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Concept
Sinhala script
Summary
The Sinhala script (Siṁhala Akṣara Mālāva), also known as Sinhalese script, is a writing system used by the Sinhalese people and most Sri Lankans in Sri Lanka and elsewhere to write the Sinhala language as well as the liturgical languages Pali and Sanskrit. The Sinhalese Akṣara Mālāva, one of the Brahmic scripts, is a descendant of the Ancient Indian Brahmi script. It is also related to the Grantha script.
The Sinhala script is an abugida written from left to right. Sinhala letters are classified in two sets. The core set of letters forms the alphabet (Pure Sinhala, ශුද්ධ සිංහල), which is a subset of the alphabet (Mixed Sinhala, මිශ්ර සිංහල).
The Sinhala script is a Brahmi derivate and was thought to have been imported from Northern India around the 3rd century BCE. It developed in a complex manner, partly independently but also strongly influenced by South Indian scripts at various stages, manifestly influenced by the early Grantha script. Pottery from the 6th century BCE has been found in Anuradhapura with lithic Brahmi inscriptions written in Prakrit or Sinhala Prakrit. It has caused debate as to whether Ceylonese Brahmi influenced Brahmi in the indian mainland.
Medieval Sinhalese, which emerged around 750 AD, is marked by very strong influence from the Grantha script. Subsequently, Medieval (and modern) Sinhalese resemble the South Indian scripts. By the 9th century CE, literature written in the Sinhala script had emerged and the script began to be used in other contexts. For instance, the Buddhist literature of the Theravada-Buddhists of Sri Lanka, written in Pali, used Sinhala script.
Modern Sinhalese emerged in the 13th century and is marked by the composition of the grammar book Sidat Sangara. In 1736, the Dutch were the first to print with Sinhala type on the island. The resulting type followed the features of the native Sinhala script used on palm leaves. The Dutch created type was monolinear and geometric in fashion, with no separation between words in early documents.
Official source
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