Basahan

Basahan
Guhit, Súrat Bikolnon
Basahan; Guhit, Súrat Bikolnon
Script type	Abugida
Languages	Bicol
Related scripts
Parent systems	Proto-Sinaitic alphabet Phoenician alphabet Aramaic alphabet Brāhmī Tamil Pallava Old Kawi Baybayin Basahan; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;
Sister systems	In the Philippines: Buhid; Kulitan; Hanunó'o; Tagbanwa script In other countries:; Balinese; Batak; Javanese; Lontara; Sundanese; Rencong; Rejang
	This article contains phonetic transcriptions in the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA). For an introductory guide on IPA symbols, see Help:IPA. For the distinction between [ ], / / and ⟨ ⟩, see IPA § Brackets and transcription delimiters.

Basahan script, also known as Guhit, is the native name used by Bicolanos to refer to Baybayin.

Front cover of Mintz's bikol dictionary shows Basahan script.

The word basahan was already recorded in a book entitled Vocabulario de la Lengua Bicol by Marcos de Lisboa in 1628, which states it has three vowels and fifteen consonants.^[1]

Alphabet

Ancient characters of Tagalog and Camarines people has three stand-alone vowels (a, e/i, o/u) and fifteen consonants (ba, ka, da, ga, ha, la, ma, na, nga, pa, ra, sa, ta, wa, ya). This script can be called an abugida because signs represent syllables, that is a consonant with a vowel.

Way of writing

Historic: , Traditional: , Modern:

According to Scott, when e.g. the sign for ba has to be read as be / bi it has a kaldit (a small "v" shaped diacritic sign) on the left (or above), if it has to be read as bu / bo the kaldit is on the right (resp. below). The ancient characters of Tagalog and Camarines people had its own character for /r/, in contrast to more common modern Baybayin version and Ilokano Kurdita.^[2] In his time the kaldit was called kaholoan or holo according to Marcos de Lisboa, author of the earliest dictionary of Bikol.^[3]^[2]

According to Lisboa, the writing of the old Bikolnons started from the bottom up, writing to the right.^[4]^[2] However, some scholars such as Ignacio Villamor who have studied the 'basahan' of pre-Hispanic Filipinos strongly emphasize that they all wrote the scriptures in a straight line starting from left to right, then returning on the left at the beginning, keep writing right.^[5]

References

^ Lisboa, Maŕcos de (1865). "basahan". Vocabulario de la Lengua Bicol (in Spanish and Bikol). p. 60. Retrieved 2019-12-01. BASAHAN. pc. El a, b, c, de ellos por donde aprenden á leer que tiene quince letras consonantes, y tres vocales, a, e, o.
^ ^a ^b ^c Scott, William Henry (2004). Barangay. Ateneo de Manila University Press. p. 186. ISBN 971-550-135-4.
^ Lisboa, Maŕcos de (1865). "caholoan". Vocabulario de la Lengua Bicol (in Spanish and Bikol). p. 86. Retrieved 2019-12-01. CAHOLOAN. pc. Una virgula de esta manera, V. que ponen á los lados de sus caractéres, etc.
^ [1] p. 363. Vocabulario de la lengua bicol. Kinua 10-16-20
^ Villamor, Ignacio. La Antigua Escritura Filipina.Tip. Pontificia Del Colegio De Sto. Tomas.publ. 1922.

External links

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[1] Lisboa, Maŕcos de (1865). "basahan". Vocabulario de la Lengua Bicol (in Spanish and Bikol). p. 60. Retrieved 2019-12-01. BASAHAN. pc. El a, b, c, de ellos por donde aprenden á leer que tiene quince letras consonantes, y tres vocales, a, e, o.

[William_Scott-2] Scott, William Henry (2004). Barangay. Ateneo de Manila University Press. p. 186. ISBN 971-550-135-4.

[3] Lisboa, Maŕcos de (1865). "caholoan". Vocabulario de la Lengua Bicol (in Spanish and Bikol). p. 86. Retrieved 2019-12-01. CAHOLOAN. pc. Una virgula de esta manera, V. que ponen á los lados de sus caractéres, etc.

[4] [1] p. 363. Vocabulario de la lengua bicol. Kinua 10-16-20

[5] Villamor, Ignacio. La Antigua Escritura Filipina.Tip. Pontificia Del Colegio De Sto. Tomas.publ. 1922.

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