Genealogy of scripts derived from Proto-Sinaitic
Nearly all the segmental scripts of the world, which are loosely described as "alphabets", appear to have derived from the Proto-Sinaitic alphabet. Proto-Sinaitic first appeared in Sinai and Egypt during the Middle Bronze Age, and was adapted from Egyptian hieroglyphs. A possibly independent alphabet, Meroitic, was also adapted from Egyptian hieroglyphs, and may therefore be a cousin to the Proto-Sinaitic family.
Descendants of the Proto-Sinaitic alphabet include the Latin alphabet, the most widespread of the world's scripts, but also include such disparate cousins as Hebrew, Arabic, runes, , Devanagari (Hindi) and other scripts of India, Tibetan, the native scripts of the Philippines and Indonesia, and possibly, to a limited degree, Korean hangul and . There are also syllabic systems derived superficially from one of these alphabets, such as Cherokee and the Japanese Sign Language syllabary.
Relatively few of the world's writing systems have not been connected to the Proto-Sinaitic family of scripts. The second largest family is that of several scripts derived from Sinitic (i.e. Ancient Chinese characters). There are also a number of writing systems with graphic origins independent of either Proto-Sinaitic or Sinitic, including Ol Chiki (for Santali); (Maldivian); as well as the extinct Ogham (Old Irish) and semi-alphabetic Old Persian cuneiform scripts. Some of the other unrelated writing systems have been recently constructed, such as N'Ko (Bambara) and Braille.
Genealogy
Many of these scripts are no longer widely used for writing any language today, having evolved into or been abandoned in favor of others. Those still in use are marked in bold.
Dates are intended to show the approximate "birthdate" of a script; however in many cases (marked by 'c.') they are widely approximate, and may be off even by centuries. In several cases, the development of one script into another was a gradual process over several centuries, that is difficult to pin down with precision. Following that date, in parentheses, is the name of one or two modern countries corresponding to the region where the script was first widely used. In a few cases, a direct graphic letter-to-letter correspondence cannot be precisely established between a 'parent script' and its children, making the exact placement of some family members somewhat controversial, e.g. in the case of the Georgian alphabet.
Much of the information here was compiled from the "Ancient Scripts" and "Omniglot" websites, which do not always agree.
* 0. Proto-Sinaitic - c. 1800 BC (Sinai)
** 1. Ugaritic abjad - c. 1500 BC (Syria)
** 2. Proto-Canaanite abjad - c. 1400 BC (Canaan)
*** 2.1. Phoenician / Paleo-Hebrew abjad - c. 1100 BC (Canaan)
**** 2.1.1. Aramaic abjad - c. 800 BC (Syria)
***** 2.1.1.1. ' - c. 600 BC (India, Sri Lanka)
****** 2.1.1.1.1. Cham abugida - c. AD 200 (Vietnam, Cambodia)
****** 2.1.1.1.2. Gupta abugida - c. 400 (N. India)
******* 2.1.1.1.2.1. Siddham abugida - c. 600 (N. India)
******** 2.1.1.1.2.1.1. Tibetan abugida - c. 650 (Tibet)
********* 2.1.1.1.2.1.1.1. Phagspa abugida - 1269 (Mongolia)
********** 2.1.1.1.2.1.1.1.1. Hangul - 1443 (Korea) (hypothetical)
*********** 2.1.1.1.2.1.1.1.1.1. New Korean Orthography - 1948 (North Korea)
********* 2.1.1.1.2.1.1.2. Lepcha abugida - c. 1700 (Bhutan)
********** 2.1.1.1.2.1.1.2.1. Limbu abugida - c. 1740 (Sikkim)
******* 2.1.1.1.2.2. Nagari abugida - c. 750 (India)
******** 2.1.1.1.2.2.1. Bengali abugida - c. 1050 (E. India, Bangladesh)
********* 2.1.1.1.2.2.1.1. Oriya abugida - c. 1060 (E. India)
******** 2.1.1.1.2.2.2. Devanagari abugida - c. 1100 (India)
********* 2.1.1.1.2.2.2.1. Newari / Ranjana abugida - c. 1150 (Nepal)
********** 2.1.1.1.2.2.2.1.1 Soyombo abugida - c. 1686 (Mongolia)
********* 2.1.1.1.2.2.2.2. Modi abugida - c. 1600 (India)
********* 2.1.1.1.2.2.2.3. ' - c. 1600 (India)
********* 2.1.1.1.2.2.2.4. Cree abugida - 1841 (Canada)
******* 2.1.1.1.2.3. Sharada abugida - c. 770 (Pakistan)
******** 2.1.1.1.2.3.1. Gurmukhi abugida - c. 1539 (Pakistan, N. India)
****** 2.1.1.1.3. Pallava abugida - c. 400 (S. India)
******* 2.1.1.1.3.1. Khmer abugida - c. 600 (Cambodia)
******** 2.1.1.1.3.1.1. Thai abugida - 1283 (Thailand)
********* 2.1.1.1.3.1.1.1. Lao abugida - c. 1350 (Laos)
******* 2.1.1.1.3.2. Mon abugida - c. 700 (Burma)
******** 2.1.1.1.3.2.1. Burmese abugida - c. 1050 (Burma)
******* 2.1.1.1.3.3. Old Kawi abugida - c. 775 (Indonesia)
******** 2.1.1.1.3.3.1. Javanese abugida - c. 900 (Indonesia)
******** 2.1.1.1.3.3.2. Balinese abugida - c. 1000 (Indonesia)
******** 2.1.1.1.3.3.3. Old Sundanese abugida - c. 1300 (Indonesia)
********* 2.1.1.1.3.3.3.1. Formal Sundanese abugida - 1997 (Indonesia)
******** 2.1.1.1.3.3.4. Batak abugida - c. 1300 (Indonesia)
******** 2.1.1.1.3.3.5. Baybayin abugida - c. 1300 (Philippines)
******** 2.1.1.1.3.3.6. Buhid abugida - c. 1300 (Philippines)
******** 2.1.1.1.3.3.7. ' - c. 1300 (Philippines)
******** 2.1.1.1.3.3.8. Tagbanwa abugida - c. 1300 (Philippines)
******** 2.1.1.1.3.3.9. Lontara abugida - c. 1600 (Indonesia)
******** 2.1.1.1.3.3.10. Rejang abugida - ? (Indonesia)
******** 2.1.1.1.3.3.11. Lampung abugida - ? (Indonesia)
******** 2.1.1.1.3.3.12. Kerinci abugida - ? (Indonesia)
*****2.1.1.1. Bhattiprolu abugida - c. 400 BC (S India)
****** 2.1.1.1.4. Kadamba abugida - c. 450 (S India)
******* 2.1.1.1.4.1. Kannada abugida - c. 1200 (S.India)
******* 2.1.1.1.4.2. Telugu abugida - c. 1200 (S. India)
****** 2.1.1.1.5. Kalinga abugida - c. 500 (E India)
****** 2.1.1.1.6. Grantha abugida - c. 500 (S India)
******* 2.1.1.1.6.1. Sinhala abugida - c. 700 (Sri Lanka)
******** 2.1.1.1.6.1.1. Dhives Akuru abugida - c. 1100 (Maldives)
******* 2.1.1.1.6.2. Tamil abugida - c. 700 (India, Sri Lanka)
******** 2.1.1.1.6.2.1. Sourashtra abugida - c. 1900 (S. India)
******* 2.1.1.1.6.3. Malayalam abugida - c. 1100 (S. India)
****** 2.1.1.1.7. Tocharian abugida - c. 500 (W. China)
****** 2.1.1.1.8. Ahom abugida - c. 1250 (E. India)
***** 2.1.1.2. Modern Hebrew abjad - c. 300 BC (Israel)
***** 2.1.1.3. Kharosthi abugida - c. 250 BC (Pakistan, Afghanistan)
***** 2.1.1.4. Pahlavi abjad - c. 200 BC (NE. Iran, W. China)
****** 2.1.1.4.1. Avestan alphabet - c. AD 400 (SW. Iran)
***** 2.1.1.5. Syriac abjad - c. 200 BC (Syria, Iraq)
****** 2.1.1.5.1. Sogdian abjad - c. AD 100 (Uzbekistan)
******* 2.1.1.5.1.1. Manichaean abjad - c. 300 (N.E. Iran)
******* 2.1.1.5.1.2. Georgian alphabet - c. 430 (Georgia)
******* 2.1.1.5.1.3. Orkhon alphabet - c. 700 (Mongolia)
******** 2.1.1.5.1.3.1. Old Hungarian alphabet - c. 900 (Hungary)
******* 2.1.1.5.1.4. Old Uyghur alphabet - c. 1000 (NW China)
******** 2.1.1.5.1.4.1. Mongolian alphabet - c. 1100 (Mongolia)
********* 2.1.1.5.1.4.1.1. Manchu alphabet - 1599 (NE China)
******** 2.1.1.5.1.4.2. Todo alphabet - 1649 (NW China)
****** 2.1.1.5.2. Nabataean abjad - c. 200 BC (Jordan)
******* 2.1.1.5.2.1. Arabic abjad - c. AD 400 (Jordan, N. Arabia)
******** 2.1.1.5.2.1.1. Jawi abjad - c. 1300 (Malaysia, Brunei)
***** 2.1.1.6. Mandaic alphabet - c. 100 (Iran)
**** 2.1.2. Samaritan abjad - c. 600 BC (Israel)
**** 2.1.3. Greek alphabet - c. 800 BC (Greece) (first adds vowels)
***** 2.1.3.1. Cumae alphabet - c. 750 BC (Greece, Italy)
****** 2.1.3.1.1. Etruscan alphabet - c. 700 BC (Italy)
******* 2.1.3.1.1.1. Venetic alphabet - c. 700 BC (Italy)
******** 2.1.3.1.1.1.1. Runic alphabet - c. AD 150 (Germany, Scandinavia)
******* 2.1.3.1.1.2. Latin alphabet - c. 700 BC (Italy)
******** 2.1.3.1.1.2.1. Faliscan alphabet - c. 400 BC (Italy)
******** 2.1.3.1.1.2.2. Cherokee syllabary - 1819 (United States)
********* 2.1.3.1.1.2.2.1. Vai syllabary - c. 1815-40s (Liberia and Sierra Leone) (hypothetical)
******** 2.1.3.1.1.2.3. Great Lakes Algonquian syllabary - c. 1880 (United States)
******** 2.1.3.1.1.2.4. Woleai syllabary - 1905-1909 (Micronesia)
******** 2.1.3.1.1.2.5. Fraser alphabet - 1915 (China)
******* 2.1.3.1.1.3. Oscan alphabet - c. 600 BC (Italy)
****** 2.1.3.1.2. Messapic alphabet - c. 550 BC (Italy)
***** 2.1.3.2. Lydian alphabet - c. 700 BC (Lydia)
***** 2.1.3.3. Carian alphabet - c. 600-700 BC (Caria)
***** 2.1.3.4. Phrygian alphabet - c. 600-700 BC (Phrygia)
***** 2.1.3.5. Sidetic alphabet - ? (Side)
***** 2.1.3.6. Lycian alphabet - c. 500 BC (Lycia)
***** 2.1.3.7. Greco-Iberian alphabet - c. 400 BC (Spain)
***** 2.1.3.8. Coptic alphabet - c. 200 BC (Egypt)
***** 2.1.3.9. Gothic alphabet - c. AD 300 (Ukraine)
***** 2.1.3.10. Armenian alphabet - 405 (Armenia)
***** 2.1.3.11. Glagolitic alphabet - 862 (Byzantine Empire)
***** 2.1.3.12. Cyrillic alphabet - c. 940 (Bulgaria)
****** 2.1.3.12.1. Old Permic script - 1372 (Siberia)
****** 2.1.3.12.2. Abkhaz alphabet - 1865 (Abkhazia)
**** 2.1.4. Tartessian semi-syllabary - c. 600 BC (Portugal and Spain)
***** 2.1.4.1. Southeastern Iberian semi-syllabary - c. 400 BC (Spain)
****** 2.1.4.1.1. Northeastern Iberian semi-syllabary - c. 400 BC (Spain and France)
******* 2.1.4.1.1.1. Celtiberian semi-syllabary - c. 200 BC (Spain)
**** 2.1.5. Tifinagh abjad - c. 250 BC (NW Africa)
***** 2.1.5.1. Neo-Tifinagh alphabet - c. AD 1965 (Morocco)
** 3. South Arabian abjad - c. 900 BC (Arabian Peninsula, Ethiopia, Eritrea )
*** 3.1. - c. 500 BC (Ethiopia, Eritrea)
**** 3.1.1. Ge'ez abugida - c. AD 300 (Ethiopia, Eritrea )
*** 3.2. Thamudic abjad - c. 200 BC (N. Arabia)
Footnotes
 
< Prev   Next >
[ Back ]

Main Menu

Home
Articles
Search
Submit Article
Contact Us
Donate to Wikibin
All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License.