Cypriot syllabary
Script details
See all script details: code, region, status and more
| Code | Cprt |
| Script type | syllabary |
| Region | European |
| Status | Historical |
| Direction | RTL |
| Baseline | bottom |
| Case | no |
| White space | none |
| Complex behaviors | |
| OpenType code | cprt |
| ISO 15924 Numeric Code / Key | 403 (syllabic) |
Script description
The Cypriot script was used from approximately the 11th to the 4th centuries BC, for writing the Greek language in Cyprus.
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It descended from the Linear A script, and is closely related to the Linear B script, but has no visual or structural relationship to the Greek alphabet. The script was used primarily for record keeping, not for literary purposes.
The Cypriot script was a syllabary, with each of fifty-six letters representing an open (CV) syllable. It was written from right to left without interword spacing. Voiced sounds were under-represented in the script, despite being distinctive in speech. For example, the p series of letters (pa, pe, pi, po, pu) represented syllables beginning with both [p] and [b].
In order to represent syllables with a structure other than CV, for example, CCV, CVC or CVV (diphthongs), certain spelling conventions were implemented. Consonant clusters were written using CV signs whose vowels agreed with the vowel of the whole syllable. So bre was written using the signs be+re. In consonant clusters in which a nasal preceded another consonant, the nasal was not written. Closed CVC syllables were written using the e series of sounds. In spoken Greek, only the consonants [n], [r], and [s] were used at the end of a word, so only the signs representing ne, re and se were written to close a syllable. Diphthongs were always written out, with the independent vowel signs representing the second part of the diphthong.
Word breaks were not indicated by spaces or any other means.
Languages that use this script
| Language | Writing System Code | Writing System Status | SLDR/CLDR locale | Regional variants |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eteocypriot | ecy-Cprt | in use | ecy-Cprt-CY (Cyprus) |
Unicode status
In The Unicode Standard, Cypriot syllabary implementation is discussed in Chapter 8 Europe-II — Ancient and Other Scripts
.
Resources
- ScriptSource page for Cypriot syllabary - all about scripts, languages, and writing systems
- Wikipedia article on Cypriot syllabary