Batak script

Infobox Writing system
name=Batak
type=Abugida
languages=Batak languages
fam1=Proto-Canaanite alphabet
fam2=Phoenician alphabet
fam3=Aramaic alphabet
fam4=Brāhmī
fam5=Pallava
fam6=Old Kawi
sisters=Balinese
Baybayin
Buhid
Hanunó'o
Javanese
Lontara
Old Sundanese
Rejang
Tagbanwa

time=c. 1300–present
iso15924=Batk
sample=
image_size=150px The Batak script, called locally the "surat Batak", is an abugida that is used to write the Batak language of northern Sumatra, an Austronesian language spoken by about three million people on the Indonesian island of Sumatra. In most Batak communities, only the priests, or "datu" are able to use the Batak script, and use it mainly for magical texts and calendars.

The Batak script was probably derived from Pallava and Old Kawi alphabets, which ultimately were derived from the Brahmi alphabet, the root of almost all the Indic and Southeast Asian abugidas. It is either written from left to right, or in columns from bottom to top.

Like most abugidas, each letter has an inherent vowel of /a/, unless there is a diacritic (called "halanta") to indicate the lack of a vowel. Other vowels and final "ŋ" are indicated by diacritics, which appear above, below, or after the consonant. However, "surat batak" is unusual in that the diacritics are placed at the end of the entire syllable, and not necessarily with the consonant they belong to. For example, "ba" is written ba (one letter); "bi" is written ba.i ("i" follows the consonant); "bang" is written ba^ŋ ("ŋ" is above the consonant); and "bing" is ba^ŋ.i. Final consonants are written with the "halanta" (here represented by "#"): "bam" is ba.ma.#. However, "bim" is written ba.ma.i.#: the first diacritic belongs to the first consonant, and the second belongs to the second consonant, but both are written at the end of the entire syllable.

External links

* Entry on [http://www.omniglot.com/writing/batak.htm Batak] at [http://www.omniglot.com/writing/ Omniglot.com -- A guide to writing systems]
* [http://transtoba2.seige.net Transtoba2 - transliteration software (roman to toba batak script), GNU GPL ] (by Uli Kozok and Leander Seige)