Glagolitic script: Difference between revisions
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24 letters are derived from graphemes of the Greek small alphabet in italics und 14 signs are of unknown oriental origin. A part of the 14 signs probably stems from the [[Hebrew]] and [[Samaritan]] script, which Cyril got to know during his journey to the [[Khasars]] in Cherson. The 24 Greek signs have been given an ornamental design. |
24 letters are derived from graphemes of the Greek small alphabet in italics und 14 signs are of unknown oriental origin. A part of the 14 signs probably stems from the [[Hebrew]] and [[Samaritan]] script, which Cyril got to know during his journey to the [[Khasars]] in Cherson. The 24 Greek signs have been given an ornamental design. |
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The script was brought to Great Moravia by Cyril and Methodius in 863, was used there between 863 and 885 for government and religious documents and books, and at the Great Moravian Academy (Veľkomoravské učilište) founded by Cyril, where followers of Cyril and Methodius were educated (also by Methodius himself). The script was prohibited in 885 by a Frankish bishop of [[Nitra]] and the students fled to the [[Ohridsko]] lake (present-day [[Makedonia]], at that time [[Bulgaria]]), where they founded a new academy. Some of the students then went to [[Croatia]], [[Dalmatia]] and [[Bohemia]]. At the end of the [[9th centrury]], one of these students of Cyril set up the [[Cyrillic alphabet]], and this descendant of the Glagolic almost entirely replaced the Glagolic during the [[Middle Ages]]. |
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The Glagolitic alphabet was almost entirely replaced during the [[Middle Ages]] by its descendant, the [[Cyrillic alphabet]]. |
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Nowadays, it's only used for [[Old Church Slavonic]] and, sometimes, vernacular in the service-books of the Catholic [[Eparchy of Krizevci]] in the former Yugoslavia. |
Nowadays, it's only used for [[Old Church Slavonic]] and, sometimes, vernacular in the service-books of the Catholic [[Eparchy of Krizevci]] in the former Yugoslavia. |
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Formerly, the tradition that the alphabet was designed by the Greek monks Saint Cyril and [[Saint Methodius]] was not universally accepted. A less common belief was that the Glagolitic was created by [[St. Jerome]], hence the name ''Hieronymian''. The Slavs of Great Moravia (present-day Slovakia and Moravia), [[Hungary]], [[Slovenia]] and [[Slavonia]] were called Slov(i)enians at that time, hence the name "Slovenish". |
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While based mainly on mediaeval [[Greek alphabet|Greek]], there are some letters of uncertain or unknown origin. |
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Even the tradition that the alphabet was designed by the Greek monks Saint Cyril and [[Saint Methodius]] is not universally accepted. |
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A less common belief is that the Glagolitic was created by [[St. Jerome]], hence the name ''Hieronymian''. |
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The alphabet has two variants: round and square. |
The alphabet has two variants: round and square. |
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Revision as of 03:55, 2 November 2003
The Glagolitic alphabet is an alphabet created by Saint Cyril in 863 (or after 860) in order to translate the Bible into the Slavonic language for the Slavs of Great Moravia whose king wanted to weaken the dependence of the empire on Frankish priest. It is also called Glagolitsa, rarely also Bukvitsa, Hieronymian, Illyrian, and Slovenish. 24 letters are derived from graphemes of the Greek small alphabet in italics und 14 signs are of unknown oriental origin. A part of the 14 signs probably stems from the Hebrew and Samaritan script, which Cyril got to know during his journey to the Khasars in Cherson. The 24 Greek signs have been given an ornamental design.
