Rejang script
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Rejang abugida | ||
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Type: | Abugida - originated from Kavi script | |
Languages: | Rejang | |
Time period: | c. ?-1900s | |
Parent writing systems: | Proto-Canaanite alphabet Phoenician alphabet Aramaic alphabet Brahmi alphabet Pallava Old Kawi Rejang abugida |
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Sister writing systems: | Baybayin Balinese Batak Buhid Hanunó'o Javanese Tagbanwa |
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ISO 15924 code: | Rjng | |
Note: This page may contain IPA phonetic symbols in Unicode. See IPA chart for English for an English-based pronunciation key. |
The Rejang script, sometimes spelt Redjang and locally known as Aksara Kaganga ('Ka Ga Nga alphabet') after its first three letters, is an abugida of the Brahmic family, and is related to other scripts of the region, like Batak, Buginese, and Kerinci. The script was in use prior to the introduction of Islam to the Rejang area; the earliest attested document appears to date from the mid-18th century CE.
The script was used to write Rejang, which is now spoken by about 200,000 people living in Indonesia on the island of Sumatra in the southwest highlands, north Bengkulu Province, around Argamakmur, Muaraaman, Curup, and Kepahiang, and also in the Rawas area of South Sumatra Province, near Muara Kulam. There are five major dialects of Rejang: Lebong, Musi, Kebanagung, Pesisir (all in Bengkulu Province), and Rawas (in South Sumatra Province). Most of its users live in fairly remote rural areas, of whom slightly less than half are literate.
The traditional Rejang corpus consists chiefly of ritual texts, medical incantations, and poetry.
[edit] References
- Everson, Michael (2006-04-24). Proposal for encoding the Rejang script in the BMP of the UCS (pdf). Working Group Document. International Organization for Standardization.