Carian script
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| Carian | ||
|---|---|---|
| Type: | ||
| Languages: | Carian language | |
| Time period: | ||
| ISO 15924 code: | Cari | |
| Note: This page may contain IPA phonetic symbols in Unicode. See IPA chart for English for an English-based pronunciation key. | ||
The Carian script was used to write the Carian language. The script consists of some 45 signs and is thought to be alphabetic. Carian inscriptions have been found in both Caria proper (south-west Anatolia) and in the Nile delta, where Carian mercenaries fought for the Egyptian pharaohs.
Many signs of the Carian alphabet resemble Greek characters, but their phonetic value is generally very different:
| Sign | Carian sound | Greek sound |
|---|---|---|
| Γ | b | g |
| Δ | l | d |
| E | ù | e |
| F | r | w |
| I | λ a liquid, l/r |
i |
| Λ | b | l |
| N | m | n |
| C | d | s |
| Φ | ñ | ph |
| Ψ | n | ps |
So far, the phonetic value of 27 out of the 45 signs is considered secure.
It has been proposed to encode the Carian script in Unicode. (Everson, 2006)
[edit] References
- Davies, Anna Morpurgo, "Decipherment" in International Encyclopedia of Linguistics, William J. Frawley, ed., 2nd ed. (Oxford, 2003) I:421.
- Michael Everson, "Proposal to encode the Carian script in the SMP of the UCS", ISO/IEC JTC1/SC2/WG2 N3020R, 2006-01-12. full text. Contains many useful illustrations and tables.
- Schürr, Diether, "Zur Bestimmung der Lautwerte des karischen Alphabets 1971-1991", Kadmos 31:127-156 (1992) .
- Swiggers & Jenniges, in: P.T. Daniels & W. Bright (eds.), The World's Writing Systems (New York/Oxford, 1996), pp. 285-286.
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