Search results
This section lists alphabets used to transcribe phonetic or phonemic sound; not to be confused with spelling alphabets like the ICAO spelling alphabet. Some of these are used for transcription purposes by linguists; others are pedagogical in nature or intended as general orthographic reforms.
An alphabetical index of the alphabets and other writing systems featured on Omniglot.
Details of the structures of different types of writing systems - alphabets, abjads, abugidas, syllabaries and semanto-phonetic writing systems.
Alphabetic writing systems represent the phonological structure of the language. The smallest pronounceable segment of speech is a syllable, but a syllable may be analyzed into the distinctive underlying constituents called phonemes.
A writing system comprises a particular set of symbols, called a script, as well as the rules by which the script represents a particular language. Writing systems can generally be classified according to how symbols function according to these rules, with the most common types being alphabets, syllabaries, and logographies.
A guide to writing systems and languages, with useful phrases, tips on learning languages, multilingual texts, and much more. Writing Systems Alphabets | Abjads | Abugidas | Syllabaries | Semanto-phonetic scripts | Alternative scripts | Undeciphered scripts | A-Z index | Index by writing direction
The alphabet requires little of the reader beyond familiarity with its orthography. It allows the reader to decipher words newly encountered and permits the invention of spellings for new patterns of sound, including proper names (a problem that is formidable for nonalphabetic systems).
