Kannada Script Overview

Kannada Script

Overview

• Kannada script is an abugida of the Brahmi family
• Used to write the Kannada language
• One of the oldest surviving scripts in India, with a history of over 1500 years

Characteristics

• Written from left to right
• 47 letters in the modern Kannada alphabet:
  • 14 vowels
  • 33 consonants
• Two special letters:
  • ೞ (avagraha) - used to indicate the sound of a vowel
  • ೕ (jihvamulya) - used to indicate the sound of a consonant

Types of Letters

• Vowels (swara):
  • 14 vowels in the modern Kannada alphabet
  • Can be classified into two categories:
    • Simple vowels (e.g., ಅ, ಆ, ಇ)
    • Compound vowels (e.g., ಐ, ಔ)
• Consonants (vyanjana):
  • 33 consonants in the modern Kannada alphabet
  • Can be classified into three categories:
    • Stops (e.g., ಕ, ಖ, ಗ)
    • Fricatives (e.g., ಶ, ಸ, ಹ)
    • Semivowels (e.g., ಯ, ರ)

Evolution

• Originated from the ancient Brahmi script
• Influenced by other scripts, such as Telugu and Tamil
• Underwent significant changes during the Kadamba dynasty (345-525 CE)
• Modern Kannada script emerged during the Vijayanagara Empire (1336-1646 CE)

Unique Features

• Kannada letter-forms:
  • Unique shapes and forms that distinguish Kannada from other scripts
  • Influenced by the region's cultural and historical context
• Kannada script variations:
  • Different styles and variations used in different regions and historical periods
  • Examples include the Halegannada (Old Kannada) and Tigalari scripts

Kannada Script

Overview

• Kannada script is an abugida of the Brahmi family
• Used to write the Kannada language
• One of the oldest surviving scripts in India, with a history of over 1500 years

Characteristics

• Written from left to right
• 47 letters in the modern Kannada alphabet
• Consists of 14 vowels and 33 consonants
• Two special letters: ೞ (avagraha) and ೕ (jihvamulya)

Vowels

• 14 vowels in the modern Kannada alphabet
• Classified into two categories: simple vowels and compound vowels
• Examples of simple vowels: ಅ, ಆ, ಇ
• Examples of compound vowels: ಐ, ಔ

Consonants

• 33 consonants in the modern Kannada alphabet
• Classified into three categories: stops, fricatives, and semivowels
• Examples of stops: ಕ, ಖ, ಗ
• Examples of fricatives: ಶ, ಸ, ಹ
• Examples of semivowels: ಯ, ರ

Evolution

• Originated from the ancient Brahmi script
• Influenced by other scripts, such as Telugu and Tamil
• Underwent significant changes during the Kadamba dynasty (345-525 CE)
• Modern Kannada script emerged during the Vijayanagara Empire (1336-1646 CE)

Unique Features

• Kannada letter-forms have unique shapes and forms that distinguish them from other scripts
• Influenced by the region's cultural and historical context
• Different styles and variations used in different regions and historical periods
• Examples of script variations: Halegannada (Old Kannada) and Tigalari scripts

Phonetics

• The study of the physical properties of speech sounds, including articulation, acoustics, and perception.
• Articulation: the study of how sounds are made, including the position and movement of lips, tongue, and teeth.
• Acoustics: the study of the physical properties of sound waves, including frequency, amplitude, and duration.
• Perception: the study of how listeners process speech sounds, including the role of the auditory system and the brain.

Phonology

• The study of sound patterns in language, including the distribution and patterning of speech sounds.
• Phonemes: the smallest units of sound that distinguish meaning, such as the /p/ and /b/ sounds in "pat" and "bat".
• Allophones: variations of phonemes in different environments, such as the "k" sound in "kite" and "kin".
• Syllable structure: the pattern of sounds in a syllable, including the onset, nucleus, and coda.

Morphology

• The study of the structure of words, including how they are formed and composed.
• Morphemes: the smallest units of meaning in language, such as prefixes, roots, and suffixes.
• Inflectional morphology: the study of grammatical endings, such as verb conjugation and noun declension.
• Derivational morphology: the study of word formation processes, such as compounding and blending.

Syntax

• The study of sentence structure, including how words are combined to form phrases and sentences.
• Phrase structure: the hierarchical organization of sentences, including the relationships between phrases and clauses.
• Constituency: the way words group together to form phrases, such as noun phrases and verb phrases.
• Dependency: the relationships between words in a sentence, including subject-verb and modifier-head relationships.

Semantics

• The study of meaning in language, including how words and sentences convey meaning.
• Semantic fields: categories of meaning, such as words related to food or color.
• Sense and reference: the distinction between the meaning of a word (sense) and the thing it refers to (reference).
• Compositionality: how meaning is composed from individual word meanings, including the role of context and inference.

Pragmatics

• The study of language in context, including how language is used in social contexts.
• Speaker meaning: what the speaker intends to convey, including their intentions and goals.
• Utterance meaning: the meaning of the sentence in context, including the role of prosody and gesture.
• Implicature: what is implied but not explicitly stated, including the role of inference and presupposition.