Type Abugida | ||
 | ||
Parent systems Proto-Sinaitic alphabet
Phoenician alphabet
Aramaic alphabet
Brahmi script
Kadamba or Pallava alphabet
Pyu or Mon
Myanmar
Tanchangya | ||
Tanchangya Alphabet is also called Ka-Pat is an Abugida is used for Tanchangya language. It is the southern Brahmic Language Family. Due to its same scripts family, it is little similar with Burmese alphabet, Mon alphabet, and Chakma alphabet.
Contents
Origin
The Tanchangya alphabets have been introduced recently in 2012 by adopting a manuscript in Rakhine State as stated by Rupak Debnath. Though both Chakma and Tanchangya have been using the present Chakma alphabet long time back, still unconfirmed yet whose alphabets are belong to and who introduced it. John M. Clifton in his ‘’Dialects, Orthography and Society ‘’opined that ‘the Tanchangya community decided to base their alphabet on the Chakma to show they were related to the Chakma. However, they systematically changed the alphabet to show that they were different from the Chakma they were not simply a part of the larger Chakma community.’ Moreover, in order not to get misunderstanding between two communities, Tanchangya has introduced these alphabets which are yet to develop into Unicode font. For the time being it is just created as True Font.
Writing system
It is written from left to right similar with Brahmi scripts unlike the Kharosti which were used to write from right to left.
Vowels
There are five independent vowels such as A (a:), I(i), v(ʊ), E(e), and O a(oʊ). The other five vowels are dependent namely, Aa(ɔ) , AA(ʌ), Ii(i:), and Uu(u:).
Consonants
There are thirty-one consonants letter found in Tanchangya alphabets. They are classified into group consonants and miscellaneous consonants.
Arrangement
The alphabets seem to be derived from ancient Brahmic scripts which are inherited the vowel sound within the consonants. If not independent derivation, it should have derived from Burmese or Mon due to their dwelling with Mon and Burmese from 9th Century B.C (in Tagong the ancient civilisation of Burma to until the 15th century COmmon Era (during15th Century they were attacked by the Rakhine king and brought them to Arakan in 15th Century from Micchagiri, present Thaye in Magwe Division to Arakan) (Dhanyawady Aye Daw Bung, 4). It is believed that they had used the Brahmi scripts in the earlier stages who were known by the term Thek or Sakya in the northern Myanmar.