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Article published In: Diversity in Writing Systems: Embracing multiple perspectives
Edited by Amalia E. Gnanadesikan and Anna P. Judson
[Written Language & Literacy 24:2] 2021
► pp. 303–335

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Brahmi’s children

Variation and stability in a script family

Published online: 21 January 2022
DOI logo with link
https://doi.org/10.1075/wll.00057.gna
Abstract
A survey of modern descendants of Brahmi shows that the letter forms and various other features of the scripts vary, but the use of an inherent vowel and of dependent, satellite signs for other vowels is remarkably stable. Comparison is made to other scripts invented in the same geographic region, Thaana and Sorang Sompeng, and to the Arabic script as used in Arabic, Persian, Sorani Kurdish, Uyghur, and Kashmiri. Arabic scripts maintain uniform letter forms but vary considerably in their treatment of vowels. Cultural factors may explain the visual diversity of Brahmic scripts as compared to Arabic scripts. The stable combination of inherent vowel and satellite vowels derives from the decodability of simple aksharas into pronounceable syllabic units in the acquisition of reading. This akshara advantage is related to the psychological grain size theory of reading, with the additional claim that the syllable has special status because it is pronounceable.
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Devanagari: An example of a Brahmic script
  • 3.Scope of the survey
  • 4.Results of the survey
    • 4.1Universal or nearly universal elements
    • 4.2Common elements
    • 4.3Highly variable features
    • 4.4Rare features
    • 4.5Summary of results
  • 5.Comparison 1: Other South Asian inventions
  • 6.Comparison 2: Arabic scripts
    • 6.1Analysis of Arabic descendants
    • 6.2Differences between Brahmic and Arabic scripts
  • 7.Reasons for Brahmic stability and diversity
    • 7.1Reasons for stability
    • 7.2Reasons for diversity
  • 8.The akshara advantage
    • 8.1Analytical units
    • 8.2Learnable units
    • 8.3Origin of the inherent vowel
    • 8.4Tradeoffs
    • 8.5Psychological grain size theory
  • 9.Conclusion
  • Notes
  • References
References (65)
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