Brahmic scripts

The Brahmic scripts are a group of writing systems that started in South Asia. It belongs to the Abugida script family. They are used all over the subcontinent and parts of Southeast Asia. These scripts come from the Brahmi script, which began in the Indus Valley region in present-day Pakistan.[1][2][3] Many languages in South and Southeast Asia use these scripts, and they belong to different language families.[4]

Writing systems
Abjad
  Arabic
  Hebrew
Abugida
  Canadian syllabic
  Ethiopic
  North Brahmic
  South Brahmic
  Thaana
Alphabetical
  Armenian
  Cyrillic
  Georgian
  Greek
  Hangul
  Latin
  Mongolian
  Osage
  Neo-Tifinagh
Logographic and Syllabic
  Hanzi [L]
  Kana [S] / Kanji [L]  
  Cherokee [S]

History

Brahmic scripts came from the Brahmi script, which is believed to have started in the Indus Valley region around the 3rd century BCE from Aramaic, but some believe it developed from the Harappan script of Indus valley civilization.[5] They are divided into Northern and Southern Brahmic scripts. The Northern Brahmic scripts led to the Gupta script during the Gupta period, which later developed into various cursive scripts in the medieval period. Examples include Nagari, Siddham, and Sharada scripts.[3]

Southern Brahmi evolved into Kadamba, Pallava, and Vatteluttu scripts, which further developed into other scripts in South India and Southeast Asia. Brahmic scripts reached Southeast Asia through trade and South Asian cultural influence, leading to the development of local varieties. By the 8th century, these scripts had separated into various regional scripts in South and Southeast Asia.[6]

List of Brahmic scripts

The Brahmic scripts are divided into two groups, the Northern Brahmic and the Southern Brahmic. Following is the list of Brahmic scripts:[7]

Northern Brahmic

Southern Brahmic
  • Map of Dravidian languages that use the Southern Brahmic languages in South Asia (except Brahui language in south-western Pakistan).
    Tamil-Brahmi (2nd century)
    • Pallava
      • Tamil
      • Grantha
        • Malayalam
        • Tigalari
        • Saurashtra
      • Khmer
        • Khom Thai
        • Proto-Tai script?
          • Sukhothai
          • Tai Viet
          • Dai Don
          • Lai Tay
          • Lai Pao
      • Cham
      • Kawi
        • Balinese
        • Batak
        • Buda
        • Javanese
        • Old Sundanese
          • Sundanese
        • Lontara
        • Makasar
        • Ulu scripts
          • Incung
          • Lampung
          • Lembak
          • Ogan
          • Pasemah
          • Rejang
          • Serawai
        • Baybayin
          • Buhid
          • Hanunó'o
          • Tagbanwa
          • Kulitan
          • Basahan
      • Mon–Burmese
        • Modern Mon
        • Burmese
          • Chakma
          • S'gaw Karen
          • Shan
          • Tanchangya
          • Lik-Tai scripts
            • Ahom
            • Khamti
            • Tai Le
        • Tai Tham
          • New Tai Lue
      • Pyu
    • Vatteluttu
      • Kolezhuthu
      • Malayanma
  • Sinhala
  • Bhattiprolu
    • Kadamba
      • Telugu-Kannada

References
  1. Illustrated Weekly of Pakistan. Pakistan Herald Publications. 1968.
  2. Ahmed, Mukhtar (2014-10-18). Ancient Pakistan - An Archaeological History: Volume IV: Harappan Civilization - Theoretical and the Abstract. Amazon. ISBN 978-1-4960-8208-4.
  3. Merriam, LL (2022). "Brahmi Script: Origins in the Indus Valley". scholar.archive.org.
  4. DeFrancis, John; Unger, J Marshall (1997). "Peter T. Daniels & William Bright (eds.), The world's writing systems. Oxford & New York: Oxford University Press, 1996. Pp. xlvi, 920". Language in Society. 26 (3): 436–439. doi:10.1017/s0047404500019588. ISSN 0047-4045.
  5. "Genealogy of southern Brahmic scripts | The Fontpad". 2014-10-18. Retrieved 2023-12-30.
  6. DeFrancis, John; Unger, J Marshall (1997). "Peter T. Daniels & William Bright (eds.), The world's writing systems. Oxford & New York: Oxford University Press, 1996. Pp. xlvi, 920". Language in Society. 26 (3): 436–439. doi:10.1017/s0047404500019588. ISSN 0047-4045.
  7. Sproat, Richard (2006-07-20). "Brahmi-derived scripts, script layout, and segmental awareness". Written Language & Literacy. 9 (1): 45–66. doi:10.1075/wll.9.1.05spr. ISSN 1387-6732.
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