Old Albic alphabet

The Old Albic alphabet is a conscript by Jörg Rhiemeier. It is a featural alphabet used as the native script of Old Albic.

Intra-fictional history

The Old Albic alphabet is probably a conscript.

Before the invention of this alphabet, the Elves were almost entirely illiterate, their language only occasionally being written with the rather ill-suited Phoenician abjad.

The Old Albic alphabet is usually ascribed to Senantho the Grammarian; it is indeed quite likely that as a featural alphabet, it is the conscious design by an individual. The letters p, t and c are apparently taken from the Phoenician script, with the other letters derived from these three by featural principles:

• Angular forms represent voiceless sounds, rounded forms represent voiced sounds.
• A stroke across the tail of a letter marks frication. The sibilant s is marked by another stroke through the middle of the letter.
• A hook on the tail of a letter marks nasal articulation.
• Tailless letters represent liquids and semivowels.
• Vowels are broken down into features, written to the right of a circle opening upwards.
• Long vowels are marked with a vertical stroke above the circle, which also represents the accent type: a straight stroke for thrusting tone, a tilde-like stroke for slipping tone.

External link

• Old Albic alphabet chart - not entirely up to date: the vowel circles should be open to the top