Abstract
Paleographers have recognized two main writing systems in India -Kharosthī, and Brāhmī. Kharosthī is probably derived either from the Aramaic word Harūttā, which means writing/engraving, or from the Persian word Kẖar-ustar, which means a caravan of merchants. Kharosthī was in use mainly in North-West regions of India between 300 B. C. and 400 A. D. As Kharosthī was written from right to left, its origin is unequivocally connected with the Semitic group. Brāhmī, derived from the word Brahma meaning God of creation, is the basis of almost all modern Indian languages. It is hard to decide when exactly Brāhmī was introduced into India, though the earliest recorded proof is from the inscriptions of Ashoka dated 272–231 B. C. Although Buhler (1892) proposed an independent Dravidian script for South India, it is generally accepted now that both South India and North India had similar scripts in the beginning (as evidenced by the earliest inscriptions from the South), and at a later stage evolved independently to suit the local languages.
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© 1989 Kluwer Academic Publishers
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Prakash, P., Joshi, R.M. (1989). Language Representation and Reading in Kannada — A South Indian Language. In: Aaron, P.G., Joshi, R.M. (eds) Reading and Writing Disorders in Different Orthographic Systems. NATO ASI Series, vol 52. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-1041-6_14
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-1041-6_14
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