Brahmi’s Children: Variation and stability in a script...
Transcript of Brahmi’s Children: Variation and stability in a script...
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Brahmi’s Children: Variation and stability in
a script family
Amalia Gnanadesikan
March 26, 2019
AWLL 12, Cambridge
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Brāhmī: Variation and stability in a script family
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Brāhmī: Variation and stability in a script family
“[Brāhmī] constitutes one of the most important ‘parent’ scripts of the world, rivaling Aramaic and Arabic in the number and range of its varieties and derivatives.” (Salomon 1996: 374)
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Brāhmī: Variation and stability in a script family
“[Brāhmī] constitutes one of the most important ‘parent’ scripts of the world, rivaling Aramaic and Arabic in the number and range of its varieties and derivatives.” (Salomon 1996: 374)
“This characteristically Indian script type … is remarkably stable, and nearly all the later Indic and extra-Indic scripts derived from it follow essentially the same system.” (Salomon 1996: 376)
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History
Brahmi: attested from about C 3 BCE to C 4 CE, by which time N & S varieties
First writes Prakrit (MIA), then Sanskrit (OIA)
Regional diversification (C 5 – 9)
Modern scripts develop C 10 to 15
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History
Brahmi: attested from about C 3 BCE to C 4 CE, by which time N & S varieties
First writes Prakrit (MIA), then Sanskrit (OIA)
Regional diversification (C 5 – 9)
Modern scripts develop C 10 to 15
“All of this variation presents—to the investigator—difficulties of merely a mechanical sort, a burden on the visual memory.” (Masica 1991: 145)
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Example: Devanagari स, सा, सस, सी, स, स, स, स, स, सो, सौ, स /sa/, /saː/, /si/, /siː/, /su/, /suː/, /sṛ/, /se/, /sai/, /so/, /sau/, /s/
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Example: Devanagari स, सा, सस, सी, स, स, स, स, स, सो, सौ, स /sa/, /saː/, /si/, /siː/, /su/, /suː/, /sṛ/, /se/, /sai/, /so/, /sau/, /s/
अ, आ, इ, ई, उ, ऊ, ऋ, ए, ऐ, ओ, औ
/a/, /aː/, /i/, /iː/, /u/, /uː/, /ṛ/, /e/, /ai/, /o/, /au/
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Example: Devanagari स, सा, सस, सी, स, स, स, स, स, सो, सौ, स /sa/, /saː/, /si/, /siː/, /su/, /suː/, /sṛ/, /se/, /sai/, /so/, /sau/, /s/
अ, आ, इ, ई, उ, ऊ, ऋ, ए, ऐ, ओ, औ
/a/, /aː/, /i/, /iː/, /u/, /uː/, /ṛ/, /e/, /ai/, /o/, /au/
सत, सप, सक, सव, सव, क...
/sta/, /spa/, /ska/, /sva/, /stva/, /tka/
सता, सकी, सव, सव, ससप, कौ
/stā/, /skī/, /svu/, stvū/, /spi/, /rtkau/
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Example: Devanagari स, सा, सस, सी, स, स, स, स, स, सो, सौ, स /sa/, /saː/, /si/, /siː/, /su/, /suː/, /sṛ/, /se/, /sai/, /so/, /sau/, /s/
अ, आ, इ, ई, उ, ऊ, ऋ, ए, ऐ, ओ, औ
/a/, /aː/, /i/, /iː/, /u/, /uː/, /ṛ/, /e/, /ai/, /o/, /au/
सत, सप, सक, सव, सव, क...
/sta/, /spa/, /ska/, /sva/, /stva/, /tka/
सता, सकी, सव, सव, ससप, कौ
/stā/, /skī/, /svu/, stvū/, /spi/, /rtkau/
Names: akshara system, abugida, alpha-syllabary, semi-alphabet, semi-syllabary,syllabic alphabet, neosyllabary
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Devanagari Example, cont.
ब = /ba/ = [bɐ], [bə]
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Devanagari Example, cont.
ब = /ba/ = [bɐ], [bə]
बा, सब, बी, ब, ब, ब, ब, बो, ब, बौ
bā, bi, bī, bu, bū, br , be, bo, bai, bau
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Devanagari Example, cont.
