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.

All labels observed (2)

Label Occurrences
Sorabe script canonical 2
Arwi script 1

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (46)

Predicate Object
instanceOf Arabic-derived script ⓘ
writing system ⓘ
associatedWithReligion Islam ⓘ
country Madagascar ⓘ
culturalSignificance source for early written records of Malagasy history ⓘ
symbol of Islamic scholarship in Madagascar ⓘ
currentUsageStatus limited contemporary use ⓘ
derivedFrom Arabic script ⓘ
linked to: Arabic alphabet
etymology name sometimes glossed as “large writings” or “important writings” in Malagasy tradition ⓘ
glottographicType segmental script ⓘ
hasManuscriptTradition Antemoro manuscripts ⓘ
hasNameInLanguage Sorabe (Malagasy) ⓘ
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 ⓘ
linked to: Ajami

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 ⓘ
other southern Malagasy groups ⓘ
usedFor administrative texts ⓘ
legal documents ⓘ
literary texts ⓘ
religious texts ⓘ
usedForGenre astrological texts ⓘ
genealogies ⓘ
historical chronicles ⓘ
usedForLanguage Malagasy language ⓘ
usedInRegion Madagascar ⓘ
southern Madagascar ⓘ
writingSystemFamily Arabic script family ⓘ
writingSystemType consonant-based script ⓘ

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (3)

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

Malagasy → previousWritingSystem → Sorabe script ⓘ
Moors (Sri Lanka) → scriptUsedHistorically → Arwi script ⓘ
linked to: Sorabe script
Malagasy people → historicalScript → Sorabe script ⓘ