The development of structural characteristics of Brahmi script in derivative writing systems

Indian writing systems reveal a great variety of graphic forms, proceeding from the unique source which is Brahmi script. These graphic forms render structural oppositions developed in phonographic writing systems which stem from Brahmi. This paper aims to highlight the changes scripts underwent to satisfy demands of language structure. The comparison raises the issue of the complexity of writing systems. Keywords: writing system; grapheme; typology; Brahmi; abugida; alphasyllabary; akshara; diacritic; graphon; vowel differentiation

Published online: 30 January 2012
https://doi.org/10.1075/wll.15.1.01fed