abugida

Definitions

noun linguistics A writing system, similar to a syllabary, in which each symbol represents a consonant with a particular vowel. Some languages that use abugidas are Amharic, Hindi, Burmese, Cree and Ojibwe (Canadian Aboriginal syllabics). An abugida is a kind of syllabary in which the vowel is changed by modifying the base consonant symbol, so that all the forms that represent a given consonant plus each vowel resemble one another.

Adapted by Peter T. Daniels from Ge'ez አቡጊዳ (a-bu-gi-da), the name of its own script, based on the Greek alphabet order (Α, Β, Γ, Δ).

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Abugida is a term coined by Peter T. Daniels for a script whose basic signs denote consonants with an inherent vowel and where consistent modifications of the basic sign indicate other following vowels than the inherent one.

Is the Syllabics orthography an Abugida? 2007
A variety of names for this type of script has appeared in the literature—alphasyllabary, neosyllabary, pseudoalphabet—but I reject any name that incorporates either “alphabet” or “syllabary,” since they suggest subtype-ness or dependency, and I wish to stress independence. The name I use for this type is abugida, an existing Ethiopic word combining the first four consonants of the traditional Semitic order with the first four vowels of the traditional Ethiopic chart.

Language Log » Genetic evidence for the spread of Indo-Aryan languages Victor Mair 2025

john commented on the word abugida

Wikipedia: "An abugida (pronounced /ˌɑ�?bu�?ˈɡi�?də/, from Ge‘ez ’äbugida or Amharic ’abugida) is a segmental writing system which is based on consonants but in which vowel notation is obligatory. About half the writing systems in the world are abugidas, including the extensive Brahmic family of scripts used in South and Southeast Asia."

August 5, 2008