Telugu-Kannada alphabet
The Telugu–Kannada script (or Kannada–Telugu script) was a writing system used in Southern India. Despite some significant differences, the scripts used for the Kannada and Telugu languages remain quite similar and highly mutually intelligible.
| Kannada-Telugu script Telugu-kannada script | |
|---|---|
 Copper plate inscriptions in Kannada–Telugu script | |
| Script type | |
Time period | 7th century –14th century[1][2] |
| Direction | left-to-right  |
| Languages | Kannada Telugu Tulu Konkani Sanskrit |
| Related scripts | |
Parent systems | Proto-Sinaitic script[a]
|
Child systems | Kannada script, Telugu script |
Sister systems | Pyu |
[a] The Semitic origin of the Brahmic scripts is not universally agreed upon. | |
| Brahmic scripts |
|---|
| The Brahmic script and its descendants |
History
The Dravidian family comprises about 73 languages including Tamil, Kannada, Telugu and Malayalam. Satavahanas introduced the Brahmi to present-day Telugu and Kannada speaking regions. Bhattiprolu script introduced by the Satavahanas gave rise to the Kadamba script.[3][4][5] During the 5th to 7th centuries the early Bādāmi Chālukyās and Early Banavasi Kadambās used an early form of the Kannada script in inscriptions, called the Kadamba script.[6] The Kadamba script evolved into the Kannada script. When Chalukya empire extended towards Telugu speaking regions they established another branch in Vengi, namely the Eastern Chalukyas or the Chalukyas of Vengi who later introduced Kannada script to Telugu language which developed Kannada-Telugu script. which was used between the 7th and 11th centuries CE.[1]
Kannada became a written language ahead of Telugu. Kannada produced many poetries during the eighth century under Chalukyas. Full-fledged literary works in Kannada appeared in the ninth century, two centuries later they became available in Telugu.[7][8][9] The earliest known Telugu inscriptions date to the 6th century CE. Telugu poetry began to appear in the 11th century.[10] Telugu writers waited until the 11th century because of socio-political factors (royal patronage, the influence of Buddhism and Jainism).[11]
Between 1100 CE and 1400 CE the Kannada and Telugu scripts separated from the Kannada-Telugu script. Satavahanas and Chalukyas influenced the similarities between Kannada and Telugu scripts.[12]
Comparison
The following sections visualize the difference between modern-day Kannada and Telugu styles.
Consonants
| Kannada/Telugu (ISO) | IPA | Kannada/Telugu (ISO) | IPA | Kannada/Telugu (ISO) | IPA | Kannada/Telugu (ISO) | IPA | Kannada/Telugu (ISO) | IPA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ಕ/క (ka) | /ka/ | ಖ/ఖ (kha) | /kʰa/ | ಗ/గ (ga) | /ɡa/ | ಘ/ఘ (gha) | /ɡʱa/ | ಙ/ఙ (ṅa) | /ŋa/ |
| ಚ/చ (ca) | /tʃa/ | ಛ/ఛ (cha) | /tʃʰa/ | ಜ/జ (ja) | /dʒa/ | ಝ/ఝ (jha) | /dʒʱa/ | ಞ/ఞ (ña) | /ɲa/ |
| ಟ/ట (ṭa) | /ʈa/ | ಠ/ఠ (ṭha) | /ʈʰa/ | ಡ/డ (ḍa) | /ɖa/ | ಢ/ఢ (ḍha) | /ɖʱa/ | ಣ/ణ (ṇa) | /ɳa/ |
| ತ/త (ta) | /t̪a/ | ಥ/థ (tha) | /t̪ʰa/ | ದ/ద (da) | /d̪a/ | ಧ/ధ (dha) | /d̪ʱa/ | ನ/న (na) | /n̪a/ |
| ಪ/ప (pa) | /pa/ | ಫ/ఫ (pha) | /pʰa/ | ಬ/బ (ba) | /ba/ | ಭ/భ (bha) | /bʱa/ | ಮ/మ (ma) | /ma/ |
| ಯ/య (ya) | /ja/ | ರ/ర (ra) | /ɾa/ | ಲ/ల (la) | /la/ | ವ/వ (va) | /ʋa/ | ಳ/ళ (ḷa) | /ɭa/ |
| ಶ/శ (śa) | /ʃa/ | ಷ/ష (ṣa) | /ʂa/ | ಸ/స (sa) | /sa/ | ಹ/హ (ha) | /ha/ | ಱ/ఱ (ṟa) | /ra/ |
There is another legacy consonant ೞ/ఴ (ḻa) used to represent /ɻa/, but currently not in use.