ब = /ba/ = [bɐ], [bə]
बा, सब, बी, ब, ब, ब, ब, बो, ब, बौ
bā, bi, bī, bu, bū, br , be, bo, bai, bau
बस सिनदी दोसताना अगर
b a s h i n d ī d o s t ā n ā a g a r‘enough’ ‘Hindi’ ‘friendly’ ‘if’
‘bus’
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Devanagari Example, cont.
ब = /ba/ = [bɐ], [bə]
बा, सब, बी, ब, ब, ब, ब, बो, ब, बौ
bā, bi, bī, bu, bū, br , be, bo, bai, bau
बस सिनदी दोसताना अगर
b a s h i n d ī d o s t ā n ā a g a r‘enough’ ‘Hindi’ ‘friendly’ ‘if’
‘bus’
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“Remarkably Stable”?
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“Remarkably Stable”?
Very stable elements
LTR
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“Remarkably Stable”?
Very stable elements
LTR
“Inherent vowel” used (except for Lao, by governmental reform, 1975)
Other vowels “dependent” ( = diacritic or “satellite” [Elliott 2012])
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“Remarkably Stable”?
Very stable elements
LTR
“Inherent vowel” used (except for Lao, by governmental reform, 1975)
Other vowels “dependent” ( = diacritic or “satellite” [Elliott 2012])
Some divergence from linear order (some Vs to left of C, surround C, or attached to C1 rather than C2 in CCV)
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Fairly typical elements
Initial vowels are independent
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Fairly typical elements
Initial vowels are independent
but not in Tibetan, Burmese, Thai, Lao
Sequential Cs at least sometimes written as conjuncts
but not in Tamil, Thai, Lao
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Fairly typical elements
Initial vowels are independent
but not in Tibetan, Burmese, Thai, Lao
Sequential Cs at least sometimes written as conjuncts
but not in Tamil, Thai, Lao
Some sort of typical top line or mark
but not in Brahmi, Gujarati, Malayalam
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Fairly typical elements
Initial vowels are independent
but not in Tibetan, Burmese, Thai, Lao
Sequential Cs at least sometimes written as conjuncts
but not in Tamil, Thai, Lao
Some sort of typical top line or mark
but not in Brahmi, Gujarati, Malayalam
Retention of Sanskrit inventory
but not in Gurmukhi, Tibetan, Tamil,Lao
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Variation Lack of inherent V must be marked
(obligatory “virama”)
Yes: Oriya, Malayalam, Kannada, Telugu, Sinhala, Burmese
No: Devanagari, Gujarati, Gurmukhi, Bangla, Tibetan, Khmer, Thai
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Variation Lack of inherent V must be marked
(obligatory “virama”)
Yes: Oriya, Malayalam, Kannada, Telugu, Sinhala, Burmese
No: Devanagari, Gujarati, Gurmukhi, Bangla, Tibetan, Khmer, Thai
Consonant conjuncts formed by horizontal ligature or stacking
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Variation Lack of inherent V must be marked
(obligatory “virama”)
Yes: Oriya, Malayalam, Kannada, Telugu, Sinhala, Burmese
No: Devanagari, Gujarati, Gurmukhi, Bangla, Tibetan, Khmer, Thai
Consonant conjuncts formed by horizontal ligature or stacking
Word spacing (in South Asia) vs. phrasal spacing (in Southeast Asia)
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Variation Lack of inherent V must be marked
(obligatory “virama”)
Yes: Oriya, Malayalam, Kannada, Telugu, Sinhala, Burmese
No: Devanagari, Gujarati, Gurmukhi, Bangla, Tibetan, Khmer, Thai
Consonant conjuncts formed by horizontal ligature or stacking
Word spacing (in South Asia) vs. phrasal spacing (in Southeast Asia)
Shape of the letters!
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Rare elements
Syllable marking (Tibetan only, some indirectly in Thai and Lao)
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Rare elements
Syllable marking (Tibetan only, some indirectly in Thai and Lao)
Gemination sign (Gurmukhi, some in Malayalam)
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Quick comparison: inventions in South Asia
Thaana (Dhivehi) script invented for Dhivehi (Maldivian) c. 1600.
