Sundanese Script
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Historical Context
Origins and Evolution
The Sundanese script, known as Aksara Sunda Baku, is a traditional writing system employed by the Sundanese people for their language. Its roots trace back to the Aksara Sunda Kuno (Old Sundanese script), which flourished from the 14th to the 18th centuries. The final known manuscript penned in the Old Sundanese script is the Carita Waruga Guru.
Periods of Use and Transition
Following the era of Old Sundanese script, the Sundanese language was predominantly spoken rather than written from the 17th to the 19th centuries. During this period, the Javanese and Pegon scripts were utilized for Sundanese texts. A significant development occurred in 1996 when the West Java government initiated a plan to establish an official Sundanese script, ultimately selecting and renaming the Old Sundanese script in October 1997.
Script Typology
Abugida Classification
The Sundanese script is classified as an Abugida, a member of the Brahmic script family originating from India. This classification indicates that each consonant character inherently possesses a vowel sound (typically 'a'), which can be modified by specific diacritics.
Character Set Overview
The standardized Sundanese script comprises 32 fundamental characters: seven independent vowels and 23 consonants. Additionally, it features thirteen phonetic diacritical marks, known as rarangkén in Sundanese, which modify the inherent vowel or consonant sounds. The script also includes numerals from zero to nine.
Consonants
Core Consonants
The foundational set of Sundanese consonants, aksara ngalagena, each includes the inherent vowel 'a'. The original eighteen consonants are organized phonetically: ka-ga-nga, ca-ja-nya, ta-da-na, pa-ba-ma, ya-ra-la, wa-sa-ha.
Extended Consonants
To accommodate loanwords and evolving phonetic needs, five additional consonants have been integrated: fa, va, qa, xa, and za. These glyphs are derived from existing Old Sundanese characters, with fa and va based on pa, qa and xa on ka, and za on ja.
Transcribing Arabic Sounds
Specialized, non-standard consonants, kha and sha, are employed for the precise transcription of Arabic sounds corresponding to the letters خ (kh) and ش (sh).
Consonant Forms
Basic Consonants
Each consonant carries an inherent /a/ sound. Below are examples of the initial consonant set:
\u1b8a ka IPA: /ka/ |
\u1b8c ga IPA: /ga/ |
\u1b8d nga IPA: /\u014ba/ |
\u1b8e ca IPA: /t\u035c\u0255a/ |
\u1b8f ja IPA: /d\u035c\u0291a/ |
\u1b91 nya IPA: /\u0272a/ |
\u1b92 ta IPA: /ta/ |
\u1b93 da IPA: /da/ |
\u1b94 na IPA: /na/ |
\u1b95 pa IPA: /pa/ |
\u1b98 ba IPA: /ba/ |
\u1b99 ma IPA: /ma/ |
\u1b9a ya IPA: /ja/ |
\u1b9b ra IPA: /ra/ |
\u1b9c la IPA: /la/ |
\u1b9d wa IPA: /wa/ |
\u1b9e sa IPA: /sa/ |
\u1ba0 ha IPA: /ha/ |
\u1b96 fa IPA: /fa/ |
\u1b8b qa IPA: /ka~qa/ |
\u1b97 va IPA: /fa~va/ |
\u1b9f xa IPA: /sa/, /ksa/ |
\u1b90 za IPA: /za/ |
\u1bae kha IPA: /\u0127a/, /xa/ |
\u1baf sya IPA: /\u0255a/, /\u0283a/ |
Vowels
Independent Vowels
Sundanese script features seven independent vowel forms: a, é, i, o, u, e, and eu. These can stand alone or be combined with consonants using specific diacritical marks (rarangkén).
Syllable Formation
A basic consonant-vowel syllable is formed by attaching a vowel diacritic to a consonant. The diacritic replaces the consonant's inherent 'a' sound. The pamaéh diacritic, often called a "killer stroke," effectively removes the vowel, creating a pure consonant sound.
Vowel Forms and Diacritics
\u1b83 a IPA: /a/ |
\u1b86 é IPA: /\u025b/ |
\u1b84 i IPA: /i/ |
\u1b87 o IPA: /\u0254/ |
\u1b85 u IPA: /u/ |
\u1b88 e IPA: /\u0259/ |
\u1b89 eu IPA: /\u0264/ |
|
-\u1b8a ka |
\u1b8a\u1ba6 ké |
\u1b8a\u1ba4 ki |
\u1b8a\u1ba7 ko |
\u1b8a\u1ba5 ku |
\u1b8a\u1ba8 ke |
\u1b8a\u1ba9 keu |
-\u1b8a\u1baa k |
Consonant Diacritics
Modifying Consonants
Various diacritics, known as rarangkén, are applied to consonants to alter their pronunciation. These include marks for final /r/, final /ŋ/, inserted /r/, inserted /l/, inserted /j/, and final /h/.
Rarangkén Forms
\u25cc \u1b81 adds a final /r/ |
\u25cc \u1b80 adds a final /ŋ/ |
\u25cc\u1ba2 inserts an /r/ |
\u25cc \u1ba3 inserts an /l/ |
\u25cc \u1ba1 inserts a /j/ |
\u25cc\u1b82 adds a final /h/ |
\u1b8a\u1b81 kar |
\u1b8a\u1b80 kang |
\u1b8a\u1ba2 kra |
\u1b8a\u1ba3 kla |
\u1b8a\u1ba1 kya |
\u1b8a\u1b82 kah |
Numerals
Sundanese Numeral System
Sundanese numerals are represented by distinct characters, typically enclosed within vertical bars (|). For instance, the year 2020 is written as |\u1bb2\u1bb0\u1bb2\u1bb0|.
