a/terminology/terminology.tex
+++ b/terminology/terminology.tex
@@ -653,6 +653,99 @@ \subsection{Syncope}
doesn't contain the inner vowel anymore.
The phoneme has been syncopated.
% LTeX: enabled=true
+\subsection{Phonetic complements and phonetic indicators}
+\newcommand{\texticon}[1]{\includegraphics[height=1em,keepaspectratio]{#1}}
+Logo-syllabic writing systems can make use of phonetic complements and phonetic indicators to
+add information on how signs should be read.
+This is especially useful for signs having more than one phonetic or logographic meaning or value.
+Such signs are called \emph{polyvalent} signs.
+
+A phonetic indicator is one or more additional signs placed next to a polyvalent sign to
+indicate which phonetic or logographic value is intended (\cite[56-57]{whittaker2009}).
+Japanese, for example, borrowed the Chinese logographic writing system to record Japanese.
+Since the phonetic value of logograms in Chinese is quite different from Japanese, syllabic signs
+acting as phonetic indicators can be placed next to it to hint the phonetic reading.
+In \Cref{fig:terminology-japanese-hon} the word \japanese{hon} is written with syllabic signs
+\texticon{img/japanese-ho} (\japanese{ho}) and \texticon{img/japanese-n} (\japanese{n})
+placed on top.
+Combined it helps the reader to read the word as \japanese{hon}.
+% LTeX: enabled=false
+\begin{figure}[h!]
+ \centering
+ \subfloat[][]{
+ \centering
+ \includegraphics{img/japanese-hon}
+ \label{fig:terminology-japanese-hon}
+ }
+ \subfloat[][]{
+ \centering
+ \includegraphics{img/japanese-ho}
+ \label{fig:terminology-japanese-ho}
+ }
+ \subfloat[][]{
+ \centering
+ \includegraphics{img/japanese-n}
+ \label{fig:terminology-japanese-n}
+ }
+ \caption[Japanese phonetic indicators]{Phonetic indicators helping to read the
+ logographic sign \subref{fig:terminology-japanese-hon} as \japanese{hon}.\\
+ Syllabic sign \japanese{ho} \subref{fig:terminology-japanese-ho} and
+ syllabic sign \japanese{n} \subref{fig:terminology-japanese-n} indicate the reading.}
+\end{figure}
+% LTeX: enabled=true
+A phonetic complement extends the phonetic reading of polyvalent sign.
+It, therefore, doesn't only indicate a phonetic or logographic reading, but also prefixes or
+suffixes the polyvalent sign (\cite[56-57]{whittaker2009}).
+Several signs in Japenese have polyvalent properties.
+The sign \texticon{img/japanese-sei} has several phonetic values.
+It can stand for \japanese{sei}, \japanese{o} and \japanese{u} among others.
+% LTeX: enabled=false
+\begin{figure}[h!]
+ \centering
+ \subfloat[][]{
+ \centering
+ \includegraphics{img/japanese-sei}
+ \label{fig:terminology-japanese-sei}
+ }
+ \subfloat[][]{
+ \centering
+ \includegraphics{img/japanese-u}
+ \label{fig:terminology-japanese-u}
+ }
+ \subfloat[][]{
+ \centering
+ \includegraphics{img/japanese-mu}
+ \label{fig:terminology-japanese-mu}
+ }
+ \subfloat[][]{
+ \centering
+ \includegraphics{img/japanese-umu}
+ \label{fig:terminology-japanese-umu}
+ }
+ \subfloat[][]{
+ \centering
+ \includegraphics{img/japanese-ou}
+ \label{fig:terminology-japanese-ou}
+ }
+ \caption[Japanese phonetic complements]{Phonetic complements suffixing the
+ polyvalent sign \subref{fig:terminology-japanese-sei}.
+ Syllabic sign \japanese{u} \subref{fig:terminology-japanese-u} and
+ syllabic sign \japanese{mu} \subref{fig:terminology-japanese-mu} indicate the reading
+ \japanese{ou} \subref{fig:terminology-japanese-ou} and
+ \japanese{umu} \subref{fig:terminology-japanese-umu}.}
+\end{figure}
+% LTeX: enabled=true
+\todo{example}
+
+Signs can also be both, a phonetic indicator and a phonetic complement at the same time either
+prefixing of suffixing the sign in question.
+
+The Maya writing system usually doesn't distinguish between both types.
+Additional signs placed around a polyvalent sign are both phonetic complements and
+phonetic indicators.
+In Maya literature, those signs are just called phonetic complements.
+This work will also use the term phonetic complement as this commonly used in Maya research.
+
\end{document}