Brahmi

The brāhmī is a term which refers to the pre-modern members of the family of the systems of writing brahmic born in India, whose one makes go up the existence until U third century BC. The best known inscriptions and oldest in brāhmī are the engraved edicts of Ashoka. This written form is the ancestor of the majority of the writings of the India and the Southeast Asia, the Tibet, and perhaps even of the Korean Hangul . The numeral Système of the brāhmī is the ancestor of the Arab numerals, used today in the whole world.

It is thought that the brāhmī drift of a Semitic writing like the imperial Aramean alphabet, as it is the case for the alphabet gāndhārī which appeared at the same time in India of north, under the control of the empire of the Achéménides. Rhys Davids thinks that this writing could be introduced in India of the the Middle East by the merchants. Another assumption would be that of the invasion of Achéménides at sixth century BC. Harry Falks believes as for him that the brāhmī was created under the Empire maurya. One often admits that it was an invention planned under the reign of Ashoka, necessary to the drafting of his edicts, case similar to that of the Hangul.

By observing the oldest inscriptions in brāhmī, one can make a parallel obvious with the writings Araméen born contemporary: the half of the Phonème S are identical, especially when the letters are reversed in order to conrrespondre within the meaning of writing. However, the Semitic Langues do not reflect the Phonologie Indian Langues, this is why the brāhmī had to receive adaptations. These are the adaptations which make it possible to establish a link between the two writings. For example, the araméen did not know the Occlusive S Rétroflexe S, confused with the Dentale S; however in brāhmī, the signs for the series of the dental consonants and that of the rétroflexes are very similar, as if both derived from the same prototype. The araméen did not know the aspired consonants of the brāhmī ( KH , HT ), then this one did not have a emphatic consonants ( Q , ţ ). It is that the brāhmī borrowed the signs of emphatic to note the aspired corresponding ones ( Q > KH ; ţ > HT ), and that where the araméen did not have a emphatic consonant, for /p/, the brāhmī doubled the symbol p to note aspired. Lastly, the first letters are very resembling: the has brāhmī resembles much a aleph. A minority assumption supports that the brāhmī is a purely Indian invention, having perhaps for ancestor the writing of Indus. This assumption is especially widespread in India, where it accompanies the Nationalisme Hindou.

Sources

  • Kenneth R. Norman' S, The Development off Writing in India and its Effect upon the Faded Canon , in Wiener Zeitschrift für die Kunde Südasiens (36), 1993
  • Oscar von Hinüber, Der Beginn der Schrift und frühe Schriftlichkeit in Indian , Franz Steiner Verlag, 1990 (in german)
  • Harry Falk, Indian Schrift im alten: Ein Forschungsbericht spent Anmerkungen , Gunter Narr Verlag, 1993 (in german)
  • Gerard Fussman' S, the first written forms in India , in Directory of the Collège de France 1988-1989 (in french)

See too

External bonds

  • Of the origin of the first Indian writings
  • the brahmi project of the Indian Institut of sciences
  • Brahmi on Ancientscripts.com
  • Imperial Brahmi Makes with text-editor

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