No inherent vowel, vowels dependent
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Quick comparison: inventions in South Asia
Thaana (Dhivehi) script invented for Dhivehi (Maldivian) c. 1600.
No inherent vowel, vowels dependent
Sorang Sompeng invented for Sora 1936. (Varang Kshiti for Ho similar)
Inherent vowel, vowels independent
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Quick comparison: Arabic
Descended from Aramaic via Nabataean
Begun C 4 CE, codified C 7
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Quick comparison: Arabic
Descended from Aramaic via Nabataean
Begun C 4 CE, codified C 7
Writes consonants, 3 long vowels with C letters (cf <y> in English)
Other vowels can be added with diacritics, but usually are not
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Quick comparison: Arabic
Descended from Aramaic via Nabataean
Begun C 4 CE, codified C 7
Writes consonants, 3 long vowels with C letters (cf <y> in English)
Other vowels can be added with diacritics, but usually are not
Initially used for Semitic language (with templatic morphology)
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Quick comparison: Arabic
Descended from Aramaic via Nabataean
Begun C 4 CE, codified C 7
Writes consonants, 3 long vowels with C letters (cf <y> in English)
Other vowels can be added with diacritics, but usually are not
Initially used for Semitic language (with templatic morphology)
Has spread to many other languages
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How “stable” is Arabic? Letter forms unchanged (different stylistic
traditions become standardized)
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How “stable” is Arabic? Letter forms unchanged (different stylistic
traditions become standardized)
Consonants get added, rarely removed
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How “stable” is Arabic? Letter forms unchanged (different stylistic
traditions become standardized)
Consonants get added, rarely removed
Writing of vowels varies all over the place
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How “stable” is Arabic? Letter forms unchanged (different stylistic
traditions become standardized)
Consonants get added, rarely removed
Writing of vowels varies all over the place
Arabic: Long Vs only (short Vs rarely, diacritic)
Farsi: Long Vs; all final Vs (short Vs rarely diacritic)
Sorani: All Vs but one (full letters)
Kashmiri: All Vs (diacritic & full, mixed)
Uyghur: All Vs (full letters)
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Variation and stability compared
Brahmi’s children
Inherent V
Dependent Vs
Some lack of linear order
Direction-----------------
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Variation and stability compared
Brahmi’s children
Inherent V
Dependent Vs
Some lack of linear order
Direction-----------------
Shapes
Consonant conjuncts
![Page 41: Brahmi’s Children: Variation and stability in a script familyfaculty-sgs.tama.ac.jp/terry/awll/wsMaterials/AWLL12-2019-PDFs/D1-OS2... · but not in Tamil, Thai, Lao. Fairly typical](https://reader031.fdocuments.net/reader031/viewer/2022040420/5e07e177c2bfda5d5a17e44f/html5/thumbnails/41.jpg)
Variation and stability compared
Brahmi’s children
Inherent V
Dependent Vs
Some lack of linear order
Direction-----------------
Shapes
Consonant conjuncts
Arabic variants
Shapes
Way of connecting letters
Direction---------------
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Variation and stability compared
Brahmi’s children
Inherent V
Dependent Vs
Some lack of linear order
Direction-----------------
Shapes
Consonant conjuncts
Arabic variants
Shapes
Way of connecting letters
Direction---------------
Which vowels are written
How vowels are written
![Page 43: Brahmi’s Children: Variation and stability in a script familyfaculty-sgs.tama.ac.jp/terry/awll/wsMaterials/AWLL12-2019-PDFs/D1-OS2... · but not in Tamil, Thai, Lao. Fairly typical](https://reader031.fdocuments.net/reader031/viewer/2022040420/5e07e177c2bfda5d5a17e44f/html5/thumbnails/43.jpg)
Why Brahmi’s variations?
“Writing was not a religious monopoly in India, nor … was it regarded as particularly sacrosanct by the religious establishment, or by the population at large.” (Masica 1991: 143)
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Why Brahmi’s variations?
