Ṝ (Indic)

is a vowel-like letter of Indic abugidas, often referred to as a "vocalic R̄". In modern Indic scripts, Ṝ is derived from the early "Ashoka" Brahmi letter . As an ostensible Indic vowel, Ṝ comes in two normally distinct forms: 1) as an independent letter, and 2) as a vowel sign for modifying a base consonant. Bare consonants without a modifying vowel sign have the inherent "A" vowel.

Devanagari Ashoka Brahmi Tibetan Bengali Tamil
 /
0960 / 0944
 /
1100C / 1103F

0F77
 /
09E0 / 09C4
-
--
Gurmukhi Thai Baybayin Malayalam Sinhala
 /
0A60 / 0A44
-
--
-
--
 /
0D60 / 0D44
 /
0D8E / 0DF2
Ancient scripts
Ashoka
Brahmi
Kushana
Brahmi
Gupta
Brahmi
Tocharian
 /
1100C / 1103F
𑀌 / 𑀿
1100C / 1103F
𑀌 / 𑀿
1100C / 1103F
-
--
Kharoṣṭhī Siddhaṃ Sharada Grantha
-
--
 /
11587 / 115B5
𑆊 / 𑆹
1118A / 111B9
𑍠 / 𑍄
11360 / 11344
Bangla and Tibetan scripts
Ashoka Brahmi Gupta Brahmi Tibetan Bengali
 /
1100C / 1103F
𑀌 / 𑀿
1100C / 1103F

0F77
 /
09E0 / 09C4
'Phags-pa Oriya Limbu Lepcha Marchen
-
--
 /
0B60 / 0B44
-
--
-
--
-
--
Siddhaṃ Pracalit Tirhuta Zanabazar Square
 /
11587 / 115B5
𑐇 / 𑐻
11407 / 1143B
𑒈 / 𑒶
11488 / 114B6
-
--
Note: Korean Hangul is an alphabet, not an Indic abugida, but
appears to ultimately have some derivation from 'Phags-pa.
Sharada-based scripts
Sharada Ashoka Brahmi Gupta Brahmi Takri Dogra
𑆊 / 𑆹
1118A / 111B9
 /
1100C / 1103F
𑀌 / 𑀿
1100C / 1103F
-
--
𑠲
11832
Gurmukhi Khudawadi Mahajani Khojki Multani
 /
0A60 / 0A44
-
--
-
--
-
--
-
--
Nagaris and other Gupta-based scripts
Ashoka Brahmi Gupta Brahmi Devanagari
 /
1100C / 1103F
𑀌 / 𑀿
1100C / 1103F
 /
0960 / 0944
Gujarati Kaithi Syloti Nagari Modi
 /
0AE0 / 0AC4
-
--
-
--
𑘇 / 𑘶
11607 / 11636
Nandinagari Gunjala Gondi Soyombo Bhaiksuki
𑦧 / 𑧗
119A7 / 119D7
-
--
-
--
𑰇 / 𑰵
11C07 / 11C35
Kawi scripts
Grantha Baybayin Tagbanwa Hanunó'o Buhid
𑍠 / 𑍄
11360 / 11344
-
--
-
--
-
--
-
--
Balinese Javanese Batak Lontara Rejang
-
--
-
--
-
--
-
--
-
--
Ashoka Brahmi Sundanese Makasar Chakma
 /
1100C / 1103F
-
--
-
--
-
--
Tai and Khmer scripts
Ashoka Brahmi Grantha Khmer Lao
 /
1100C / 1103F
𑍠 / 𑍄
11360 / 11344
-
--
-
--
Thai Tai Tham Tai Viet Tai Le New Tai Lü
-
--
-
--
-
--
-
--
-
--
Other Grantha-based scripts
Ashoka Brahmi Grantha Ahom Dives Akuru
 /
1100C / 1103F
𑍠 / 𑍄
11360 / 11344
-
--
-
--
Malayalam Saurashtra Cham Burmese Kayah Li
 /
0D60 / 0D44
 /
A889 / A8BB
-
--
 /
1053 / 1057
-
--
Other Brahmic scripts
Ashoka Brahmi Masaram Gondi Meetei Mayek
 / 𑀿
1100C / 1103F
-
--
-
--
Tamil Kannada Sinhala Telugu
-
--
 /
0D8E / 0CC4
 /
0C60 / 0DF2
 /
0CE0 / 0C44
Canadian Aboriginal syllabics do not have a letter derived from Ṝ.
Phonemic representation: /ɻ̩ː/
IAST transliteration: ṝ Ṝ
ISCII code point: (0)

Āryabhaṭa numeration

Aryabhata used Devanagari letters for numbers, very similar to the Greek numerals, even after the invention of Indian numerals. The ॄ sign was used to modify a consonant's value ×106, but the vowel letter ॠ did not have an inherent value by itself.[1]

Historic Ṝ

There are three different general early historic scripts - Brahmi and its variants, Kharoṣṭhī, and Tocharian, the so-called slanting Brahmi. Ṝ was not found as an independent vowel in Brahmi, only as a vowel mark for modifying a base consonant. Like all Brahmic scripts, Tocharian Ṝ has an accompanying vowel mark for modifying a base consonant. In Kharoṣṭhī, the only independent vowel letter is for the inherent A. All other independent vowels, including Ṝ are indicated with vowel marks added to the letter A.

