Editing Brahmi script (section)

==Characteristics==
Brahmi is usually written from left to right, as in the case of its descendants. However, an early coin found in [[Eran]] is inscribed with Brahmi running from right to left, as in Aramaic. Several other instances of variation in the writing direction are known, though directional instability is fairly common in ancient writing systems.{{sfn|Salomon|1998|pp=27–28}}
[[File:Shukla Brahmi.svg|thumb|center|The word ''Brā-hmī'' in modern Brahmi font]]

===Consonants===
Brahmi is an [[abugida]], meaning that each letter represents a consonant, while vowels are written with obligatory [[diacritic]]s called ''mātrā''s in Sanskrit, except when the vowels begin a word. When no vowel is written, the vowel {{IPA|/a/}} is understood. This "default short a" is a characteristic shared with Kharosthī, though the treatment of vowels differs in other respects. 
[[File:Brahmi consonants.jpg|thumb|center|upright=4|Brahmi consonants.]]

===Conjunct consonants===
{{see also|Conjunct consonant}}
[[File:ब्राम्हि जोडाक्षरे.jpg|thumb|Some major conjunct consonants in the Brahmi script.]]
Special [[conjunct consonant]]s are used to write [[consonant cluster]]s such as {{IPA|/pr/}} or {{IPA|/rv/}}. In modern Devanagari the components of a conjunct are written left to right when possible (when the first consonant has a vertical stem that can be removed at the right), whereas in Brahmi characters are joined vertically downwards.
<gallery>
File:Brahmi Kya (Ka-Ya) conjunct consonant.jpg|Kya (vertical assembly of consonants "Ka" [[File:Brahmi k.svg|12px]] and "Ya" [[File:Brahmi y.svg|12px]]), as in "[[Shakyas|Sa-kya]]-[[Muni (Saint)|mu-nī]] " ( [[wikt:𑀲𑀓𑁆𑀬𑀫𑀼𑀦𑀻|𑀲𑀓𑁆𑀬𑀫𑀼𑀦𑀻]], "Sage of the [[Shakyas]]")
File:Brahmi Sva (Sa+Va).jpg|Sva (Sa+Va)
File:Brahmi Sya (Sa+Ya).jpg|Sya (Sa+Ya)
File:Brahmi Hmii (Ha+Ma+i+i).jpg|Hmī (Ha+Ma+i+i), as in the word "Brāhmī" (𑀩𑁆𑀭𑀸𑀳𑁆𑀫𑀻).
</gallery>

===Vowels===
[[File:Brahmi diacritic vowels.jpg|thumb|Brahmi diacritic vowels.]]
[[Image:Brahmika.svg|thumb|The Brahmi symbol for /ka/, modified to represent different vowels]]
Vowels following a consonant are inherent or written by diacritics, but initial vowels have dedicated letters. There are three "primary" vowels in Ashokan Brahmi, which each occur in length-contrasted forms: /a/, /i/, /u/; [[vowel length|long vowels]] are derived from the letters for short vowels. There are also four "secondary" vowels that do not have the long-short contrast, /e:/, /ai/, /o:/, /au/.{{sfn|Salomon|1996|pp=373–4}} Note though that the grapheme for /ai/ is derivative from /e/ in a way that parallels the short-long contrast of the primary vowels (historically they were /ai/ and /a:i/). However, there are only nine distinct vowel diacritics, as short {{IPA|/a/}} is understood if no vowel is written. The initial vowel symbol for /au/ is also apparently lacking in the earliest attested phases, even though it has a diacritic. Ancient sources suggest that there were either 11 or 12 vowels enumerated at the beginning of the character list around the Ashokan era, probably adding either ''aṃ'' or ''aḥ''.{{sfn|Bühler|1898|p=32}} Later versions of Brahmi add vowels for four syllabic liquids, short and long /ṛ/ and /ḷ/. Chinese sources indicate that these were later inventions by either [[Nagarjuna]] or Śarvavarman, a minister of King [[Hāla]].{{sfn|Bühler|1898|p=33}}

It has been noted that the basic system of vowel marking common to Brahmi and Kharosthī, in which every consonant is understood to be followed by a vowel, was well suited to Prakrit,<ref name="Daniels 2008">{{cite book |chapter=Writing systems of major and minor languages |title=Language in South Asia |year=2008 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |last=Daniels |first=Peter T. |page=287}}</ref> but as Brahmi was adapted to other languages, a special notation called the ''[[virāma]]'' was introduced to indicate the omission of the final vowel. Kharoṣṭhī also differs in that the initial vowel representation has a single generic vowel symbol that is differentiated by diacritics, and long vowels are not distinguished.