Independent vowels
| Kannada/Telugu (ISO) | IPA | Kannada/Telugu (ISO) | IPA |
|---|---|---|---|
| ಅ/అ (a) | /a/ | ಆ/ఆ (ā) | /aː/ |
| ಇ/ఇ (i) | /i/ | ಈ/ఈ (ī) | /iː/ |
| ಉ/ఉ (u) | /u/ | ಊ/ఊ (ū) | /uː/ |
| ಋ/ఋ (r̥) | /ɾu/ | ೠ/ౠ (r̥̄) | /ɾuː/ |
| ಌ/ఌ (l̥) | /lu/ | ೡ/ౡ (l̥̄) | /lu:/ |
| ಎ/ఎ (e) | /e/ | ಏ/ఏ (ē) | /eː/ |
| ಒ/ఒ (o) | /o/ | ಓ/ఓ (ō) | /oː/ |
| ಐ/ఐ (ai) | /aj/ | ಔ/ఔ (au) | /aw/ |
Numerals
| Digit | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kannada | ೦ | ೧ | ೨ | ೩ | ೪ | ೫ | ೬ | ೭ | ೮ | ೯ |
| Telugu | ౦ | ౧ | ౨ | ౩ | ౪ | ౫ | ౬ | ౭ | ౮ | ౯ |
Unicode
Although the alphabets for Kannada and Telugu languages could have been encoded under a single Unicode block with language-specific fonts to differentiate the styles, they were encoded separately by the governments due to socio-political reasons. Both the script variants were added to the Unicode Standard in October, 1991 with the release of version 1.0.
See also
External links
- Evolution of Telugu Character Graphs
- Salankayana Telugu-Kannada script
- Kadamba -> Old-Kannada -> Kannada and Telugu script
- Copper plates in Telugu-Kannada script
- Brahmi -> Kadamba -> Old Kannada -> Telugu-Kannada scripts
Inscriptions in Kannada-Telugu script
- Kakatiya period Telugu-Kannada inscription by poet Nrusimha Rushi dating between 1295 and 1325 found on hillocks near Urs on the outskirts of Warangal.
- 13th-century Kakatiya era Bayyaram stone inscription found in Bayyaram mandal Andhra Pradesh.
Evolution and Development of Kannada-Telugu script
References
- Diringer, David (1948). Alphabet a key to the history of mankind. p. 381.
- Salomon, Richard (1998). Indian Epigraphy. p. 41.
- The Blackwell Encyclopedia of Writing Systems by Florian Coulmas, p. 228; Salomon (1998), p. 40.
- Handbook of Literacy in Akshara Orthography, R. Malatesha Joshi, Catherine McBride(2019),p.29
- Salomon 1999, p. 35
- "Epigraphical Studies in India - Sanskrit and Dravidian, Scripts used in India, Scripts Abroad". Retrieved 2013-09-06.
- Kumar, R. Krishna (2017-11-25). "Kavirajamarga, a tour with a difference". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 2019-01-22.
- "Kavirajamarga", Wikipedia, 2019-01-21, retrieved 2019-01-22
- "Aadi Kavi Nannaya's brilliant translation of the Mahabharata". The Hans India. 2014-11-12. Retrieved 2019-01-22.
- "A sampler of the world's writing systems" (PDF). J. Marshall Unger Department of East Asian Languages & Literatures -The Ohio State University. Retrieved 2013-09-06.
- "Origins of Telugu Script". Retrieved 2013-09-03.
- "Evolution of Telugu Character Graphs". Retrieved 2013-07-22.