Old Permic script
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Old Permic, Abur, Anbur | ||
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Type: | alphabet | |
Languages: | Komi language | |
Time period: | 1372-1600s | |
ISO 15924 code: | Perm | |
Note: This page may contain IPA phonetic symbols in Unicode. See IPA chart for English for an English-based pronunciation key. |
The Old Permic script, sometimes called Abur or Anbur, is an original ancient Permic writing system.
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[edit] History
The alphabet was introduced by a Russian missionary Stepan Khrap, also known as Saint Stephen of Perm (Степан Храп, св. Стефан Пермский) in 1372. The name Abur is derived from the names of the first two characters An and Bur. The alphabet derived from Cyrillic and Greek, and Komi tribal signs, the latter being similar in the appearance to runes or siglas poveiras, because they were created by incisions, rather than by usual writing.
The alphabet was in use until the 17th century, when it was superseded by the Cyrillic alphabet. Abur also used as cryptographic writing for the Russian language.
April 26, which is the saint's day of Stephen of Perm, is celebrated as Old Permic Alphabet Day.
[edit] Significance
The abur inscriptions are among the oldest relics of the Finno-Ugric languages. Only one of these languages has earlier documents: Hungarian, which had been written using the Old Hungarian script first, then with the Latin script after 1000.