--- In [email protected], off_world_beings <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > --- In [email protected], Vaj <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > The Development of Scripts in India > > > > Until the discovery of the Indus Valley Civilization in 1920, > ancient > > India seemingly had two main scripts in which languages were > written, > > Brahmi and Kharosti. The Brahmi script developed under Semitic > > influence around 7th c. BC, and was originally written from right > to > > left. The Kharosti script came into being during the 5th c. BC in > > northwest India which was under Persian rule. Although the origin > of > > the Brahmi script is uncertain, the Kharosti script is commonly > > accepted as a direct descendant from the Aramaic alphabet. The > > direction of writing in the Kharosti script is as in Aramaic, from > > right to left, and there is also a likeness of many signs having > > similar phonetic value. > > > > In the later centuries of its existence, Brahmi gave rise to > eight > > varieties of scripts. Three of them - the early and late Mauryas > and > > the Sunga - became the prototypes of the scripts in northern India > in > > the 1st c. BC and AD. Out of these developed the Gupta writing > which > > was employed from the 4th to the 6th c. AD. > > > > The Siddhamatrka script developed during the 6th c. AD from the > > western branch of the eastern Gupta character. The Siddhamatrka > became > > the ancestor of the Nagari script which is used for Sanskrit > today. The > > Nagari developed in the 7th to 9th c. AD, and has remained, since > the > > 7th to 9th centuries, essentially unaltered. > > > > However, certain other factors need to be considered to get the > > complete picture of script development in India. In 1920 > archaeologists > > announced the discovery of extensive urban ruins in the Indus > Valley > > which pre-dated the earliest literary sources and which caused > scholars > > working on ancient texts to re-examine their views on the > different > > phases of Indian culture. The Rig Veda which speaks in such > derogatory > > terms of the enemies subdued by the Aryan tribes, gives the > impression > > that they were all savage barbarians. The Brahmins for centuries > have > > degraded the original inhabitants of India with the intention of > self > > elevation, preservation and oppression. These ancient dwellers in > India > > were Dravidian, and in fact, their culture had developed a highly > > sophisticated way of life which compares favorably with that of > > contemporary urban civilizations in Egypt and Mesopotamia. > > > > The extensive excavations carried out at the two principal city > sites, > > Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro, both situated in the Indus basin, > indicates > > that this Dravidian culture was well established by about 2500 > B.C., > > and subsequent discoveries have revealed that it covered most of > the > > Lower Indus Valley. What we know of this ancient civilization is > > derived almost exclusively from archaeological data since every > attempt > > to decipher the script used by these people has failed so far. > Recent > > analyses of the order of the signs on the inscriptions have led > several > > scholars to the view that the language is not of the Indo- European > > family, nor is it close to the Sumerians, Hurrians, or Elamite, > nor can > > it be related to the structure of the Munda languages of modern > India. > > If it is related to any modern language family it appears to be > > Dravidian akin to Old Tamil, presently spoken throughout the > southern > > part of the Indian Peninsula. > > > > What this points to is the existence of a system of writing far > more > > ancient than what was originally considered. For instance when the > > Indian scripts are grouped, the southern scripts form a class of > their > > own. The Grantha alphabet, which belongs to the writing system of > > southern India, developed in the 5th c. AD and was mainly used to > write > > Sanskrit. Inscriptions in Early Grantha, dating from the 5th to > 6th c. > > AD are on copper plates and stone monuments from the kingdom of > the > > Pallavas near Chennai (Madras). > > > > The influx of foreign invaders through the northwest over the > > centuries, forced the Dravidians, the original inhabitants of > India, > > south. Scholars have indicated that the south has been the gateway > for > > religious and cultural developments in India. Originally Grantha > was > > used for writing Sanskrit only, and Sanskrit was later > transliterated > > with Nagiri after the 7th c. AD. Scholars over the years have > indicated > > that many Hindu writings have been tampered with, and certainly > this > > could have happened during the transliteration process. The later > > varieties of the Grantha script were used to write a number of > > Dravidian Languages, and the modern Tamil script certainly seems > to be > > derived from Grantha. > > > > The bibliographical evidences indicate that the Vedas are > written in > > the Grantha and Nagari scripts, and according to tradition Veda > Vyasa, > > a Dravidian, compiled and wrote the Vedas. The Grantha script > belongs > > to the southern group of scripts and Veda Vyasa being a Dravidian > would > > certainly have used it. Since the earliest evidence for Grantha is > only > > in the 5th c. AD, the Vedas were written rather late. > > > > Another important fact is brought out in the account of the > religion, > > philosophy, literature, geography, chronology, astronomy, customs, > laws > > and astrology of India about AD 1030 by Alberuni (edited by Dr. > Edward > > C. Sachau). He states that, > > > > "The Indian scribes are careless, and do not take pains to > produce > > correct and well-collated copies. In consequence, the highest > results > > of the author's mental development are lost by their negligence, > and > > his book becomes already in the first or second copy so full of > > faults, that the text appears as something entirely new, which > neither > > a scholar nor one familiar with the subject, whether Hindu or > Muslim, > > could any longer understand. It will sufficiently illustrate the > matter > > if we tell the reader that we have sometimes written down a word > from > > the mouth of Hindus, taking the greatest pains to fix its > > pronunciation, and that afterwards when we repeated it to them, > they > > had great difficulty in recognising it." > > > > This is a clear opposite to Yuan Chwang's time in the 7th c AD, > when > > this young Chinese Buddhist scholar came to India in search of > > authentic sacred books which he accomplished. However, scholars > > indicate that the same is not true with early Tamil classics like > the > > Sangam literature (3rd c. BC - 3rd c. AD) which are remarkably > helpful > > in the reconstruction of history (K.K.Pillai, Tamil Literature as > > Source Material for History - Journal of Institute for Asian > Studies). > > > > The first epigraphic evidence of Sanskrit is seen in 150 AD and > this > > inscription is in the Brahmi script. > > > > Extracted from the Encyclopedia Britannica, 1982. > > > > Iteresting analysis of writing . Thanks for posting . I will keep it > Thanks. > > Unfortunately , people spoke langauges and had cultures long before > they were written down, and the general concensus among scholars is > that there was a proto Indo Europena language which in terms of the > words it used Sankrit seems to have the closest relative words. This > Indo-European langauge has no proof of its existence, only > conjecture. Whatever Sanskrit came from, it is close to it. Even > English is just a dialect of a more ancient Sankrit like langiuage.
This was supposed to be in quotes . sorry: > "Even though Dravidian languages are based on a different model than > Sanskrit there are thirty to seventy per cent Sanskrit words in > south Indian languages like Telugu and Tamil, which is much higher > percentage than north Indian languages like Hindi. In addition both > north and south Indian languages have a similar construction and > phraseology that links them close together, which European languages > often do not share. This has caused some linguists even to propose > that Hindi was a Dravidian language. In short, the language compart- > ments, like the racial ones, are not as rigid as has been thought." > > "In fact if we examine the oldest Vedic Sanskrit, we find similar > sounds to Dravidian languages (the cerebral letters, for example), > which are not present in other Indo-European tongues. This shows > either that there were already Drvidians in the same region as the > Vedic people, and part of the same culture with them, or that > Dravidian languages could also have been early off-shoots of > Sanskrit, which was the theory of the modern rishi, Sri Aurobindo." > David Frawley: > http://www.hindunet.org/hindu_history/ancient/aryan/aryan_frawley_1.h > tml To subscribe, send a message to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Or go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/ and click 'Join This Group!' Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
