Difference between revisions of "Language/Manipuri/Pronunciation/Alphabet-and-Pronunciation"
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
==Alphabet== | ==Alphabet== | ||
Manipuri has been written with the Manipuri alphabet, or Meetei Mayek, with the Bengali alphabet, and with the Latin alphabet. | |||
The Manipuri alphabet developed sometime during the 11th century and was used until the 18th century. It origins are uncertain as many historical documents were destroyed at the beginning of the 18th century during the reign of King Pamheiba. | |||
Between 1709 and the middle of the 20th century, the Manipuri language was written with the Bengali alphabet. During the 1940s and 50s, Manipuri scholars began campaigning to bring back the old Manipuri alphabet. In 1976 at a writers conference all the scholars agreed on a new version of the alphabet containing a number of additional letters to represent sounds not present in the language when the script was first developed. The current Manipuri script is a reconstruction of the ancient Manipuri script. | |||
Since the early 1980s a modernized version of the Manipuri alphabet as been taught in schools in Manipur, and education through Manipuri is available in schools and universities in Manipur. | |||
---- | ---- | ||
[[File:Manipuri-Alphabet-PolyglotClub.png]] | [[File:Manipuri-Alphabet-PolyglotClub.png]] | ||
---- | ---- | ||
== Letter names == | == Letter names == | ||
One of the unique features of this script is the use of body parts in naming the letters. Every letter is named after a human body part in the Meitei language. For example, the first letter "''kok''" means "head"; the second letter "''sam''" means "hair"; the third letter "''lai''" means "forehead", and so on. This is corroborated from the holybook "Wakoklol Heelel Theelel Salai Amailol Pukok Puya", which details how each script originated received its nomenclature. | One of the unique features of this script is the use of body parts in naming the letters. Every letter is named after a human body part in the Meitei language. For example, the first letter "''kok''" means "head"; the second letter "''sam''" means "hair"; the third letter "''lai''" means "forehead", and so on. This is corroborated from the holybook "Wakoklol Heelel Theelel Salai Amailol Pukok Puya", which details how each script originated received its nomenclature. | ||
Revision as of 23:59, 26 January 2022
Alphabet
Manipuri has been written with the Manipuri alphabet, or Meetei Mayek, with the Bengali alphabet, and with the Latin alphabet.
The Manipuri alphabet developed sometime during the 11th century and was used until the 18th century. It origins are uncertain as many historical documents were destroyed at the beginning of the 18th century during the reign of King Pamheiba.
Between 1709 and the middle of the 20th century, the Manipuri language was written with the Bengali alphabet. During the 1940s and 50s, Manipuri scholars began campaigning to bring back the old Manipuri alphabet. In 1976 at a writers conference all the scholars agreed on a new version of the alphabet containing a number of additional letters to represent sounds not present in the language when the script was first developed. The current Manipuri script is a reconstruction of the ancient Manipuri script.
Since the early 1980s a modernized version of the Manipuri alphabet as been taught in schools in Manipur, and education through Manipuri is available in schools and universities in Manipur.
Letter names
One of the unique features of this script is the use of body parts in naming the letters. Every letter is named after a human body part in the Meitei language. For example, the first letter "kok" means "head"; the second letter "sam" means "hair"; the third letter "lai" means "forehead", and so on. This is corroborated from the holybook "Wakoklol Heelel Theelel Salai Amailol Pukok Puya", which details how each script originated received its nomenclature.
| Letter | Name | Latin | IPA |
|---|---|---|---|
| ꯀ | kok | K | /k/ |
| ꯁ | sam | S | /s/ |
| ꯂ | lai | L | /l/ |
| ꯃ | mit | M | /m/ |
| ꯄ | pa | P | /p/ |
| ꯅ | na | N | /n/ |
| ꯆ | chil | Ch | /t͡ʃ/ |
| ꯇ | til | T | /t/ |
| ꯈ | khou | Kh | /kʰ/ |
| ꯉ | ngou | Ng | /ŋ/ |
| ꯊ | thou | Th | /tʰ/ |
| ꯋ | wai | W | /w/ |
| ꯌ | yang | Y | /j/ |
| ꯍ | huk | H | /h/ |
| ꯎ | un | U | /u(ː)/ |
| ꯏ | ee | I or E | /i(ː)/ |
| ꯐ | pham | F or Ph | /pʰ/ |
| ꯑ | atiya | A | /ɐ/ |
| ꯒ | gok | G | /g/ |
| ꯓ | jham | Jh | /d͡ʒʱ/ |
| ꯔ | rai | R | /ɾ/ |
| ꯕ | ba | B | /b/ |
| ꯖ | jil | J | /d͡ʒ/ |
| ꯗ | dil | D | /d/ |
| ꯘ | ghou | Gh | /gʱ/ |
| ꯙ | dhou | Dh | /dʱ/ |
| ꯚ | bham | Bh | /bʱ/ |
| Lonsum letter | Name | Derived from Mapung Mayek letter |
|---|---|---|
| ꯛ | kok lonsum | ꯀ |
| ꯜ | lai lonsum | ꯂ |
| ꯝ | mit lonsum | ꯃ |
| ꯞ | pa lonsum | ꯄ |
| ꯟ | na lonsum | ꯅ |
| ꯠ | til lonsum | ꯇ |
| ꯡ | ngou lonsum | ꯉ |
| ꯢ | ee lonsum | ꯏ |
Suffix letters or addendum used
| Cheitap mayek | Name | Latin | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| ꯥ | aa-tap | a | Karl (ꯀꯥꯔꯜ) |
| ꯤ | ee-nap | e or i | King (ꯀꯤꯡ), Feel (ꯐꯤꯜ) |
| ꯨ | uu-nap | u or oo | Cool (ꯀꯨꯜ), Fumigate (ꯐꯨꯃꯤꯒꯦꯠ) |
| ꯦ | yet-nap | ay or e | Bay (ꯕꯦ), Kentuk (ꯀꯦꯟꯇꯨꯛ) |
| ꯣ | ot-nap | o | Boy (ꯕꯣꯌ), Cold (ꯀꯣꯜꯗ) |
| ꯩ | chei-nap | ei | Heifer (ꯍꯩꯐꯔ), Feign (ꯐꯩꯟ) |
| ꯧ | sou-nap | ou or ow | Soul (ꯁꯧꯜ), Hou (ꯍꯧ), Bowl (ꯕꯧꯜ) |
| ꯪ | nung or noong | ang or ng | Anglo (ꯑꯪꯒꯂꯣ), Kangla (ꯀꯪꯂꯥ) |
Numerals
| Arabic numerals | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Meitei numerals | ꯰ | ꯱ | ꯲ | ꯳ | ꯴ | ꯵ | ꯶ | ꯷ | ꯸ | ꯹ |
| Names | ꯐꯨꯟ
phun |
ꯑꯃ
ama |
ꯑꯅꯤ
ani |
ꯑꯍꯨꯝ
ahum |
ꯃꯔꯤ
mari |
ꯃꯉꯥ
mangā |
ꯇꯔꯨꯛ
taruk |
ꯇꯔꯦꯠ
taret |
ꯅꯤꯄꯥꯜ
nipāl |
ꯃꯥꯄꯜ
māpal |