Nepali-+Writing+Systems

=Writing Systems=

By: मरिसा (Marisa) सरह (Sarah) पम (Pam) मरी एल (Mary Elizabeth)


 * Nepali is an Indo-Aryan language with around 17 million speakers in Nepal, Bhutan, Burma and India.
 * Nepali was originally known as //Khas Kurā// and was the language of the Khasa kingdom. This kingdom ruled over the foothills of what is now Nepal during the 13th and 14th centuries.
 * Nepali first started to be used in writing during the 12th century AD. It is written with the Devanāgarī alphabet, which developed from the [|Brahmi] script in the 11th century AD
 * Since the creation of greater Nepal, the Nepali language has been well-liked and considered an easy means of communication between all language speakers of the nation
 * Historians have found a great deal of evidence that indicates that Nepali language was used in correspondence during the Malla era, many years before the unification campaign got underway
 * Nepali is a very rich language
 * Nepali is read from left to right just as English is
 * Nepali is one of Indias 23 official languages

Consonants


1) vowel character – used in initial position and after other vowels, or when the vowel is isolated. 2) vowel signs – used after consonants: ◌ा, ि◌ , ◌ी , ◌ु , ◌ू , ◌ृ , ◌े , ◌ै , ◌ो , ◌ौ
 * Vowels**: अ, आ , इ , ई , उ , ऊ , ऋ , ए , ऐ , ओ , औ Have two symbols: vowel characters and vowel signs.

Example vowel character आ, has the corresponding vowel sign ा. The vowel symbol अ is attached to a letter to indicate that the letter is in fact a vowel. Free Forms: Vowel Signs: अ: ◌ा, इ: ि◌, ई: ◌ी, उ:◌ु, ऊ: ◌ू, ऋ:◌ृ, ए: ◌े, ऐ: ◌ै, ओ: ◌ो, औ: ◌ौ

Order of the writing system of the vowels:

The vowel sign ि◌ is written before the consonant. The vowel sign ◌ी follows the consonant. The vowel signs ◌ु and ◌ू are written at the foot of the consonant. Example: लु = ल + ◌ु

**Candrabindu** (Indicates nasalization): ◌ँ

**Anusvar or Cirabindu** (Indicates nasalization): ◌ं

When two or more consonants sit together without a vowel in between, the combination is written as a single unit or conjunct consonant. Example: माIछे (man). The consonants are not always written out, sometimes one or more of the consonants will be written half shape.
 * Consonants**: क, ख , ग , घ , ङ , च , छ , ज , झ , ञ , ट , ठ , ड , ढ , ण , त , थ

**Visarga** : (same sign as our colon)-only occurs in a few words that have been taken from Sanskrit. [] http://www.educatenepal.com/article_archive/display/history-of-nepali-language-and-its-importance
 * Viram or halanta**: ◌् Indicates that the inherent vowel sound in the counsonant should not be pronounced.