Amharic Braille | |
---|---|
Type | alphabet |
Languages | Amharic |
Parent systems | Braille
|
Print basis | Amharic alphabet |
Amharic Braille is the braille alphabet of the Amharic language. Letter values are mostly in line with international usage.
Braille is a tactile writing system used by people who are visually impaired. It is traditionally written with embossed paper. Braille users can read computer screens and other electronic supports using refreshable braille displays. They can write braille with the original slate and stylus or type it on a braille writer, such as a portable braille notetaker or computer that prints with a braille embosser.
Amharic Braille is a consonant–vowel alphabet, not an abugida like the print Amharic script. However, because the alphabetic chart (right) is organized by syllable rather than by letter, the vowels, which do not occur alone, are listed given first in the chart below, then the consonants are listed in Ge'ez order.
An abugida, or alphasyllabary, is a segmental writing system in which consonant–vowel sequences are written as a unit: each unit is based on a consonant letter, and vowel notation is secondary. This contrasts with a full alphabet, in which vowels have status equal to consonants, and with an abjad, in which vowel marking is absent, partial, or optional. The terms also contrast them with a syllabary, in which the symbols cannot be split into separate consonants and vowels. Abugidas include the extensive Brahmic family of scripts of South and Southeast Asia, Semitic Ethiopic scripts, and Canadian Aboriginal syllabics.
The syllabic chart at right shows a blank cell ⟨⠀⟩ being used for the vowel ⟨ə⟩. This is perhaps an artefact of the presentation; Unesco (2013) shows it as a zero vowel that is simply not written. [1]
-ä | -u | -i | -a | -e | -o | -wa |
h ሀ | l ለ | ḥ ሐ | m መ | ś ሠ | r ረ | s ሰ |
š ሸ | ḳ ቀ | b በ | t ተ | č ቸ | ḫ ኀ | n ነ |
ñ ኘ | ʾ አ | k ከ | x ኸ | w ወ | ʿ ዐ | z ዘ |
ž ዠ | y የ | d ደ | ǧ ጀ | g ገ | ṭ ጠ | č̣ ጨ |
p̣ ጰ | ṣ ጸ | ṣ́ ፀ | f ፈ | p ፐ | v ቨ |
⟨ə⟩ is not the default vowel in print Amharic, which is instead ⟨ä⟩ (braille ⠢). For example, el + vowel is written ለ ⠇⠢lä, ሉ ⠇⠥lu, ሊ ⠇⠊li, ላ ⠇⠁la, ሌ ⠇⠑le, ል ⠇lə, ሎ ⠇⠕lo, ሏ ⠇⠭lwa.
CwV and CyV other than Cwa are written with medial w and y: ገ ⠛⠢gä, ጉ ⠛⠥gu, ጊ ⠛⠊gi, ጋ ⠛⠁ga, ጌ ⠛⠑ge, ግ ⠛gə, ጎ ⠛⠕go, ጐ ⠛⠺⠢gwä, ጒ ⠛⠺⠊gwi, ጓ ⠛⠭gwa, ጔ ⠛⠺⠑gwe, ጕ ⠛⠺⠥gwə. Note that Cwə is written as if it were Cwu, a sequence which does not occur in Amharic.
Amharic digits do not follow the international pattern. They are also circumfixed with ⠁ ... ⠆:
A circumfix is an affix which has two parts, one placed at the start of a word, and the other at the end. Circumfixes contrast with prefixes, attached to the beginnings of words; suffixes, attached at the end; and infixes, inserted in the middle. Circumfixes are common in Malay and Georgian.
፩ | 1 | ⠁⠁⠆ | ፲ | 10 | ⠁⠅⠆ |
፪ | 2 | ⠁⠉⠆ | ፳ | 20 | ⠁⠅⠉⠆ |
፫ | 3 | ⠁⠒⠆ | ፴ | 30 | ⠁⠅⠒⠆ |
፬ | 4 | ⠁⠤⠆ | ፵ | 40 | ⠁⠅⠤⠆ |
፭ | 5 | ⠁⠑⠆ | ፶ | 50 | ⠁⠅⠑⠆ |
፮ | 6 | ⠁⠢⠆ | ፷ | 60 | ⠁⠅⠢⠆ |
፯ | 7 | ⠁⠊⠆ | ፸ | 70 | ⠁⠅⠊⠆ |
፰ | 8 | ⠁⠔⠆ | ፹ | 80 | ⠁⠅⠔⠆ |
፱ | 9 | ⠁⠃⠆ | ፺ | 90 | ⠁⠅⠃⠆ |
፲ | 10 | ⠁⠅⠆ | ፻ | 100 | ⠁⠍⠁⠅ |
The form of 100 suggests that the prefix ⠁ may occur before each digit, while the suffix ⠆ occurs only at the end of the number.
Western numbers are marked with ⠼ as in other braille alphabets.
Native punctuation is as follows:
፡ | ። | ፣ | ፤ | ፦ | ፧ | ᎐ | |
Braille |
The last is a 'tonal mark'.
There is also Western punctuation:
? | ! | ... | - | — | / | * | |
Braille |
« ... » | ‹ ... › | ( ... ) | [ ... ] | |
Braille |
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