| Kulitan Pamagkulit, Súlat Kapampángan | |
|---|---|
 Modern Kulitan script | |
| Script type | |
Time period | Old Kapampangan c.1600s[1] – 1900s Modern Kulitan 1900s – present |
| Direction | Right-to-left script, top-to-bottom  |
| Languages | Kapampangan |
| Related scripts | |
Parent systems | |
Sister systems | In the Philippines: Baybayin Buhid Hanunó'o Tagbanwa script In other countries: Balinese Batak Javanese Lontara Sundanese Rencong Rejang |
| This article containsphonetic transcriptions in theInternational Phonetic Alphabet (IPA). For an introductory guide on IPA symbols, seeHelp:IPA. For the distinction between[ ],/ / and ⟨ ⟩, seeIPA § Brackets and transcription delimiters. | |
| Brahmic scripts |
|---|
| TheBrahmi script and its descendants |
Kulitan, also known assúlat Kapampángan andpamagkulit, is one of the various indigenoussuyat[3] writing systems in the Philippines. It was used for writingKapampangan, a language mainly spoken inCentral Luzon, until it was gradually replaced by theLatin alphabet.
Kulitan is an abugida, or an alphasyllabary — a segmental writing system in wherein consonant–vowel sequences are written as a unit and possess an inherent vowel sound that can be altered with use of diacritical marks. There is a proposal to encode the script in Unicode by Anshuman Pandey, from the Department of Linguistics at UC Berkeley.[4] There are also proposals to revive the script by teaching it in Kapampangan-majority public and private schools.[3]
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While the precise origins ofkulitan are uncertain,[1] it ultimately derives from theSouth AsianBrāhmī script.Pampanga had already developed special shapes for four letters by the early 1600s, different from the ones used elsewhere in theSpanish colony. What is used today, however, is amodernized version of the ancient script that employsconsonant stacking,[5] bringing it closer to otherBrahmic scripts such asBurmese,Khmer andTibetan.
Philippine nationalists ofPampangan ethnicity, such asAurelio Tolentino andZoilo Hilario, had employedkulitan in their writings in their efforts toexpel the Spaniards and repel theinvading Americans.[1] There are currently active attempts to revive the use of the script.[6]
The indigenous characters were recorded asculit by the early 17th and 18th century Spanish lexicographers (Benavente, 1699 and Bergaño, 1732).[7][8] This served as inspiration for the name "Kulitan" which was recently coined to refer to the modern writing system. The ordinary folks simply called themSúlat Kapampángan to distinguish them from theLatin script.
Kulitan is made up ofIndûng Súlat, or the "progenitor" (literally "mother") characters, and theAnak Súlat, or the "offspring" (literally "child") characters. The Indûng Súlat are the base characters with the unaltered inherent vowel sounds. They are the building blocks of Súlat Kapampángan. Indûng súlat gives birth to Anak Súlat or "offspring" characters whenever their inherent vowel sound has been altered by a ligature or a diacritical mark.
Thesiuálâ or vowels in Kulitan are usually written asgarlit[9] or diacritical marks placed above or below an individual Indûng Súlat or "mother" character. Ligatures are also sometimes used to further lengthen these vowel sounds or represent the monophthongized diphthongs AI (E) and AU (O). A glyph with a diacritical mark or ligature attached to it is an Anak Súlat or "offspring" character. A consonant can lose its following vowel if written at the right side of the preceding consonant.
The recital order of the Indûng Súlat characters are A, I, U, E, O, GA, KA, NGA, TA, DA, NA, LA, SA, MA, PA, BA.[10]
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Historic:
, Traditional:
, Modern:
Kulitan is currently the only indigenous script in the Philippines that is written and read vertically from top to bottom and from right to left. In contrast, theSurat Mangyan,Hanunóo andBuhid scripts are written vertically from bottom to top and from left to right but read in any orientation.
Handwritten samples and signatures found in 17th century land deeds at theUniversity of Santo Tomas Archives indicate that Kulitan was rarely written vertically.[11]
Media related toKulitan at Wikimedia Commons