“Writing was not a religious monopoly in India, nor … was it regarded as particularly sacrosanct by the religious establishment, or by the population at large.” (Masica 1991: 143)
“[I]ntellectual activity in India has always strongly favored oral over written means of expression…” (Salomon 1995: 278)
![Page 45: Brahmi’s Children: Variation and stability in a script familyfaculty-sgs.tama.ac.jp/terry/awll/wsMaterials/AWLL12-2019-PDFs/D1-OS2... · but not in Tamil, Thai, Lao. Fairly typical](https://reader031.fdocuments.net/reader031/viewer/2022040420/5e07e177c2bfda5d5a17e44f/html5/thumbnails/45.jpg)
Why Arabic’s stability?
“With the spread of Islam from Spain to Indonesia and much of Africa—and along with it the Holy Qur’ān, which according to custom and tradition must be studied in the original Arabic along with the faithful’s Classical Arabic prayers—there soon developed a powerful influence of both the Arabic language and its script on the new converts.” (Kaye 1996: 743)
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But then, why Brahmi’s stability?
![Page 47: Brahmi’s Children: Variation and stability in a script familyfaculty-sgs.tama.ac.jp/terry/awll/wsMaterials/AWLL12-2019-PDFs/D1-OS2... · but not in Tamil, Thai, Lao. Fairly typical](https://reader031.fdocuments.net/reader031/viewer/2022040420/5e07e177c2bfda5d5a17e44f/html5/thumbnails/47.jpg)
But then, why Brahmi’s stability?
Not a lack of understanding: Tamil Brahmi experiments with writing all Vs (i.e. not using an inherent V), c. C 2 BCE. (Salomon 1998)
![Page 48: Brahmi’s Children: Variation and stability in a script familyfaculty-sgs.tama.ac.jp/terry/awll/wsMaterials/AWLL12-2019-PDFs/D1-OS2... · but not in Tamil, Thai, Lao. Fairly typical](https://reader031.fdocuments.net/reader031/viewer/2022040420/5e07e177c2bfda5d5a17e44f/html5/thumbnails/48.jpg)
But then, why Brahmi’s stability?
Not a lack of understanding: Tamil Brahmi experiments with writing all Vs (i.e. not using an inherent V), c. C 2 BCE. (Salomon 1998)
Inherent V & dependent V combination (aksharas) must have something going for it.
![Page 49: Brahmi’s Children: Variation and stability in a script familyfaculty-sgs.tama.ac.jp/terry/awll/wsMaterials/AWLL12-2019-PDFs/D1-OS2... · but not in Tamil, Thai, Lao. Fairly typical](https://reader031.fdocuments.net/reader031/viewer/2022040420/5e07e177c2bfda5d5a17e44f/html5/thumbnails/49.jpg)
But then, why Brahmi’s stability?
Not a lack of understanding: Tamil Brahmi experiments with writing all Vs (i.e. not using an inherent V), c. C 2 BCE. (Salomon 1998)
Inherent V & dependent V combination (aksharas) must have something going for it.
Decodability
![Page 50: Brahmi’s Children: Variation and stability in a script familyfaculty-sgs.tama.ac.jp/terry/awll/wsMaterials/AWLL12-2019-PDFs/D1-OS2... · but not in Tamil, Thai, Lao. Fairly typical](https://reader031.fdocuments.net/reader031/viewer/2022040420/5e07e177c2bfda5d5a17e44f/html5/thumbnails/50.jpg)
Decodability
Syllabograms are easy to learn to read(Gleitman & Rozin 1973, Taylor & Taylor 1995, etc.)
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Decodability
Syllabograms are easy to learn to read(Gleitman & Rozin 1973, Taylor & Taylor 1995, etc.)
Phonemes are hard (Liberman et al. 1974, etc.)
What sound does <b> make?
![Page 52: Brahmi’s Children: Variation and stability in a script familyfaculty-sgs.tama.ac.jp/terry/awll/wsMaterials/AWLL12-2019-PDFs/D1-OS2... · but not in Tamil, Thai, Lao. Fairly typical](https://reader031.fdocuments.net/reader031/viewer/2022040420/5e07e177c2bfda5d5a17e44f/html5/thumbnails/52.jpg)
Decodability
Syllabograms are easy to learn to read(Gleitman & Rozin 1973, Taylor & Taylor 1995, etc.)
