Clear Script
Clear Script (Oirat: ᡐᡆᡑᡆ
ᡋᡅᡒᡅᡎ, Тодо бичиг, [todo bit͡ʃ(ə)k], todo biçig; Mongolian: Тодо бичиг, ᠲᠣᠳᠣ
ᠪᠢᠴᠢᠭ tod bichig, [tɔt bit͡ʃək], Russian Buryat: Тодо бэшэг, Todo besheg ([tɔdɔ bɛʃək]), or just todo) is an alphabet created in 1648 by the Oirat Buddhist monk Zaya Pandita for the Oirat language.[1][2][3] It was developed on the basis of the Mongolian script with the goal of distinguishing all sounds in the spoken language, and to make it easier to transcribe Sanskrit and the Tibetic languages.
| Clear Script Oirat alphabet | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Script type | |
| Creator | Zaya Pandita |
Time period | ca. 1648 – today |
| Direction | top-to-bottom  |
| Languages | Oirat Sanskrit Tibetic |
| Related scripts | |
Parent systems | |
Sister systems | Manchu alphabet Vagindra script |
| ISO 15924 | |
| ISO 15924 | Mong, , Mongolian |
| Unicode | |
Unicode alias | Mongolian |
| U+1800 – U+18AF | |
History
Clear Script is a Mongolian script, whose obvious closest forebear is vertical Mongolian. This Mongolian script was derived from the Old Uyghur alphabet, which itself was descended from the Aramaic alphabet.[4] Aramaic is an abjad, an alphabet that has no symbols for vowels, and Clear Script is the first in this line of descendants to develop a full system of symbols for all the vowel sounds.[4]
Formation
Clear Script was developed as a better way to write Mongolian, specifically of the Western Mongolian groups of the Oirats and Kalmyks.[3] It resolved ambiguities in the written language by assigning symbols to vowels, and adding new symbols and diacritics to show vowels and vowel lengths, and to distinguish between voiced and unvoiced consonants.[3] Symbols that were preserved from the traditional Mongolian script were assigned a fixed meaning.[2]
There were even some marks enabling distinctions that were unimportant for words written in the Oirat language but were useful for the transcription of foreign words and names, such as between ši and si.[2]
Usage
Clear Script was used by Oirat and neighboring Mongols, mostly in the late 17th and early 18th centuries.[2] It was widely used by its creator and others to translate Buddhist works so that they might better spread the Buddhist religion throughout western Mongolia. Though the script was useful for translating works from other languages, especially Tibetan, it was also used more informally, as evidenced by some letters from the late 1690s.[2]
Around the 19th and early 20th centuries, some Altaians in Russia were able utilize the script to read and write texts due to contacts with Mongolian Buddhists.[5]
The script was used by Kalmyks in Russia until 1924, when it was replaced by the Cyrillic script. In Xinjiang, Oirats still use it, although today Mongolian education takes place in Chakhar Mongolian all across China.
Writing in Clear Script
This script is a vertical script, as was its 'vertical Mongolian' parent script. Letters and diacritics are written along a central axis. Portions of letters to the right of the axis generally slant up, and portions to the left of the axis generally slant down. The only signs that do not follow these rules are the horizontal signs for S Š and part of Ö.[2] Words are delineated by a space, as well as different letter forms. Though most letters only come in one shape, there are some letters that look different depending on where in the word they occur, whether they are initial, medial, or final.[3]
There is an alphabetic order in Clear Script, as in other related scripts, but the order for Clear Script is not the same as its Mongolian parents nor its Aramaic ancestors.[2]
Tables
| Tod bichig | Cyrillic | Latin | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ᠠ | А | A | Same as Hudum bichig |
| ᡄ | Э | E | |
| ᡅ | И | I | |
| ᡆ | О | O | |
| ᡇ | У | U | |
| ᡈ | Ө | Ö | |
| ᡉ | Ү | Ü | |
| Tod bichig | Cyrillic | Latin | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ᡋ | Б | B | |
| ᡏ | М | M | |
| ᠯ | Л | L | Same as Hudum bichig |
| ᠰ | С | S | Same as Hudum bichig |
| ᠱ | Ш | Sh | Same as Hudum bichig |
| ᠨ | Н | N | Same as Hudum bichig |
| ᡍ | Х | X | |
| ᡎ | Һ | Q | |
| ᡐ | Т | T | |
| ᡑ | Д | D | |
| ᡔ | Ц | C | |
| ᡒ | Ч | Ch | |
| ᠴ | З | Z | |
| ᡓ | Ж | J | |
| ᡕ | Й | Y | |
| ᠷ | Р | R | Same as Hudum bichig |
| ᡊ | Ң | Ng | |
| Tod bichig | Cyrillic | Latin |
|---|---|---|
| ᡌ | П | P |
| ᡙ | Г | H |
| ᡘ | Г | G |
| ᡗ | Қ | Kh |
| ᡚ | Җ | J |
| ᡛ | Ñ | |
| ᡜ | Dz | |
| ᢘ | T | |
| ᢙ | Zh | |
| ᠸ | Ф | F |
| ᡖ | В | W |
See also
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Todo bichig. |
References
- N. Yakhantova, The Mongolian and Oirat Translations of the Sutra of Golden Light Archived 2016-04-07 at the Wayback Machine, 2006
- Kara, György. Books of the Mongolian Nomads. Bloomington: Indiana University, 2005.
- Eds. Daniels, Peter T. and William Bright. The World's Writing Systems. New York: Oxford University Press, 1996
- Gnanadesikan, Amalia. The Writing Revolution. West Sussex: Wiley-Blackwell, 2009.
- Kos'min, V. K. (2007). "Mongolian Buddhism's Influence on the Formation and Development of Burkhanism in Altai". Anthropology & Archeology of Eurasia. 45 (3): 43–72. doi:10.2753/aae1061-1959450303. ISSN 1061-1959.