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Baybayin Visual Aid
By Nordenx
179 Favourites66 Comments59K Views
A visual aid for memorizing Baybayin script (fonts) through association. By manipulating the ancient script (re-orientation and adding imaginary lines), you can compare them to equivalent Roman alphabets. Please note that the uncanny similarities between Baybayin characters and the Roman alphabet is purely coincidental. The Philippine scripts were derived from Brahmi scripts (Sanskrit, Nagari) used on the Eastern coast of India, such as Vengi, Chalukya, or Assam, originally transmitted in the 8th century AD. It has also been suggested that the writing system was heavily influenced by Kavi script or Old Javanese, perhaps also indirectly by the Buginese scripts.
I hope that this guide would help others improve their recognition of Baybayin characters and help them to ba able to read, write, and use Baybayin Scripts in their art.
For more information on Baybayin, please visit these sites:
www.mts.net/~pmorrow/index.htm… <- Paul Morrow's Site
nordenx.blogspot.com/ <- Nordenx's Baybayin Modern Fonts Blog
www.kakaiba.com <- Nordenx's Baybayin Store
These sites also have FREE Baybayin Fonts available for download. My fonts are also available for download in my DA gallery.
I hope that this guide would help others improve their recognition of Baybayin characters and help them to ba able to read, write, and use Baybayin Scripts in their art.
For more information on Baybayin, please visit these sites:
www.mts.net/~pmorrow/index.htm… <- Paul Morrow's Site
nordenx.blogspot.com/ <- Nordenx's Baybayin Modern Fonts Blog
www.kakaiba.com <- Nordenx's Baybayin Store
These sites also have FREE Baybayin Fonts available for download. My fonts are also available for download in my DA gallery.
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© 2006 - 2021 Nordenx
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Typically, traditionally, any mark (be it dash, dot, check, caret, chevron, etc.) on top or below the character signifies i/e and u/o.
It is my recommendation and practice to differentiate high & mid vowels via solid & hollow kudlit markers. Solids represent the solid dot on top of the "i" and the non-looped shapes of the letters 'i' and 'u', while the hollows represent the hollow spaces in the center of the letter 'o' and the eye of letter 'e'. Ergo, any solid mark (be it dash, dot, check, caret, chevron, etc.) should indicate the traditional high vowel pronunciation; and any hollow mark (be it circle, square, triangle, oblong, or loop, etc.) should indicate the modern mid vowels.
It is my recommendation and practice to differentiate high & mid vowels via solid & hollow kudlit markers. Solids represent the solid dot on top of the "i" and the non-looped shapes of the letters 'i' and 'u', while the hollows represent the hollow spaces in the center of the letter 'o' and the eye of letter 'e'. Ergo, any solid mark (be it dash, dot, check, caret, chevron, etc.) should indicate the traditional high vowel pronunciation; and any hollow mark (be it circle, square, triangle, oblong, or loop, etc.) should indicate the modern mid vowels.

Hello.
Yes, in my younger years, older people really pronounces sha as how it was actually written siya. The sha/ shya/ xa started as a text speak when texting became wildly known means of communication with limited characters much like twitter except it would be 1 to 1. Like with any modern language, it also evolve with mixing words, borrowing words from other language and shortening words.
Yes, in my younger years, older people really pronounces sha as how it was actually written siya. The sha/ shya/ xa started as a text speak when texting became wildly known means of communication with limited characters much like twitter except it would be 1 to 1. Like with any modern language, it also evolve with mixing words, borrowing words from other language and shortening words.

Thank you.
The "traditional" method (without the cross kudlit) is trickier, but for the "reformed" method (with the virama) it is a little bit clearer since the rules of Spanish Old Tagalog orthography (spelling & pronunciation) applies for foreign sounds/consonants C, J, Q, X, Z, V, Th, Ch, Ll, Ñ, etc.
Check out some of the rules listed here: [link]
The "traditional" method (without the cross kudlit) is trickier, but for the "reformed" method (with the virama) it is a little bit clearer since the rules of Spanish Old Tagalog orthography (spelling & pronunciation) applies for foreign sounds/consonants C, J, Q, X, Z, V, Th, Ch, Ll, Ñ, etc.
Check out some of the rules listed here: [link]

How to install the fonts:
The fonts are in compressed (.zip files). You will need a utility such as WinZip to uncompress them. If you don't have WinZip you can download and install a free evaluation version of WinZip from their website.
Each zip file contains the true type font file (.ttf) and a text file (.rtf) that contains aditional info about the font and its use & features, please read it.
You can extract (uncompress) the font file to a temporary folder then follow the font installation instructions can be found at MyFonts.com [link] or from Paul Morrow's Site [link] .
Once installed, you can use the fonts in any word processor or graphics editor program you have. Enjoy!
The fonts are in compressed (.zip files). You will need a utility such as WinZip to uncompress them. If you don't have WinZip you can download and install a free evaluation version of WinZip from their website.
Each zip file contains the true type font file (.ttf) and a text file (.rtf) that contains aditional info about the font and its use & features, please read it.
You can extract (uncompress) the font file to a temporary folder then follow the font installation instructions can be found at MyFonts.com [link] or from Paul Morrow's Site [link] .
Once installed, you can use the fonts in any word processor or graphics editor program you have. Enjoy!


I already made a few modern fonts, check my gallery and this site: [link]
Semicolons, colons, and exclamation points are unnecessary for phonetic-syllabic types of languages and I advise not to "invent", re-invent, or add new symbols or characters to the original set unless it is truly necessary. In modern writing, if you want to express these types of pause and tonal/pitch change, you can use the modern symbols along with the ancient script (such method has been adopted with modern Japanese & Chinese writing). There is no reason not to use a modern exclamation point, hyphen, colon, or semicolon when writing baybayin in a modern composition. I think some of the purists who are too strict with the rules contribute to the decline of the script's use. The only punctuation marks I am wary about are the ones that may be confused with the kudlit such as apostrophes and quotes.
Semicolons, colons, and exclamation points are unnecessary for phonetic-syllabic types of languages and I advise not to "invent", re-invent, or add new symbols or characters to the original set unless it is truly necessary. In modern writing, if you want to express these types of pause and tonal/pitch change, you can use the modern symbols along with the ancient script (such method has been adopted with modern Japanese & Chinese writing). There is no reason not to use a modern exclamation point, hyphen, colon, or semicolon when writing baybayin in a modern composition. I think some of the purists who are too strict with the rules contribute to the decline of the script's use. The only punctuation marks I am wary about are the ones that may be confused with the kudlit such as apostrophes and quotes.

Thanks for your help. What I am really concerned is how to render for example, a truly foreign phrase like:
Desolation, for example.
If it was rendered as De-so-le-i-si-yo-n[that is the closest], will you show the original word in the Latin script like what the Japanese do when they write foreign words, writing the Japanese Katakana version/pronounciation first before the real/Western version?
Anyway, thanks for the modern fonts. They might be a help in the future.
Desolation, for example.
If it was rendered as De-so-le-i-si-yo-n[that is the closest], will you show the original word in the Latin script like what the Japanese do when they write foreign words, writing the Japanese Katakana version/pronounciation first before the real/Western version?
Anyway, thanks for the modern fonts. They might be a help in the future.
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