Similarly, the consonants ཝ /wa/, ར /ra/, and ཡ /ja/ change form when they are beneath other consonants thus ཀྭ /kwa/ ཀྲ /kra/ ཀྱ /kja/.īesides being written as subscripts and superscripts, some consonants can also be placed in prescript, postscript, or post-postscript positions. However, an exception to this is the cluster རྙ /rɲa/. ར /ra/ actually changes form when it is above most other consonants thus རྐ rka. On the other hand, when the ར /ra/ comes before the consonant and vowel, it is added as a superscript. In both cases, the symbol for ཀ /ka/ is used, but when the ར /ra/ is in the middle of the consonant and vowel, it is added as a subscript. To understand how this works, one can look at the radical ཀ /ka/ and see what happens when it becomes ཀྲ /kra/ or རྐ /rka/. One aspect of the Tibetan script is that the consonants can be written either as radicals or they can be written in other forms, such as subscript and superscript forming consonant clusters. Tibetan map of the Kizil Caves, Tarim Basin. However, since tones developed from segmental features, they can usually be correctly predicted by the archaic spelling of Tibetan words.
![tibetan and bengali alphabet tibetan and bengali alphabet](https://cdn.imgbin.com/14/24/10/imgbin-computer-keyboard-standard-tibetan-tibetan-alphabet-bengali-german-keyboard-layout-pCSEtXDQgRzw7mWiYKfjX3R5J.jpg)
The letter ཨ is also the base for dependent vowel marks.Īlthough some Tibetan dialects are tonal, the language had no tone at the time of the script's invention, and there are no dedicated symbols for tone. As in other Indic scripts, each consonant letter assumes an inherent vowel in the Tibetan script it is /a/. The Tibetan alphabet has thirty basic letters, sometimes known as "radicals", for consonants. Syllables are separated by a tsek (་) since many Tibetan words are monosyllabic, this mark often functions almost as a space. In the Tibetan script, the syllables are written from left to right. The Tunhong manuscripts ( dunhuang manuscript) are key evidence for this hypothesis. New research and writings suggest that there were one or more Tibetan scripts in use prior to the introduction of the current script by Songtsen Gampo and Thonmi Sambhota. Purigi is the closest linguistic heir of Old Tibetan and therefore Purigi pronunciations adhered most closely to the Old Tibetan. In contrast, the pronunciation of the Balti, Ladakhi and Purigi languages adheres more closely to the original spelling. This divergence is the basis of an argument in favour of spelling reform, to write Tibetan as it is pronounced for example, writing Kagyu instead of Bka'-rgyud. As a result, in all modern Tibetan dialects and in particular in the Standard Tibetan of Lhasa, there is a great divergence between current spelling (which still reflects the 9th-century spoken Tibetan) and current pronunciation. Standard orthography has not altered since then, while the spoken language has changed by, for example, losing complex consonant clusters. The most important, an official orthography aimed to facilitate the translation of Buddhist scriptures, emerged during the early 9th century. Three orthographic standardisations were developed. The origin is still debated however other studies suggest that the Tibetan script was based on an adaption of the Indian Brahmi and Gupta scripts from Khotan, taught to Thonmi Sambhota in Kashmir. The script had 30 consonantal characters, of which 6 were created specifically to match Tibetan phonology. Upon his return, he introduced an alphabet based on the Nagari that was used in Kashmir at the time. Tradition holds that Thonmi Sambhota, a minister of Songtsen Gampo in the 7th century, was sent to India to study the art of writing, to find a system of writing suitable for the Tibetan language.
![tibetan and bengali alphabet tibetan and bengali alphabet](https://elearn.fiu.edu/e-dev/WorldExplorer/continents/asia/bangladesh/bangladesh_languages_3.gif)
The creation of the Tibetan alphabet is attributed to Thonmi Sambhota of the mid-7th century. BCEĪdlam (slight influence from Arabic) 1989 CE Caucasian Albanian (origin uncertain) c.Cherokee (syllabary letter forms only) c.