Tagbanwa script is a topic that has captured the attention of countless people over time. Since its emergence, it has been approached from different perspectives and has aroused great interest in various fields of study. Its relevance has remained over the years, becoming a topic of constant debate and analysis. In this article, we will explore in detail all the aspects of Tagbanwa script, from its origin to its impact on today's society. We will discover how it has evolved over time and how it has influenced different generations. In addition, we will analyze its relevance in today's world and its future projection. Join us on this journey of discovery and immersion in the fascinating world of Tagbanwa script.
Tagbanwa is one of the scripts indigenous to the Philippines, used by the Tagbanwa and the Palawan people as their ethnic writing system.
Tagbanwa script ᝦᝪᝯ | |
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Script type | |
Time period | c. 1300–present |
Direction | Left-to-right |
Region | Palawan Island |
Languages | Palawanic languages |
Related scripts | |
Parent systems | |
Sister systems |
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ISO 15924 | |
ISO 15924 | Tagb (373), Tagbanwa |
Unicode | |
Unicode alias | Tagbanwa |
U+1760–U+177F |
Brahmic scripts |
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The Brahmi script and its descendants |
The Tagbanwa languages (Aborlan, Calamian and Central), which are Austronesian languages with about 8,000-25,000 total speakers in the central and northern regions of Palawan, are dying out as the younger generations of Tagbanwa are learning and using non-traditional languages such as Cuyonon and Tagalog, thus becoming less knowledgeable of their own indigenous cultural heritage. There are proposals to revive the script by teaching it in public and private schools with Tagbanwa populations.
The Tagbanwa script was used in the Philippines until the 17th century. Closely related to Baybayin, it is believed to have come from the Kawi script of Java, Bali and Sumatra, which in turn, descended from the Pallava script, one of the southern Indian scripts derived from Brahmi.
Tagbanwa is an alphasyllabary or abugida in which each letter represents a syllable consisting of a consonant and an inherent vowel /a/, a feature that it shares with many related scripts from SE Asia as they derive from variants of the Brahmic scripts of India. Similar to these scripts, vowels other than /a/ are indicated by the addition of a diacritic above (for /i/) or below (for /u/) the letter. Lone vowels are represented by their own, independent letters, thus /a/, /i/ and /u/ since there are only three. Syllables ending in a consonant are written without the final consonant. Tagbanwa is distinguished from Baybayin by the shapes of several letters, most notably ‹ka› and ‹wa› that are markedly different from other varieties.
Tagbanwa is traditionally written on bamboo in vertical columns from bottom to top and left to right. However, it is read from left to right in horizontal lines.
Tagbanwa writing makes use of single (᜵) and double (᜶) punctuation marks.
In the 20th century, this script was adopted from the Tagbanwa by the Palawan people further south in the island. They call this alphabet Ibalnan and the vowel mark an ulit.
Tagbanwa script was added to the Unicode Standard in March, 2002 with the release of version 3.2.
The Unicode block for Tagbanwa is U+1760–U+177F:
Tagbanwa Official Unicode Consortium code chart (PDF) | ||||||||||||||||
0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | A | B | C | D | E | F | |
U+176x | ᝠ | ᝡ | ᝢ | ᝣ | ᝤ | ᝥ | ᝦ | ᝧ | ᝨ | ᝩ | ᝪ | ᝫ | ᝬ | ᝮ | ᝯ | |
U+177x | ᝰ | ᝲ | ᝳ | |||||||||||||
Notes |