Re: The map of typological features


John Atkinson wrote:
"Yusuf B Gursey" <ybg@xxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote...

John Atkinson wrote:

"Yusuf B Gursey" <ybg@xxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote...

IIRC the arabs in order to study the [Maldivian] language had
assigned numbers for the local letters, leading to a new orthogrpahy.

Yes, but the numbering is completely different from that traditionally
assigned to the Arabic letters with the same (i.e., cognate) names: Thus:

Thaana letter 'haa' [h] is apparently derived from Arabic number 1; the
cognate Arabic letter denotes 8 in arabic
'noonu' [n] derives from Arabic number 3; it's 50 in Arabic
'raa' [r] derives from Arabic number 4; it's 200 in Arabic
'baa' [b] derives from Arabic number 5; it's 2 in Arabic
'kaafu' [k] derives from Arabic number7; it's 20 in Arabic
'alifu' [0] derives from Arabic number 8; it's 1 in Arabic
'vaavu' [v] derives from Arabic number 9; it's 6 in Arabic
'meemu' [m] derives from old Maldivian number 1; it's 40 in Arabic
'faafu' [f] derives from OM number 2; /fa:'/ is 80 in Arabic
'dhaalu' [d] derives from OM number 3; it's 4 in Arabic
'thaa' [t] derives from OM number 4; it's 500 in Arabic
'laamu' [l] derives from OM number 5; it's 30 in Arabic
'gaafu' [g] derives from OM number 6; /qa:f/ is 100 in Arabic
'seenu' [s] derives from OM number 8; it's 300 in Arabic

(The other 10 Thaana consonant names don't come from Arabic -- they're
named
for their sounds, which don't occur in Arabic, followed by "-aviyana".)

Since hardly any of the present-day Thaana letters look much like any
Arabic
letters or numbers, it's hard -- for me anyway -- to check by looking at
them which letters derive from which Arabic numbers. I haven't even
tried.
I've assumed that they're the same as the present-day order of consonants
in
the Thaana alphabet. I should have used the seventeenth-century order.
I
know that there have been some changes in order over time, so a few of my
"derives from"s are likely wrong.

Anyway, it certainly seems that the bloke who invented the script around
1600, whether he was an arab or a local, didn't know the order of the
Arabic
ABC.

it's the "abjad" or numerology order you are talking about which is
different from the dictionary order.

Yes, I was using the abjad order.

there is no reason why he should
have made tortuous 'equivalents' to the abjad order in the first place.
he just wanted to deal with more familiar symbols.

He doesn't seemed to have used any order at all -- neither adjab, Arabic
dictionary, or Sinhalese (or other Brahmi-derived)

the origin of the order I don't know. h begins south arabian.


I did find resemblences to eastern arabic numerals from the writing I
saw on stamps.

OK. I've only looked at standard Arabic in printed form. If you want to
compare Thaana with any sort of Arabic you know of, it's available at

well, the numerals are similar, and vaguely the others.also the vowel
signs.

http://www.omniglot.com/writing/thaana.htm
Note that the consonants and vowels listed there are in the official
alphabetical order if you read them _from right to left_.
The thiki jehee thaana, however, are in a different order from WWS. I don't
know which is right -- or if there is a recognised order at all for these.

Be interesting to hear any conclusions you come to.

John.

.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: The map of typological features
    ... The current Thaana orthography of course. ... shape of these two Thaana letters are apparently not derived from those ... "derives from"s are likely wrong. ...
    (sci.lang)
  • Re: The map of typological features
    ... he and Jim Gair spoke on some sort of telephone about once a month. ... They could have used a better Thaana font though! ... IIRC I made the font on the basis of something printed in Dili that Jim ... This is the case for the letters as printed in table 50.3, ...
    (sci.lang)
  • Re: The map of typological features
    ... Transliterating from either the Sanskrit spelling or ... The current Thaana orthography of course. ... shape of these two Thaana letters are apparently not derived from those ...
    (sci.lang)
  • Re: The map of typological features
    ... IIRC the arabs in order to study the language had ... assigned numbers for the local letters, ... Thaana letter 'haa' is apparently derived from Arabic number 1; ...
    (sci.lang)
  • Re: Tuesday A-Z: Q
    ... Chris Stevens wrote: ... prevent repetition. ... Letters of the alphabet, ... -- "Arabs are the new Asians, ...
    (uk.games.video.misc)
Loading