Abjad

Among consonants writings refers writing systems in which only or primary characters for consonants are used.

Dissemination

Consonant types are used primarily in languages ​​whose basic structure may waive the designation of vowels without causing too much trouble understanding or ambiguity. This is the case, came to meet their consonant -based morphology and lexis of the training pure consonants writings, especially in the Semitic languages ​​.

Terminology

Since an article by Peter T. Daniels from 1990 has become customary for consonants or consonant alphabets writings the term Abdschad. The term is formed analogously to the alphabet. He comes from ابجد abdschad, DMG abǧad, the Arab pronunciation of the first four letters of the old North West Semitic alphabets ( Ugaritic, Phoenician, Aramaic, etc.) and originally from the Arabic alphabet. Since the term " Abdschad " so but at the same Semitic alphabetic writing systems represents one of the major early collations at all, the additional use of an alphabet font type has led ( as opposed to alphabet and Abugida ) in the last 15 years of terminological confusion in the research literature, and terminology Daniels has not been without criticism. " Abdschad " as opposed to " alphabet " could also be so misunderstood that consonant alphabets are deficient because they lacked vowel signs. However, this is taking into account the structure of Semitic languages ​​and the reading traditions in the ( north- ) Semitic languages ​​of the 1st millennium BC clearly not the case.

History

The consonants writings so-called probably evolved from those Egyptian hieroglyphs, each designated a syllable containing a single consonant. The beginnings of the consonantal script date back to the first half of the second millennium BC. The Proto- Sinaitic script and the Wadi el -Hol script are the oldest surviving examples of consonants writings.

All known consonant alphabets belong to the family of Semitic writing systems., The Abdschad thus become the alphabet - If these writings were later adapted for writing non- Semitic writings, the vowels have been supplemented and - after Daniels'scher terminology the best known example is the development of the Greek alphabet from the Phoenician alphabet. In fact, for example, the Arabic script is used alphabetically as Urdu, so consonant can only be property of a language-dependent type system always and should not be based on the script itself.

Operation

It is characteristic of consonants writings that only consonants are represented. However, early developed the tradition, long vowels, diphthongs from the ( vowel diphthongs ) had emerged to designate by the respective underlying so-called half consonants. Even so-called laryngeals (of larynx " throat "), which later disappeared, were used to denote long vowels; Likewise the consonant H, especially at the end of a word.

The correct pronunciation of words to recognize the consonants are written in a font can be difficult or even impossible when multiple options are possible to supplement the vowels. To resolve such ambiguities To demand or to support learners, Hebrew and Arabic texts can be vocalized by means of diacritical marks (see Taschkil ).

In the shorthand working with this shortening - especially at the highest level, speech writing.

Examples

• Proto - Sinaitic script
• Ugaritic font
• Phoenician writing
• Sabaean writing
• Hebrew script
• Aramaic script
• Nabataean script
• Arabic fonts ( Kufi, naskh )
• Syrian fonts ( Serto, Estrangelo )