Assamese Script

Assamese script owes a history of development from the Ngari script. Three styles of Assamese script were identified in the seventeenth century. They are baminiya, kaitheli and garhgaya. These three styles gave way to the standard Assamese script. The present Assamese script is similar to the Bengali script.

Under the Ahom dynasty rule the Buranjis were written in Assamese language using Assamese script. Charyapada is the earliest evidence of Assamese script. Madhava Kandali used Assamese script in the 14th century in order to compose Kotha Ramayana which is the first translation of Ramayana in a regional Indian language after Valmiki`s composition.

Assamese script is evident from rock inscriptions and copper plate inscriptions. Kamrupi variety of the Magadhi Prakrit existed between the 6th and 12th century AD. A fifth century rock inscription was discovered in Kamarupa. It is the Eastern Gupta alphabet offshoot of the Brahmi script. This variety of the East India script was developed into the Kutila script. The early Assam inscriptions resemble the Kutila script. The Kalika puran was compiled in Assamese during 9th-10th century from the original Sanskrit book.

Assamese script has a total of 11 vowel letters that was used to represent the eight main vowel sounds of Assamese. Some of these vowel letters have different sounds and there are several vowel distinctions that are preserved in the writing system. Vowel signs are also used in combination with consonants to modify its pronunciation.

The names of these Assamese consonant letters are typically the consonant`s main pronunciation along with the inherent vowel. Since the inherent vowel is presumed, most letters` names look similar to the letter itself. Some letters have also lost their distinctive pronunciation in Modern Assamese and they are called by an elaborate name.

The origin of Assamese script has been traced to the Eastern Indian variety of Brahmi script. Assamese script can be considered also as an Alphabetic - Syllabic script.

In the first theory it says that Assamese script originated from the kutila script which was prevalent in the whole of North India between 4th century A.D and 9th century A.D. The second theory says that the Assamese script originated from the Eastern variety of Gupta Brahmi Script. Assamese is written from left to right and top to bottom manner. The sounds are similar to Bengali language.

Assamese script has evolved basically from ancient Indian script called `Brahmi`. The history has been divided into Ancient Assamese script or Kamrupi script, Medeival script and modern script.

The ancient script spans from fifth century A.D. to thirteenth century. Medieval Assamese script spans from thirteenth century A.D. to nineteenth century. Modern Assamese script spans from Nineteenth century A.D. till date. The name Kamrupi script is derived from the name of ancient Kamarupa kingdom.

The Medieval age of Assamese script starts from Kanai Boroshibowa stone inscription. Ambari and Gochtal stone inscription, Rautkuchi inscription, copper inscription of Madhav Raja, Srikrishna Kirtan and Charjabinisway are other scripts found in the Middle age.

According to Hemachandra Goswami the manuscripts can be categorized into three groups: Gorgoyan script, Bamuniya script and Kaitheli script.

The modern age of Assamese script began with the British rule in Assam. The script that was used by the Christian Missionaries in order to publish books and magazines in Assamese in the 19th century is considered as the Assamese script. With the arrival of the printing machine the Assamese Script also changed drastically.

In the early stage of the Assamese Script there are some punctuation marks for example single vertical line, double vertical lines, single star (*), two single vertical line with a star in the middle position (1*1), double vertical lines with a single star in the middle position (11*11). Some more punctuation marks were used in the medieval period especially in the writings of Sachipat and Julapat. In some manuscripts single or double vertical lines were used. In the modern period, the English punctuation marks are used for example comma (,), Semi-colon (;), note of interrogation (?), note of exclamation (!), and so on. The Assamese Script has ten basic numeral symbols. Calligraphic representation of the Assamese script was popular during the Ahom period when the Ahom kings had patronized the calligraphers. With time however, it lost the popularity.