Cyrillic script

Cyrillic script is a writing system used for various languages across Eastern Europe and north and central Asia. It is based on the Early Cyrillic, which was developed during the First Bulgarian Empire in the 9th century AD at the Preslav Literary School. It is the basis of alphabets used in various languages, past and present, in parts of southeastern Europe and northern Eurasia, especially those of Slavic origin, and non-Slavic languages influenced by Russian.

History

The Cyrillic script was created in the First Bulgarian Empire and is a derivative of the Greek uncial script, with some letters from the older Glagolitic alphabet for sounds not found in Greek. Tradition holds that it was formalized by Saints Cyril and Methodius who brought Christianity to the southern Slavs, hence the name Cyrillic.

Modern usage

Today, the Cyrillic script is used for many languages, including Russian, Ukrainian, Bulgarian, Serbian, and many others. The script has been adapted to non-Slavic languages, and has been used in Mongolia, the Caucasus, Central Asia, and the Arctic.

Characteristics

The Cyrillic script is a type of alphabet where each symbol generally represents a single sound or phoneme. The script is named after the medieval Greek Christian missionaries Saints Cyril and Methodius, who are credited with its creation.

Variations

There are many variations of the Cyrillic script depending on the language it is being used for. These variations may include additional letters and symbols, or letters not found in the standard Cyrillic alphabet.

See also

• Russian alphabet
• Ukrainian alphabet
• Bulgarian alphabet
• Serbian alphabet

References

Cyrillic script Resources
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