Sorabe script

E533945

The Sorabe script is an Arabic-derived writing system historically used by Malagasy speakers, particularly in southern Madagascar, for religious, literary, and administrative texts.

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Observed surface forms (1)

Surface form Occurrences
Arwi script 1

Statements (46)

Predicate Object
instanceOf Arabic-derived script
writing system
associatedWithReligion Islam NERFINISHED
country Madagascar NERFINISHED
culturalSignificance source for early written records of Malagasy history
symbol of Islamic scholarship in Madagascar
currentUsageStatus limited contemporary use
derivedFrom Arabic script NERFINISHED
etymology name sometimes glossed as “large writings” or “important writings” in Malagasy tradition
glottographicType segmental script
hasManuscriptTradition Antemoro manuscripts NERFINISHED
hasNameInLanguage Sorabe (Malagasy) NERFINISHED
hasPhoneticAdaptation adapted to Malagasy phonology
hasUnicodeStatus not yet encoded as a separate Unicode script (as of 2024)
hasVowelNotation supplements with additional signs for Malagasy vowels
uses Arabic vowel diacritics
hasWritingMedium manuscripts
paper
parchment
historicalUsageStatus historical script
linguisticFunction representation of Malagasy lexicon in Arabic-based characters
orthographicFeature modified Arabic letters for Malagasy consonants
use of dots and additional marks to distinguish sounds
relatedTo Ajami scripts NERFINISHED
Arabic-based African scripts
replacedBy Latin alphabet for Malagasy
scriptClass Brahmic–Arabic contact-influenced script
scriptDirection right-to-left
status not the official script of Madagascar
timePeriod early modern period
transliterationTarget Latin script
usedBy Malagasy speakers
usedByEthnicGroup Antemoro people NERFINISHED
other southern Malagasy groups
usedFor administrative texts
legal documents
literary texts
religious texts
usedForGenre astrological texts
genealogies
historical chronicles
usedForLanguage Malagasy language
usedInRegion Madagascar NERFINISHED
southern Madagascar
writingSystemFamily Arabic script family
writingSystemType consonant-based script

Referenced by (2)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Malagasy previousWritingSystem Sorabe script
Moors (Sri Lanka) scriptUsedHistorically Sorabe script
this entity surface form: Arwi script