lingvo.wikisort.org - Alphabet

Basahan script, also known as Guhit, is the native name used by Bicolanos to refer to Baybayin.

Basahan Guhit, Súrat Bikolnon
Script type	Abugida
Languages	Bicol
Related scripts
Parent systems	Proto-Sinaitic alphabet Phoenician alphabet Aramaic alphabet Brāhmī Tamil Pallava Old Kawi Baybayin Basahan
Sister systems	In the Philippines: Buhid Kulitan Hanunó'o Tagbanwa script In other countries: Balinese Batak Javanese Lontara Sundanese Rencong Rejang
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.

The word Basahan is already recorded in a book entitled Vocabulario de la Lengua Bicol by Marcos de Lisboa in 1628 which states that it has three vowels and fifteen consonants. [1]

Alphabet

Basahan has three stand-alone vowels (a, e/i, o/u) and fifteen consonants (ba, ka, da, ga, ha, la, ma, na, nga, pa, ra, sa, ta, wa, ya). This script can be called an abugida because signs represent syllables, that is a consonant with a vowel.

Way of writing

Historic:, Traditional:, Modern:

According to Scott, when e.g. the sign for ba has to be read as be / bi it has a kaldit (a small "v" shaped diacritic sign) on the left (or above), if it has to be read as bu / bo the kaldit is on the right (resp. below). The basahan of the older bikolanos has an own sign for /r/ while the basahans of Tagalog (Baybayin) and Ilokano (Kurdita) have not.[2] In his time the kaldit was called kaholoan or holo according to Marcos de Lisboa, author of the earliest dictionary of Bikol.[3][2]

Reference

External links

• sample of Basahan script font

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