Syllabary

Syllabary
Cherokee syllabary
Script type	Syllabary
Time period	Various
Languages	Various
Related scripts
Parent systems	Logographic Syllabic Syllabary
ISO 15924
ISO 15924	Template:ISO 15924 code (Template:ISO 15924 number) , ​Template:ISO 15924 name

A syllabary is a set of written symbols that represent the syllables or moras which make up words. A symbol in a syllabary typically stands for a consonant sound followed by a vowel sound, or just a vowel alone. Syllabaries are distinct from alphabets, where each symbol typically represents a single phoneme, and from logographies, where each symbol represents a word or morpheme.

History

The development of syllabaries is often linked to the evolution of writing systems from logographic scripts. The earliest known syllabaries were developed in the ancient Near East, with the Cuneiform script of the Sumerians being one of the first examples. The Linear B script used by the Mycenaean Greeks is another early example of a syllabary.

Structure

Syllabaries are typically organized in a grid format, where each row represents a consonant and each column represents a vowel. For example, the Japanese writing system includes two syllabaries: Hiragana and Katakana. Each of these syllabaries contains symbols for every possible combination of the basic Japanese consonants and vowels.

Examples of Syllabaries

• Cherokee syllabary: Developed by Sequoyah in the early 19th century, the Cherokee syllabary is used to write the Cherokee language. It consists of 85 characters, each representing a syllable.
• Ethiopic script: Also known as Ge'ez, this script is used for several languages in Ethiopia and Eritrea. It is an abugida, a type of syllabary where each character represents a consonant-vowel combination.
• Yi script: Used for writing the Yi languages in China, this script is a syllabary with over 800 characters.

Advantages and Disadvantages

Syllabaries can be advantageous for languages with a relatively simple syllable structure, as they can provide a straightforward and efficient way to represent spoken language. However, for languages with a complex syllable structure, a syllabary can become unwieldy due to the large number of symbols required.

Comparison with Other Writing Systems

Syllabaries differ from alphabets, where each symbol typically represents a single sound, and from abjads, where symbols primarily represent consonants. They also differ from logographic systems, where symbols represent words or morphemes.

Also see

• Alphabet
• Abjad
• Abugida
• Logogram
• Phoneme
• Mora (linguistics)