Phonemes are hard (Liberman et al. 1974, etc.)
What sound does <b> make?
?
How you do sound out b-e-d?
![Page 53: Brahmi’s Children: Variation and stability in a script familyfaculty-sgs.tama.ac.jp/terry/awll/wsMaterials/AWLL12-2019-PDFs/D1-OS2... · but not in Tamil, Thai, Lao. Fairly typical](https://reader031.fdocuments.net/reader031/viewer/2022040420/5e07e177c2bfda5d5a17e44f/html5/thumbnails/53.jpg)
Decodability
Syllabograms are easy to learn to read(Gleitman & Rozin 1973, Taylor & Taylor 1995, etc.)
Phonemes are hard (Liberman et al. 1974, etc.)
What sound does <b> make?
?
How you do sound out b-e-d?
What sound does ब make?
/ba/
![Page 54: Brahmi’s Children: Variation and stability in a script familyfaculty-sgs.tama.ac.jp/terry/awll/wsMaterials/AWLL12-2019-PDFs/D1-OS2... · but not in Tamil, Thai, Lao. Fairly typical](https://reader031.fdocuments.net/reader031/viewer/2022040420/5e07e177c2bfda5d5a17e44f/html5/thumbnails/54.jpg)
Origin of the Inherent Vowel Brahmi adapted from Aramaic and
Kharosthi (Salomon 1995)
Aramaic purely segmental script (consonantal, with some matres lectionis)
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Origin of the Inherent Vowel Brahmi adapted from Aramaic and
Kharosthi (Salomon 1995)
Aramaic purely segmental script (consonantal, with some matres lectionis)
Brahmi (and Kharosthi) add vowels, except the inherent vowel (unless it’s initial)
![Page 56: Brahmi’s Children: Variation and stability in a script familyfaculty-sgs.tama.ac.jp/terry/awll/wsMaterials/AWLL12-2019-PDFs/D1-OS2... · but not in Tamil, Thai, Lao. Fairly typical](https://reader031.fdocuments.net/reader031/viewer/2022040420/5e07e177c2bfda5d5a17e44f/html5/thumbnails/56.jpg)
Origin of the Inherent Vowel Brahmi adapted from Aramaic and
Kharosthi (Salomon 1995)
Aramaic purely segmental script (consonantal, with some matres lectionis)
Brahmi (and Kharosthi) add vowels, except the inherent vowel (unless it’s initial)
“[I]t would appear that recitation of letter values ([kə], [gə], etc.) underlies the development of these scripts.” (Justeson & Stephens 1993: 9, emphasis added)
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Retaining the inherent vowel Resulting script is “alphasyllabic.” Simplest
signs (aksharas) are simple syllables.
![Page 58: Brahmi’s Children: Variation and stability in a script familyfaculty-sgs.tama.ac.jp/terry/awll/wsMaterials/AWLL12-2019-PDFs/D1-OS2... · but not in Tamil, Thai, Lao. Fairly typical](https://reader031.fdocuments.net/reader031/viewer/2022040420/5e07e177c2bfda5d5a17e44f/html5/thumbnails/58.jpg)
Retaining the inherent vowel Resulting script is “alphasyllabic.” Simplest
signs (aksharas) are simple syllables.
Pronounceable
ब = /ba/
![Page 59: Brahmi’s Children: Variation and stability in a script familyfaculty-sgs.tama.ac.jp/terry/awll/wsMaterials/AWLL12-2019-PDFs/D1-OS2... · but not in Tamil, Thai, Lao. Fairly typical](https://reader031.fdocuments.net/reader031/viewer/2022040420/5e07e177c2bfda5d5a17e44f/html5/thumbnails/59.jpg)
Retaining the inherent vowel Resulting script is “alphasyllabic.” Simplest
signs (aksharas) are simple syllables.
Pronounceable
ब = /ba/
Satellite “dependent” vowels Next simplest aksharas are also simple syllables (still pronounceable)
ब = /be/
![Page 60: Brahmi’s Children: Variation and stability in a script familyfaculty-sgs.tama.ac.jp/terry/awll/wsMaterials/AWLL12-2019-PDFs/D1-OS2... · but not in Tamil, Thai, Lao. Fairly typical](https://reader031.fdocuments.net/reader031/viewer/2022040420/5e07e177c2bfda5d5a17e44f/html5/thumbnails/60.jpg)
Retaining the inherent vowel Resulting script is “alphasyllabic.” Simplest
signs (aksharas) are simple syllables.
