Lontara

The Lontara script is descended from theBrahmi script of ancient India. The namelontara derives from the Malay word for the palmyra palm,lontar, the leaves of which are the traditional material for manuscripts in India, South East Asia and Indonesia.

Notable features

Type of writing system:Abugida / Syllabic Alphabet
Script family:Proto-Sinaitic,Phoenician,Aramaic,Brāhmī,Pallava,Kawi, Lontara
Writing direction: left to right in horizontal lines
In common with otherBrahmi-derived syllabic alphabets, each consonant has an inherent vowel [a], other vowels are indicated by adding diacritics above or below a consonant.

Used to write:

Bugis or Buginese (Basa Ugi / ᨅᨔ ᨕᨘᨁᨗ),Makassarese (ᨅᨔ ᨆᨀᨔᨑ) andMandar, Austronesian languages spoken on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi.

This script was once used to write laws, treaties, maps, etc in Bugis, but is now only used for marriage ceremonies. Makassarese (ᨅᨔ ᨆᨀᨔᨑ / Basa Mangkasara'), is still written with this script, although the Latin alphabet is officially favoured.

Lontara script for Bugis

Bugis consonants

Thepallawa is used to separate rhythmico-intonational groups, and has a similar function to the fullstop and comma. It can also be used to denote the doubling of a word or its root.

Download an alphabet chart for Bugis (Excel)

Sample text in the Lontara script in Bugis

Sample text in the Lontara alphabet in Bugis

Transliteration

nako əŋka taupasala. aja mupatalalowi pacalamu ritopasalae. pasitujuwimutowisa asalana pacalamu. apa ikonatu nagili dewatea. nako baicumupi asalana tauwe. muperajaisa. padatowi. nako pasalai tauwe. aja timucalai risitinajanaetosa asalana.

Translation

If you deal with a person guilty of something, do not punish him too harshly. Always make the punishment commensurable with the guilt, since God will be angry with you if the person's guilt is not great and you are exaggerating it. Equally, if a person is guilty, do not let him go without a punishment in accordance with his guilt.

Source:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lontara_alphabet

Information about Bugis |Bilang-bilang script |Numbers |Tower of Babel

Links

Information about Lontara, Buginese and Makassarese
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lontara
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buginese_language
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Makassarese_language

Lontara fonts
http://www.wazu.jp/gallery/Fonts_Buginese.html
http://alibataatpandesal.com/outbox.html

Malayo-Polynesian languages

Alorese,Ambai,Ambel,Anuki,Baduy,Balinese,Batuley,Bawean,Bawm,Biak,Bima,Chamorro,Enggano,Fijian,Fordata,Gayo,Iban,Javanese,Kei,Komering,Lamaholot,Lampung,Madurese,Mbula,Mentawai,Mualang,Musi,Ngaju,Nias,Nuaulu,Ogan,Palauan,Sasak,Sawai,Selaru,Sumbawa,Sundanese,Toqabaqita,Wakasihu,Wamesa,Wooi,Yamdena

Languages written with theLontara script

Bugis,Makasarese,Mandar

Languages written with the Latin alphabet

Abugidas / Syllabic alphabets

Ahom,Aima,Arleng,Badagu,Badlit,Basahan,Balinese,Balti-A,Balti-B,Batak,Baybayin,Bengali,Bhaiksuki,Bhujimol,Bilang-bilang,Bima,Blackfoot,Brahmi,Buhid,Burmese,Carrier,Chakma,Cham,Cree,Dehong Dai,Devanagari,Dham Lipi,Dhankari / Sirmauri,Ditema,Dives Akuru,Dogra,Ethiopic,Evēla Akuru,Fox,Fraser,Gond,Goykanadi,Grantha,Gujarati,Gunjala Gondi,Gupta,Gurmukhi,Halbi Lipi,Hanifi,Hanuno'o,Hočąk,Ibalnan,Incung,Inuktitut,Jaunsari Takri,Javanese,Kaithi,Kadamba,Kamarupi,Kannada,Kawi,Kharosthi,Khema,Khe Prih,Khmer,Khojki,Khom Thai,Khudabadi,Kirat Rai,Kōchi,Kodava Lipi,Komering,Kulitan,Kurukh Banna,Lai Tay (Tai Yo),Lampung,Lanna,Lao,Leke,Lepcha,Limbu,Lontara/Makasar,Lota Ende,Magar Akkha,Mahajani,Malayalam,Meitei (Modern),Manpuri (Old),Marchen,Meetei Yelhou Mayek,Meroïtic,Masarm Gondi,Modi,Mon,Mongolian Horizontal Square Script,Multani,Nandinagari,Newa,New Tai Lue,Ojibwe,Odia,Ogan,Pahawh Hmong,Pallava,Phags-pa,Purva Licchavi,Qiang / Rma,Ranjana,Rejang (Kaganga),Sasak,Savara,Satera Jontal,Shan,Sharda,Sheek Bakrii Saphaloo,Siddham,Sinhala,Sorang Sompeng,Sourashtra,Soyombo,Sukhothai,Sundanese,Syloti Nagri,Tagbanwa,Tai Noi,Takri,Tamil,Tanchangya (Ka-Pat),Tani,Thaana,Telugu,Thai,Thirke,Tibetan,Tigalari,Tikamuli,Tocharian,Tolong Siki,Vatteluttu,Warang Citi

Other writing systems

Page last modified: 06.01.25

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