Brahmi Ṝ

The Brahmi letter Ṝ was a simple modification of the Brahmi Ṛ, and as such is probably ultimately derived from the Aramaic Resh , and is thus related to the modern Latin R and Greek Rho.[2] Several identifiable styles of writing the Ṝ vowel sign can be found, most associated with a specific set of inscriptions from an artifact or diverse records from an historic period.[3] As the earliest and most geometric style of Brahmi, the letters found on the Edicts of Ashoka and other records from around that time are normally the reference form for Brahmi letters, but given the lack of Ṝ vowel signs in early Brahmi, the reference image is normally back-formed to a geometric form of later styles, and the independent letter for Ṝ is derived from the short Ṛ .

Tocharian Rii

The Tocharian letter is derived from the short Brahmi Ṛ . The Tocharian Ṝ was very infrequently used, and only appears in the corpus in combination with a few base consonants.

Tocharian consonants with Ṝ vowel marks
Kr̄Khr̄Gr̄Ghr̄Cr̄Chr̄Jr̄Jhr̄Nyr̄Ṭr̄Ṭhr̄Ḍr̄Ḍhr̄Ṇr̄
Tr̄Thr̄Dr̄Dhr̄Nr̄Pr̄Phr̄Br̄Bhr̄Mr̄Yr̄r̄rLr̄Vr̄
Śr̄Ṣr̄Sr̄Hr̄


Kharoṣṭhī Ṝ

The Kharoṣṭhī letter Ṝ is indicated with the vowel mark plus the vowel length mark . As an independent vowel, Ṝ is indicated by adding the vowel marks to the independent vowel letter A .

Devanagari Ṝ

Devanagari independent Ṝ and Ṝ vowel sign.

() is a vowel of the Devanagari abugida. It ultimately arose from the Brahmi letter . Letters that derive from it are the Gujarati letter , and the Modi letter 𑘇.

Devanagari Using Languages

The Devanagari script is used to write the Hindi language, Sanskrit and the majority of Indic languages. In most of these languages, ॠ is pronounced as [ṝ]. Like all Indic scripts, Devanagari vowels come in two forms: an independent vowel form for syllables that begin with a vowel sound, and a vowel sign attached to base consonant to override the inherent /ə/ vowel.

Bengali Ṝ

Bengali independent Ṝ and Ṝ vowel sign.

() is a vowel of the Bengali abugida. It is derived from the Siddhaṃ letter , and is marked by the lack of horizontal head line and less geometric shape than its Devanagari counterpart, ॠ.

Bengali Script Using Languages

The Bengali script is used to write several languages of eastern India, notably the Bengali language and Assamese. In most languages, ৠ is pronounced as [ṝ]. Like all Indic scripts, Bengali vowels come in two forms: an independent vowel form for syllables that begin with a vowel sound, and a vowel sign attached to base consonant to override the inherent /ɔ/ vowel.

Gujarati Ṝ

Gujarati independent Ṝ and Ṝ vowel sign.

() is a vowel of the Gujarati abugida. It is derived from the Devanagari Ṝ , and ultimately the Brahmi letter .

Gujarati-using Languages

The Gujarati script is used to write the Gujarati and Kutchi languages. In both languages, ૠ is pronounced as [ṝ]. Like all Indic scripts, Gujarati vowels come in two forms: an independent vowel form for syllables that begin with a vowel sound, and a vowel sign attached to base consonant to override the inherent /ə/ vowel.

Telugu Ṝ

Telugu independent vowel and vowel sign Ṝ.

() is a vowel of the Telugu abugida. It ultimately arose from the Brahmi letter Ṝ. It is closely related to the Kannada letter . Like in other Indic scripts, Telugu vowels have two forms: and independent letter for word and syllable-initial vowel sounds, and a vowel sign for changing the inherent "a" of Telugu consonant letters. Ṝ is a non-attaching vowel sign, and does not alter the underlying consonant or contextually shape itself in any way.

Telugu Ṝ vowel sign on క, ఖ, గ, ఘ & ఙ: Kṝ, Khṝ, Gṝ, Ghṝ and Ngṝ.

Malayalam Ṝ

Malayalam independent vowel and vowel sign Ṝ.

() is a vowel of the Malayalam abugida. It ultimately arose from the Brahmi letter , via the Grantha letter rr. Like in other Indic scripts, Malayalam vowels have two forms: an independent letter for word and syllable-initial vowel sounds, and a vowel sign for changing the inherent "a" of consonant letters. Vowel signs in Malayalam usually sit adjacent to its base consonant - below, to the left, right, or both left and right, but are always pronounced after the consonant sound. Some vowel signs, such as Ṝ, can also form a ligature with some consonants, although this is much more common in old-style paḻaya lipi texts than in the modern reformed paḻaya lipi orthography.

Malayalam Ṝ vowel sign on ക, ഖ, ഗ, ഘ, & ങ: Kṝ, Khṝ, Gṝ, Ghṝ and Ngṝ in paḻaya lipi.


Odia Ṝ

Odia independent vowel and vowel sign Ṝ.

() is a vowel of the Odia abugida. It ultimately arose from the Brahmi letter , via the Siddhaṃ letter rr. Like in other Indic scripts, Odia vowels have two forms: an independent letter for word and syllable-initial vowel sounds, and a vowel sign for changing the inherent "a" of consonant letters. Vowel signs in Odia usually sit adjacent to its base consonant - below, to the left, right, or both left and right, but are always pronounced after the consonant sound. No base consonants are altered in form when adding a vowel sign, and there are no consonant+vowel ligatures in Odia.

References

  1. Ifrah, Georges (2000). The Universal History of Numbers. From Prehistory to the Invention of the Computer. New York: John Wiley & Sons. pp. 447–450. ISBN 0-471-39340-1.
  2. Bühler, Georg. "On the Origin of the Indian Brahmi Alphabet". archive.org. Karl J. Trübner. Retrieved 10 June 2020.
  3. Evolutionary chart, Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal Vol 7, 1838
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