abjad

Also known as consonantal alphabet, consonantary, consonantal writing

An abjad (; or abgad ) is a writing system in which only consonants are represented by letter signs, leaving the vowels to be inferred by the reader (unless represented otherwise, such as by diacritics). This contrasts with alphabets that provide graphemes for both consonants and vowels. The term was introduced in 1990 by Peter T. Daniels. Other terms for the same concept include partial phonemic script, segmentally linear defective phonographic script, consonantary, consonant writing, and consonantal alphabet.

AI overview

An abjad is a writing system that uses letter signs to represent only consonants, leaving readers to figure out the vowels based on context (unless special marks are added). This system differs from standard alphabets, which include separate symbols for both consonants and vowels.

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Commons category: Abjad writing systems

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Article

12 sections

Contents

Etymology
Terminology
Origins and history
Impure abjads
Addition of vowels
{{anchor|Semitic abjad|Semitic abjads}}Abjads and the structure of Semitic languages
Adaptation for use as true alphabets
Comparative chart of abjads, extinct and extant
See also
References
Sources
External links

Impure abjads, such as the Arabic and Hebrew scripts, represent vowels with either optional diacritics or a limited number of distinct vowel graphemes, or both.