Editing Messapic language (section)

== Alphabet ==
The Messapic alphabet is an adaptation of the [[Archaic Greek alphabets|Western ("red") Greek alphabets]], specifically the [[Laconia]]n-[[Taranto|Tarantinian]] version.{{Sfn|De Simone|2017|p=1840}} The actual Messapic inscriptions are attested from the 6th century BC onward, while the [[Peucetians|Peucetian]] and [[Daunians|Daunian]] epigraphic record (written in a local variant of the Hellenistic alphabet rather than in the older Messapic script) only begins in the 4th century BC.{{Sfn|Marchesini|2009|p=|pp=139–141}}{{Sfn|De Simone|2017|p=1841}}

=== Messapic ===
The Greek letter Φ (/pʰ/) was not adopted, because it would have been superfluous for Messapic.{{Sfn|De Simone|2017|p=1840}} While [[zeta]] "normally" represented the voiced counterpart to /s/, it may have been an affricate in some cases.{{Sfn|De Simone|2017|p=1840}} The value of Θ is unclear, but is clearly dental; it may be an affricate or a spirant. In any case it appears to have arisen partly as the reflex of the segment *''ty''.{{Sfn|De Simone|2017|p=1840}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center"
! Messapic
! [[Archaic Greek alphabets|Western Greek]]
! Greek name
! Phonetic value
|-
|[[File:Messapic-a.svg|90x90px]]
|[[File:Greek_Alpha_03.svg|25x25px]]
|[[alpha]]
|{{IPAslink|a}}
|-
|[[File:Messapic-b.svg|15x15px]]
|[[File:Greek_Beta_16.svg|25x25px]]
|[[beta]]
|{{IPAslink|b}}
|-
|[[File:Messapic-g.svg|13x13px]]
|[[File:Greek_Gamma_archaic_1.svg|25x25px]]
|[[gamma]]
|{{IPAslink|g}}
|-
|[[File:Messapic-d.svg|50x50px]]
|[[File:Greek_Delta_03.svg|25x25px]]
|[[Delta (letter)|delta]]
|{{IPAslink|d}}
|-
|[[File:Messapic-e.svg|60x60px]]
|[[File:Greek_Epsilon_04.svg|25x25px]]
|[[epsilon]]
|{{IPAslink|e}}
|-
|[[File:Messapic-v.svg|30x30px]]
|[[File:Greek_Digamma_oblique.svg|25x25px]]
|[[digamma]]
|{{IPAslink|v}}
|-
|[[File:Messapic-z.svg|40x40px]]
|[[File:Greek_Zeta_archaic.svg|25x25px]]
|[[zeta]]
|{{IPAslink|z}}, {{IPAslink|dz}}, {{IPA|/dš/}}
|-
|[[File:Messapic-eta.svg|14x14px]]
|[[File:Greek_Eta_normal.svg|25x25px]]
|[[eta]]
|{{IPAslink|h}}
|-
|[[File:Messapic-h.svg|40x40px]]
|[[File:Greek_Eta_archaic.svg|25x25px]]
|[[heta]]
|{{IPAslink|h}}
|-
|[[File:Messapic-theta.svg|80x80px]]
|[[File:Greek_Theta_archaic_straight.svg|25x25px]]
|[[theta]]
|{{IPAslink|θ}}
|-
|[[File:Messapic-i.svg|20x20px]]
|[[File:Greek_Iota_normal.svg|25x25px]]
|[[iota]]
|{{IPAslink|i}}
|-
|[[File:Messapic-k.svg|16x16px]]
|[[File:Greek_Kappa_normal.svg|25x25px]]
|[[kappa]]
|{{IPAslink|k}}
|-
|[[File:Messapic-l.svg|40x40px]]
|[[File:Greek_Lambda_09.svg|25x25px]]
|[[lambda]]
|{{IPAslink|l}}
|-
|[[File:Messapic-m.svg|40x40px]]
|[[File:Greek_Mu_02.svg|25x25px]]
|[[Mu (letter)|mu]]
|{{IPAslink|m}}
|-
|[[File:Messapic-n.svg|50x50px]]
|[[File:Greek_Nu_archaic.svg|25x25px]]
|[[Nu (letter)|nu]]
|{{IPAslink|n}}
|-
|[[File:Messapic-croce.svg|30x30px]]
|[[File:Greek Chi normal.svg|24x24px]]
|[[Xi (letter)|xi]]
|{{IPA|/š/}}
|-
|[[File:Messapic-o.svg|40x40px]]
|[[File:Greek_Omicron_normal.svg|25x25px]]
|[[omicron]]
|{{IPAslink|o}}, {{IPAslink|u}}
|-
|[[File:Messapic-p.svg|40x40px]]
|[[File:Greek_Pi_archaic.svg|25x25px]]
|[[Pi (letter)|pi]]
|{{IPAslink|p}}
|-
|[[File:Messapic-q.svg|20x20px]]
|[[File:Greek_Koppa_normal.svg|25x25px]]
|[[Koppa (letter)|koppa]]
|{{IPAslink|k}} (before /o/)
|-
|[[File:Messapic-r.svg|40x40px]]
|[[File:Greek_Rho_pointed.svg|25x25px]]
|[[rho]]
|{{IPAslink|r}}
|-
|[[File:Messapic-s.svg|80x80px]]
|[[File:Greek Iota 04.svg|24x24px]]
|[[sigma]]
|{{IPAslink|s}}
|-
|[[File:Messapic-t.svg|40x40px]]
|[[File:Greek_Tau_normal.svg|25x25px]]
|[[Tau (letter)|tau]]
|{{IPAslink|t}}
|-
|[[File:Messapic-trident1.svg|40x40px]]
|[[File:Greek_Psi_straight.svg|25x25px]][[File:Greek Chi 05.svg|24x24px]]
|[[Chi (letter)|chi]]
|{{IPAslink|kʰ}} > -h-, -y- (intervocalic before /i/)
|-
|[[File:Messapic-trident2.svg|40x40px]]
| –
| –
|{{IPAslink|tʰ}} > /θ/
|-
!Sources
| colspan="12" |{{Harvnb|Marchesini|2009|pp=144–145}}; {{Harvnb|Matzinger|2014|pp=10–14}}; {{Harvnb|De Simone|2017|pp=1839–1844}}
|-
!Note
| colspan="12" |The letters are arranged in chronological order of appearance. Some [[letterform]]s went out of use and were replaced by new shapes (see {{Harvnb|Matzinger|2014|pp=10–14}}).
|}

===Apulian===
The script used in northern Apulia was rather peculiar, and some consider it to be a distinct writing system named ''Apulian''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://edisciplinas.usp.br/pluginfile.php/4404527/mod_resource/content/1/Daunians%2C%20Peucetians%20and%20Messapians.pdf|title=Daunians, Peucetians and Messapians? Societies and Settlements in South-East Italy|author=Edward Herring|year=2012|page=274}}</ref> A notable difference between the Apulian alphabet and the Laconian-Tarentinian Messapic alphabet was the use of Η (''eta'') for /ē/ rather than /h/.{{Sfn|De Simone|1988|p=}}{{Sfn|De Simone|2017|p=1841}}{{Sfn|Matzinger|2014|p=15}}