The script was brought to Great Moravia by Cyril and Methodius in 863, was used there between 863 and 885 for government and religious documents and books, and at the Great Moravian Academy (Veľkomoravské učilište) founded by Cyril, where followers of Cyril and Methodius were educated (also by Methodius himself). The script was prohibited in 885 by a Frankish bishop of Nitra and the students fled to the Ohridsko lake (present-day Makedonia, at that time Bulgaria), where they founded a new academy. Some of the students then went to Croatia, Dalmatia and Bohemia. At the end of the 9th centrury, one of these students of Cyril set up the Cyrillic alphabet, and this descendant of the Glagolic almost entirely replaced the Glagolic during the Middle Ages. Nowadays, it's only used for Old Church Slavonic and, sometimes, vernacular in the service-books of the Catholic Eparchy of Krizevci in the former Yugoslavia.
Formerly, the tradition that the alphabet was designed by the Greek monks Saint Cyril and Saint Methodius was not universally accepted. A less common belief was that the Glagolitic was created by St. Jerome, hence the name Hieronymian. The Slavs of Great Moravia (present-day Slovakia and Moravia), Hungary, Slovenia and Slavonia were called Slov(i)enians at that time, hence the name "Slovenish".
The alphabet has two variants: round and square. The round variant is dominated by circles and smooth curves, and the square variant features a lot of right angles, and sometimes trapezoids. See an image of both variants (incomplete).
The name comes from the Slavonic glagol, meaning word (which was also the name for the letter "G"). Since glagolati also means to speak, the Glagolitsa are poetically referred to as "the marks that speak".
The following table lists each letter in order, giving a picture (round variant), its name, its approximate sound in SAMPA, the Greek letter that it was used to transliterate (if applicable), and the modern Cyrillic letter that it directly gave rise to (if any).
| Picture | Name | Sound | Relation to Greek | Relation to modern Cyrillic |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Az | /a/ | Alpha | A |
 | Buki | /b/ | Be | |
 | Vedi | /v/ | Beta | Ve |
 | Glagol | /g/ | Gamma | Ghe |
 | Dobro | /d/ | Delta | De |
 | Jest | /E/ | Epsilon | E |
 | Zhivete | /Z/ | Zhe | |
 | Dzelo | /dz/ | Macedonian Dze | |
 | Zemlja | /z/ | Zeta | Ze |
 | Izhe | /i/ | Eta | I |
 | I | /i/ | Iota | Ukrainian I |
 | Dzherv | /dZ/ | Serbian Ðerv | |
 | Kako | /k/ | Kappa | Ka |
 | Ljudi | /l/ | Lambda | El |
 | Mislete | /m/ | Mu | Em |
 | Nash | /n/ | Nu | En |
 | On | /O/ | Omicron | O |
 | Pokoj | /p/ | Pi | Pe |
 | Rtsi | /r/ | Rho | Er |
 | Slovo | /s/ | Sigma | Es |
 | Tverdo | /t/ | Tau | Te |
 | Uk | /u/ | Omicron Upsilon | U |
 | Fert | /f/ | Phi | Ef |
 | Kher | /x/ | Chi | Ha |
 | Oht | /o/ | Omega | Only used to transcribe Greek |
 | Tsi | /ts/ | Tse | |
 | Cherv | /tS/ | Che | |
 | Sha | /S/ | Sha | |
 | Shta | /St/ | Shcha | |
 | Jer | /w/, /@/ | The hard sign | |
 | Jery | /1/ | Jery | |
 | Jerj | /j/ | The soft sign | |
 | Jat | /j{/ | Removed from Bulgarian in 1945 | |
 | ? | /jO/ | Obsolete | |
 | Ju | /ju/ | Ju | |
 | Jus Malij | /E~/ | Obsolete | |
 | Jus Malij Jotirovannij | /jE~/ | Obsolete | |
 | Jus Bolshoj | /O~/ | Obsolete | |
 | Jus Bolshoj Jotirovannij | /jO~/ | Obsolete | |
 | Thita | /f/ | Theta | Only used to transcribe Greek |
 | Izhitsa | /v/, /i/ | Upsilon | Removed from Russian in 1917 |
I'm not sure of the name of the letter between Jat and Ju.
Note that Jery is simply a ligature of Jer and I. The order of Izhe and I varies from source to source, as does the order of the various forms of Jus.