Tibetan script is a segmental abugida of the Brahmic family used to write Tibetic languages. According to tradition it was developed at the Pabonka Hermitage during the reign of King Songtsen Gampo by his minister Thonmi Sambhota, who was said to have been sent to India to study Sanskrit and Buddhist scripture before adapting the Gupta script to Tibetan. Its printed form is called Uchen and its everyday cursive hand Ume. The historicity of Thonmi Sambhota himself is difficult to verify: the earliest surviving Tibetan chronicles do not mention him.
Facts
Disputed
In Use Since (Year)Traditionally dated to c. 620 under King Songtsen Gampo, but the historical existence of Thonmi Sambhota, the minister credited with its invention, is difficult to verify, and the earliest Tibetan chronicles do not mention him. DirectionalitySyllables are written left to right. 1 Connections
Descends From
Indirect: by way of the Gupta script, a later Brahmic form used in India when the adaptation is said to have taken place.
Source Wikipedia: Tibetan Script
Script Of
Source Wikipedia: Standard Tibetan
Sources
1. Wikipedia: Tibetan Script
History section
It is difficult to verify the historical existence of Thönmi Sambhoṭa, and about his legend of the invention of the Tibetan script.
Lead section
In the Tibetan script, the syllables are written from left to right.
View the SourceWikipedia: Standard Tibetan
Dissenting Readings (1 dissenting reading)
In Use Since (Year)
In "A New Look at the Tibetan Invention of Writing" (Old Tibetan Documents Monograph Series), van Schaik argues it is difficult, if not impossible, to determine whether a historical Thonmi Sambhota existed at all, let alone whether he personally invented the script; the earliest surviving Tibetan chronicles, including the Old Tibetan Chronicle, do not mention him.
A dissenting reading, from Sam van SchaikWikipedia: Tibetan Script
Reader Challenges (0)
No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.
Sign in to dispute this or suggest a correction.