Culture · 6 pages · 12 min
How an alphabet differs from a syllabary
An alphabet writes sounds as separate letters, and a syllabary writes each syllable as one sign.
From the opening
An alphabet uses separate signs for consonants and vowels, the pieces inside a syllable. A syllabary uses one sign for a whole syllable or mora, so consonant and vowel are not written as parts you can swap. The opening covers segments versus whole syllables, kana signs track morae, and abjads and abugidas sit between.
The rest of the brief — the later sections and the reading notes — opens after Stripe confirms payment.
Inside
- Segments versus whole syllables
- Kana signs track morae
- Abjads and abugidas sit between
- Small alphabets, larger syllabaries
- Where the idea stops applying
- A distinction worth keeping
Sources
- Segmental alphabets versus syllabic sign sets
- Kana as a moraic writing system