Sundanese script

Infobox Writing system
name=Sundanese
type=Abugida
time=c.1600s–present
fam1=Proto-Canaanite alphabet
fam2=Phoenician alphabet
fam3=Aramaic alphabet
fam4=Brāhmī
fam5=Pallava
fam6=Old Kawi
fam7=Old Sundanese
languages=Sundanese
unicode= [http://www.unicode.org/charts/PDF/U1B80.pdf U+1B80–U+1BBF]
iso15924=Sund

Sundanese script (su: "Aksara Sunda") is a writing system which is currently used by some Sundanese people. It is built based on Old Sundanese script (su "Aksara Sunda Kuna") which was used by ancient Sundanese between 14th and 18th centuries.

History

Sundanese civilization has been using different scripts for writing its languages.

* Pallava script or Pra-Nagari was used to write Sanskrit, until 7th century.
* Old Sundanese script was derived from Pallawa script.
* Carakan script or Javanese script, was used when Central Javanese civilization influenced Sundanese civilization between 16th and 17th centuries.
* Pegon script was and is still used mainly in "pesantren" (traditional Islamic schools)
* Latin script is now mostly used, was introduced in the 19-th century by Netherland people during their colonialization in Indonesia.
* 'Modern' Sundanese script is announced after research conducted to old Sundanese script.

Since 2003, West Java Government support officially the use of Sundanese script in daily activities.

cript structure

Sundanese script consists of several groups of characters:

* ngalagena characters (su:"aksara Ngalagena"), or consonant forms,
* swara characters (su:"aksara Swara"), or independent vocal forms,
* vocalization signs, are used to modify the vocal sound of ngalagena characters.
* numbers.

undanese in Unicode

The Unicode range for Sundanese is U+1B80 .. U+1BBF. Grey areas indicate non-assigned code points.

ee also

*Sundanese language