The [[collation]] order of Brahmi is believed to have been the same as most of its descendant scripts, one based on [[Shiksha]], the traditional Vedic theory of Sanskrit phonology. This begins the list of characters with the initial vowels (starting with ''a''), then lists a subset of the consonants in five phonetically related groups of five called ''vargas'', and ends with four liquids, three sibilants, and a spirant. [[Thomas Trautmann]] attributes much of the popularity of the Brahmic script family to this "splendidly reasoned" system of arrangement.{{sfn|Trautmann|2006|p=62–64}}
{{Brahmi vowel compounds}}

===Punctuation===
[[File:Vidisha ivory carvers inscription in Sanchi.jpg|thumb|upright=2|A 1st century BCE/CE inscription from [[Sanchi]]: ''"Vedisakehi daṃtakārehi rupakaṃmaṃ kataṃ"'' ({{Script|Brah|𑀯𑁂𑀤𑀺𑀲𑀓𑁂𑀳𑀺 𑀤𑀁𑀢𑀓𑀸𑀭𑁂𑀳𑀺 𑀭𑀼𑀧𑀓𑀁𑀫𑀁 𑀓𑀢𑀁}}, "Ivory workers from [[Vidisha]] have done the carving").<ref>{{cite book |last1=Chakrabarti |first1=Manika |title=Mālwa in Post-Maurya Period: A Critical Study with Special Emphasis on Numismatic Evidences |date=1981 |publisher=Punthi Pustak |page=100 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jba1AAAAIAAJ |language=en |access-date=2018-10-01 |archive-date=2021-07-08 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210708070125/https://books.google.com/books?id=jba1AAAAIAAJ |url-status=live}}</ref>]] Punctuation<ref>Ram Sharma, ''Brāhmī Script: Development in North-Western India and Central Asia'', 2002</ref> can be perceived as more of an exception than as a general rule in Asokan Brahmi. For instance, distinct spaces in between the words appear frequently in the pillar edicts but not so much in others. ("Pillar edicts" refers to the texts that are inscribed on the stone pillars oftentimes with the intention of making them public.)  The idea of writing each word separately was not consistently used.

In the early Brahmi period, the existence of punctuation marks is not very well shown. Each letter has been written independently with some occasional space between words and longer sections.

In the middle period, the system seems to be developing. The use of a dash and a curved horizontal line is found. A lotus (flower) mark seems to mark the end, and a circular mark appears to indicate the full stop. There seem to be varieties of full stop.

In the late period, the system of interpunctuation marks gets more complicated. For instance, there are four different forms of vertically slanted double dashes that resemble " //" to mark the completion of the composition. Despite all the decorative signs that were available during the late period, the signs remained fairly simple in the inscriptions. One of the possible reasons may be that engraving is restricted while writing is not.

Baums identifies seven different punctuation marks needed for computer representation of Brahmi:<ref>{{cite book|author1=Stefan Baums|chapter=Towards a computer encoding for Brahmi|editor1-last=Gail|editor1-first=A.J.|editor2-last=Mevissen|editor2-first=G.J.R.|editor3-last=Saloman|editor3-first=R.|title=Script and Image: Papers on Art and Epigraphy|date=2006|publisher=Shri Jainendra Press|location=New Delhi|pages=111–143}}</ref>
* single (𑁇) and double (𑁈) vertical bar ([[danda]]) – delimiting clauses and verses
* dot (𑁉), double dot (𑁊), and horizontal line (𑁋) – delimiting shorter textual units
* crescent (𑁌) and lotus (𑁍) – delimiting larger textual units