Numeral Forms
0 \u1bb0 |
1 \u1bb1 |
2 \u1bb2 |
3 \u1bb3 |
4 \u1bb4 |
5 \u1bb5 |
6 \u1bb6 |
7 \u1bb7 |
8 \u1bb8 |
9 \u1bb9 |
Punctuation
Modern vs. Traditional
Contemporary Sundanese texts predominantly utilize standard Latin punctuation. However, historical Sundanese manuscripts employed unique symbols. These include the bindu surya ('sun sign'), bindu panglong ('half-moon sign'), and bindu purnama ('full moon sign'), often marking liturgical or significant textual divisions.
Specific Punctuation Marks
The bindu chakra ('wheel sign') and a decorated form of 'leu' (leu satanga) also served punctuation roles, akin to commas. The bindu surya (\u1cc0) could function as a full stop, while bindu purnama (\u1cc2) acted as a comma.
Sample Text
UDHR Article 1
Here is the first article of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights rendered in Sundanese script:
\u1b9e\u1b8a\u1ba5\u1b99\u1baa\u1b94 \u1b8f\u1b9c\u1baa\u1b99 \u1b8c\u1ba5\u1b98\u1ba2\u1b8c\u1baa \u1b8a \u1b83\u1b9c\u1b99\u1baa \u1b93\u1ba5\u1b91 \u1b92\u1ba6\u1b82 \u1b9e\u1ba4\u1b95\u1b92\u1baa\u1b94 \u1b99\u1ba8\u1b81\u1b93\u1ba4\u1b8a \u1b8f\u1ba9\u1b80 \u1b98\u1ba7\u1b8c \u1b99\u1b81\u1b92\u1b98\u1b92\u1baa \u1b8a\u1b92\u1ba5\u1b92\u1baa \u1ba0\u1b8a\u1baa-\u1ba0\u1b8a\u1baa \u1b83\u1b94\u1ba5 \u1b9e\u1b9b\u1ba5\u1b83. \u1b99\u1b9b\u1b94\u1ba6\u1b82\u1b94 \u1b93\u1ba4\u1b98\u1ba6\u1b9b\u1ba6 \u1b83\u1b8a\u1b9c\u1baa \u1b8f\u1ba9\u1b80 \u1b9e\u1b9e\u1b99\u1b94 \u1b83\u1b9a \u1b93\u1ba5\u1b93\u1ba5\u1b9c\u1ba5\u1b9b\u1b94\u1baa.
Translation: "All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood."
Unicode Encoding
Standardization
The Sundanese script was officially incorporated into the Unicode Standard with version 5.1 in April 2008. Subsequent updates, notably version 6.3, expanded support to include pasangan (consonant clusters) and certain characters from the Old Sundanese script.
Unicode Blocks
The script is primarily represented within two Unicode blocks: the main Sundanese block (U+1B80–U+1BBF) and the Sundanese Supplement block (U+1CC0–U+1CCF), which includes punctuation and other specialized characters.
Sundanese Unicode Chart
| Sundanese Official Unicode Consortium code chart (PDF) | ||||||||||||||||
| 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | A | B | C | D | E | F | |
| U+1B8x | \u1b80 | \u1b81 | \u1b82 | \u1b83 | \u1b84 | \u1b85 | \u1b86 | \u1b87 | \u1b88 | \u1b89 | \u1b8a | \u1b8b | \u1b8c | \u1b8d | \u1b8e | \u1b8f |
| U+1B9x | \u1b90 | \u1b91 | \u1b92 | \u1b93 | \u1b94 | \u1b95 | \u1b96 | \u1b97 | \u1b98 | \u1b99 | \u1b9a | \u1b9b | \u1b9c | \u1b9d | \u1b9e | \u1b9f |
| U+1BAx | \u1ba0 | \u1ba1 | \u1ba2 | \u1ba3 | \u1ba4 | \u1ba5 | \u1ba6 | \u1ba7 | \u1ba8 | \u1ba9 | \u1baa | \u1bab | \u1bac | \u1bad | \u1bae | \u1baf |
| U+1BBx | \u1bb0 | \u1bb1 | \u1bb2 | \u1bb3 | \u1bb4 | \u1bb5 | \u1bb6 | \u1bb7 | \u1bb8 | \u1bb9 | \u1bba | \u1bbb | \u1bbc | \u1bbd | \u1bbe | \u1bbf |
Visual Gallery
Lontar Manuscript
A traditional Sundanese lontar manuscript, showcasing the script's historical application on palm-leaf texts.
Carita Waruga Guru
The initial page of the Carita Waruga Guru manuscript, representing an important example of the Old Sundanese script.
Related Topics
Language
Explore the Sundanese language itself, its history, and its cultural significance.
Related Scripts
Discover other scripts within the Brahmic family and their connections to Sundanese script, such as the Buda script.
Numerals
Learn more about the specific numeral system used within the Sundanese script.
References
Source Citations
- Rosidi, Ajip (2010). Mengenang hidup orang lain: sejumlah obituari. Kepustakaan Populer Gramedia. ISBN 9789799102225.
- Ekadjati, Edi S. (September 2003). "Sundanese Manuscripts: Their Existence, Functions, and Contents". Journal of the Centre for Documentation & Area-transcultural Studies. 2: 123–134.
- "Sundanese". Atlas of Endangered Alphabets: Indigenous and minority writing systems, and the people who are trying to save them. Retrieved 2020-05-06.
- EVERSON, Michael. Proposal for encoding additional Sundanese characters for Old Sundanese in the UCS. September 5th, 2009.
External Resources
Further Information
- Kairaga - Sundanese Font Development
- Sundanese - Latin Online Transliteration (Archived)
- Sundanese Keyboard Layout
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References
References
- EVERSON, Michael. Proposal for encoding additional Sundanese characters for Old Sundanese in the UCS. Available at [1]. September 5th, 2009.
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