abjad
Sign in to saveAn abjad (; or abgad ) is a writing system in which only consonants are represented by letter signs, leaving the vowels to be inferred by the reader (unless represented otherwise, such as by diacritics). This contrasts with alphabets that provide graphemes for both consonants and vowels. The term was introduced in 1990 by Peter T. Daniels. Other terms for the same concept include partial phonemic script, segmentally linear defective phonographic script, consonantary, consonant writing, and consonantal alphabet.
AI overview
An abjad is a writing system that uses letter signs to represent only consonants, leaving readers to figure out the vowels based on context (unless special marks are added). This system differs from standard alphabets, which include separate symbols for both consonants and vowels.
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Article
12 sectionsContents
- Etymology
- Terminology
- Origins and history
- Impure abjads
- Addition of vowels
- {{anchor|Semitic abjad|Semitic abjads}}Abjads and the structure of Semitic languages
- Adaptation for use as true alphabets
- Comparative chart of abjads, extinct and extant
- See also
- References
- Sources
- External links
An abjad (; or abgad ) is a writing system in which only consonants are represented by letter signs, leaving the vowels to be inferred by the reader (unless represented otherwise, such as by diacritics). This contrasts with alphabets that provide graphemes for both consonants and vowels. The term was introduced in 1990 by Peter T. Daniels. Other terms for the same concept include partial phonemic script, segmentally linear defective phonographic script, consonantary, consonant writing, and consonantal alphabet.
Impure abjads, such as the Arabic and Hebrew scripts, represent vowels with either optional diacritics or a limited number of distinct vowel graphemes, or both.