Telugu script

Infobox Writing system
name = Telugu
type = Abugida
languages = Telugu
time = c. 1500–present
fam1=Proto-Canaanite alphabet
fam2=Phoenician alphabet
fam3=Aramaic alphabet
fam4=Brāhmī
fam5=Bhattiprolu Script
sisters=Kannada
unicode= [http://www.unicode.org/charts/PDF/U0C00.pdf U+0C01–U+0C6F]
iso15924 = Telu

Telugu script, an abugida from the Brahmic family of scripts, is used to write Telugu language, a Dravidian Language found in the Southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh as well as several other neighboring states. The Telugu script is derived from the Telugu-Kannada script [cite web
last = Bhat
first = Raghunath
authorlink =
title = PALAEOGRAPHIC ART OF INDIA AND SOUTH EAST ASIA
work =
publisher = IGNCA
date = 2001
url = http://ignca.gov.in/nl001809.htm
format =
doi =
accessdate = 2007-07-19 ] and developed independently at the same time as the Kannada script which is why it has strong resemblance to it. [cite web|url=http://tdil.mit.gov.in/TelugulScriptDetailsApr02.pdf|title=Telugu script details]

Derivation from Brahmi script

The Brahmi script used by Mauryan kings eventually reached Krishna River delta and gave rise to Bhattiprolu script found on the urn containing Buddha's relics [Antiquity of Telugu language and script: http://www.hindu.com/2007/12/20/stories/2007122054820600.htm] [ [http://www.buddhavihara.in/ancient.htm Ananda Buddha Vihara ] ] . Buddhism spread to east Asia from the nearby ports of Ghantasala and Masulipatnam (ancient Maisolos of Ptolemy and Masalia of Periplus) [ [http://www.wuys.com/news/Article_Show.asp?ArticleID=8303 The Great Stupa at Nagarjunakonda in Southern India-【佛学研究网】 佛教文化网 中国佛教网 中国佛学网 佛教信息网 佛教研究 佛学讲座 禅学讲座 吴言生说禅 ] ] . The Bhattiprolu script also travelled giving rise to the modern Thai, Burmese, Javanese and Balinese scripts, which bear a strong resemblance to Telugu script [http://myteluguworld.com/telugu.htm (dead link)] [ [http://www.sepiamutiny.com/sepia/archives/002554.html My Thais - Sepia Mutiny ] ] [ [http://www.omniglot.com/writing/balinese.htm Balinese alphabet, language and pronunciation ] ] . The Bhattiprolu Brahmi script evolved into the old Telugu-Kannada script by 5th century C.E [The Blackwell Encyclopedia of Writing Systems by Florian Coulmas, p. 228] [Vishwabharath by K. N. Murthy and G. U. Rao, http://tdil.mit.gov.in/TelugulScriptDetailsApr02.pdf] [Indiain Epigraphy: a guide to the study of inscriptions in Sanskrit, Prakrit, and the other Indo-Aryan languages, by Richard Solomon, Oxford University Press, 1998, p.40, ISBN 0195099842] [Indian Epigraphy by Dineschandra Sircar, Motilal Banarsidass, 1996, p.46, ISBN 8120811666] [The Dravidian Languages by Bhadriraju Krishnamurti, 2003, Cambridge University Press, pp.78-79, ISBN 0521771110] . [Comparative Dravidian linguistics: Current perspectives by Bhadriraju Krishnamurti. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2001. ISBN 0198241224] [K. Raghunath Bhat, http://ignca.gov.in/nl001809.htm]

The Muslim historian and scholar Al-Biruni called the Telugu language and script "Andhri". [cite book
author=Al-biruni
title=English translation of 'Kitab-ul Hind'
publisher=National Book Trust
location=New Delhi]

Consonants

There are also several other diacritics used in the Telugu script. Unicode|్ mutes the vowel of a consonant, so that only the consonant is pronounced. Unicode|ం and Unicode|ఁ nasalize the vowels or syllables to which they are attached. Unicode|ః adds a voiceless breath after the vowel or syllable it is attached to.

Examples:

Telugu in Unicode

The Unicode range for Telugu is U+0C00–U+0C7F. Grey areas indicate non-assigned code points.

In contrast to a syllabic script such as katakana, where one Unicode code point represents the glyph for one syllable, Telugu combines multiple code points to generate the glyph for one syllable, using complex font rendering rules. [cite web | title=Developing OpenType Fonts for Telugu Script| url=http://www.microsoft.com/typography/OpenType%20Dev/telugu/intro.mspx] [cite web | title=Unicode 4.0.0: South Asian Scripts| url=http://www.unicode.org/versions/Unicode4.0.0/ch09.pdf]

References

External links

* [http://www.engr.mun.ca/~adluri/telugu/ Useful and authenticated information about Telugu]
* [http://www.sydneytelugu.com Telugu Association Inc. Sydney Australia. Celebration of Telugu Culture in Sydney]
* [http://www.omniglot.com/writing/telugu.htm Omniglot - Telugu script]