Telugu-Kannada alphabet

Kannada-Telugu script
Kannada-Telugu script;
	Copper plate inscriptions in Kannada–Telugu script
Script type	Abugida
Period	7th century –14th century
Languages	Kannada; Telugu; Tulu; Konkani ; Sanskrit
Related scripts
Parent systems	Proto-Sinaitic script[a] Phoenician alphabet[a] Aramaic alphabet[a] Brahmi script[a] Bhattiprolu script Kadamba script Kannada-Telugu script; ; ; ; ; ;
Child systems	Kannada script, Telugu script
Sister systems	Pyu
	[a] The Semitic origin of the Brahmic scripts is not universally agreed upon.
	This article contains phonetic transcriptions in the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA). For an introductory guide on IPA symbols, see Help:IPA. For the distinction between [ ], / / and ⟨ ⟩, see IPA § Brackets and transcription delimiters.

This article contains Indic text. Without proper rendering support, you may see question marks or boxes, misplaced vowels or missing conjuncts instead of Indic text.

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. Satavahanas and Chalukyas influenced the similarities between Kannada and Telugu scripts.^[6]

History[edit | edit source]

The Dravidian family comprises about 73 languages including Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, 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.^[7]^[4]^[5]

During the 6th to 8th centuries the early Badami Chalukyas and early Banavasi Kadambas used an early form of the Kadamba script in inscriptions.^[8] 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 Kadamba script to Telugu language which developed into the Kannada-Telugu script which was used between the 7th and 11th centuries CE.^[1]

Between 1100 CE and 1400 CE, the Kannada and Telugu scripts separated from the Kannada-Telugu script. Both the Kannada and Telugu scripts were standardized at the beginning of the nineteenth century.^[9]

Comparison[edit | edit source]

The following sections visualize the difference between modern-day Kannada and Telugu styles.

Consonants[edit | edit source]

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 (sa/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.

Vowels[edit | edit source]

Independent vowels[edit | edit source]

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[edit | edit source]

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[edit | edit source]

Kannada Telugu comparison

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.

References[edit | edit source]

Citations

↑ ^1.0 ^1.1 Diringer, David (1948). Alphabet a key to the history of mankind. p. 381.
↑ Salomon 1998, p. 41.
↑ The Blackwell Encyclopedia of Writing Systems by Florian Coulmas, p. 228
↑ ^4.0 ^4.1 Handbook of Literacy in Akshara Orthography, R. Malatesha Joshi, Catherine McBride (2019), p. 29
↑ ^5.0 ^5.1 Salomon 1998, pp. 35, 40.
↑ "Evolution of Telugu Character Graphs". Retrieved 2013-07-22.
↑ The Blackwell Encyclopedia of Writing Systems by Florian Coulmas, p. 228
↑ "Epigraphical Studies in India - Sanskrit and Dravidian, Scripts used in India, Scripts Abroad". Retrieved 2013-09-06.
↑ Austin, Peter (2008). One Thousand Languages: Living, Endangered, and Lost. University of California Press. p. 117. ISBN 978-0-520-25560-9.

Bibliography

Salomon, Richard (1998), Indian Epigraphy: A Guide to the Study of Inscriptions in the Indo-Aryan Languages, Oxford University Press, ISBN 978-0-19-509984-3

External links[edit | edit source]

[diringer-1] 1.0 ^1.1 Diringer, David (1948). Alphabet a key to the history of mankind. p. 381.

[FOOTNOTESalomon199841-2] Salomon 1998, p. 41.

[3] The Blackwell Encyclopedia of Writing Systems by Florian Coulmas, p. 228

[Akshara_Orthography_2019_p._29-4] 4.0 ^4.1 Handbook of Literacy in Akshara Orthography, R. Malatesha Joshi, Catherine McBride (2019), p. 29

[FOOTNOTESalomon199835,_40-5] 5.0 ^5.1 Salomon 1998, pp. 35, 40.

[6] "Evolution of Telugu Character Graphs". Retrieved 2013-07-22.

[7] The Blackwell Encyclopedia of Writing Systems by Florian Coulmas, p. 228

[8] "Epigraphical Studies in India - Sanskrit and Dravidian, Scripts used in India, Scripts Abroad". Retrieved 2013-09-06.

[9] Austin, Peter (2008). One Thousand Languages: Living, Endangered, and Lost. University of California Press. p. 117. ISBN 978-0-520-25560-9.

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