Pronounceable
ब = /ba/
Satellite “dependent” vowels Next simplest aksharas are also simple syllables (still pronounceable)
ब = /be/
Mappability of aksharas to pronounceable units is relevant to each successive generation of learners
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Conclusion
The akshara model of inherent vowel and dependent vowels is particularly stable because it allows the learner to map written units to pronounceable units.
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Conclusion
The akshara model of inherent vowel and dependent vowels is particularly stable because it allows the learner to map written units to pronounceable units.
This advantage outweighs other features such as variation in linear order (Kandhadai &
Sproat 2010) or size of akshara inventory (Nag
2014) that might impede rapid learning.
![Page 63: Brahmi’s Children: Variation and stability in a script familyfaculty-sgs.tama.ac.jp/terry/awll/wsMaterials/AWLL12-2019-PDFs/D1-OS2... · but not in Tamil, Thai, Lao. Fairly typical](https://reader031.fdocuments.net/reader031/viewer/2022040420/5e07e177c2bfda5d5a17e44f/html5/thumbnails/63.jpg)
Conclusion
The akshara model of inherent vowel and dependent vowels is particularly stable because it allows the learner to map written units to pronounceable units.
This advantage outweighs other features such as variation in linear order (Kandhadai &
Sproat 2010) or size of akshara inventory (Nag
2014) that might impede rapid learning.
The disadvantages may be (almost) necessary accompaniments.
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ReferencesDaniels, Peter T. & William Bright, eds. 1996. The World’s
Writing Systems. New York: Oxford University Press.
Elliott, Christine. 2012. Second Language Writing System Word Recognition (with a focus on Lao). Journal of the National Council of Less Commonly Taught Languages. 53–73.
Gleitman, Lila R. & Paul Rozin. 1973. Teaching Reading by Use of a Syllabary. Reading Research Quarterly 8:4, 447-483.
Gnanadesikan, Amalia E. 2012. Maldivian Thaana, Japanese kana, and the representation of moras in writing. Writing Systems Research 4: 91–102.
Justeson, John S. & Laurence D. Stephens 1993. The evolution of syllabaries from alphabets: transmission, language contrast, and script typology. Die Sprache 35.1: 2–46.
![Page 65: Brahmi’s Children: Variation and stability in a script familyfaculty-sgs.tama.ac.jp/terry/awll/wsMaterials/AWLL12-2019-PDFs/D1-OS2... · but not in Tamil, Thai, Lao. Fairly typical](https://reader031.fdocuments.net/reader031/viewer/2022040420/5e07e177c2bfda5d5a17e44f/html5/thumbnails/65.jpg)
Kandhadai, Padmapriya, and Richard Sproat. 2010. Impact of spatial ordering of graphemes in alphasyllabic scripts on phonemic awareness in Indic languages. Writing Systems Research 2.2: 105–116.
Liberman, Isabelle Y, Donald Shanweiler, F. William Fischer & Bonnie Carter. 1974. Explicit syllable and phoneme segmentation in the young child. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology 18: 201-212.
Masica, Colin. 1991. The Indo-Aryan Languages. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Nag, Sonali. 2014. Akshara-phonology mappings: The common yet uncommon case of the consonant cluster. Writing Systems Research 6: 105–119.
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Salomon, Richard. 1995. On the Origin of the Early Indian Scripts. Journal of the American Oriental Society 115(2): 271–279.
Salomon, Richard. 1996. Brahmi and Kharoshthi. In Daniels & Bright (1996).
Salomon, Richard. 1998. Indian Epigraphy: A Guide to the Study of inscriptions in Sanskrit, Prakrit, and the Other Indo-Aryan Languages. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Taylor, Insup & M. Martin Taylor. 1995. Writing and Literacy in Chinese, Korean and Japanese. Amsterdam: John Benjamins.
Windfuhr, Gernot (ed). 2009. The Iranian Languages. London: Routledge.