Balinese script
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Balinese abugida | ||
|---|---|---|
| Type: | Abugida - originated from Kavi script | |
| Languages: | Bali | |
| Time period: | c. 1000 CE to the present | |
| Parent writing systems: | Proto-Canaanite alphabet Phoenician alphabet Aramaic alphabet Brahmi alphabet Pallava Old Kawi Balinese abugida |
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| Sister writing systems: | Batak Baybayin Buhid Hanunó'o Javanese Rejang Tagbanwa |
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| ISO 15924 code: | Bali | |
| Note: This page may contain IPA phonetic symbols in Unicode. See IPA chart for English for an English-based pronunciation key. | ||
The Balinese script is an abugida that was used to write the Balinese language, an Austronesian language spoken by about three million people on the Indonesian island of Bali. The use of the Balinese alphabet has mostly been replaced by the Roman alphabet, and very few people are familiar with it. It is mostly used for religious writings.
The Balinese script was probably derived from Pallava and Old Kawi alphabets, which ultimately were derived from the Brahmi alphabet, the root of almost all the Indic and Southeast Asian abugidas.
Like most abugidas, each letter has an inherent vowel of /a/. Other vowels are indicated by using diacritics, which can appear above, below, to the left, or to the right of the consonant.
