View source for Pollard script

{{Short description|Abugida used in China}}
{{Infobox Writing system
| name        = Pollard <br><small>Pollard Miao, {{script|Plrd|𖽃𖽔𖾐 𖽑𖼄𖽻𖾐}} (A-Hmao, Miao)</small>
| type        = [[Abugida]]
| typedesc    = 
| time        = ca. 1936 to the present
| creator     = [[Sam Pollard (missionary)|Sam Pollard]]
| languages   = [[A-Hmao language|A-Hmao]], [[Lipo language|Lipo]], [[Sichuan]] [[Miao languages|Miao]], [[Nasu language|Nasu]]
| fam1        = [[Canadian Aboriginal syllabics]]
| unicode     = [https://www.unicode.org/charts/PDF/U16F00.pdf U+16F00&ndash;U+16F9F]
| iso15924    = Plrd
| sample      = Manuscripts in the Yunnan Nationalities Museum - DSC03941.JPG
| caption     = Miao book in Pollard script, in the [[Yunnan Nationalities Museum]], [[Kunming]], [[Yunnan]], [[China]].
}}
The '''Pollard script''', also known as '''Pollard Miao''' ({{Lang-zh|c=柏格理苗文|p=Bó Gélǐ Miáo-wén}}) or '''Miao''', is an [[abugida]] loosely based on the Latin alphabet and invented by [[Methodism|Methodist]] [[missionary]] [[Sam Pollard (missionary)|Sam Pollard]]. Pollard invented the script for use with [[A-Hmao language|A-Hmao]], one of several [[Miao languages]] spoken in [[southeast Asia]]. The script underwent a series of revisions until 1936, when a translation of the [[New Testament]] was published using it.

Pollard credited the basic idea of the script to the [[Cree syllabics]] designed by [[James Evans (linguist)|James Evans]] in 1838–1841: "While working out the problem, we remembered the case of the syllabics used by a Methodist missionary among the Indians of North America, and resolved to do as he had done."  He also gave credit to a Chinese pastor: "Stephen Lee assisted me very ably in this matter, and at last we arrived at a system."<ref>{{Citation |last=Pollard |first=Samuel |title=Story of the Miao |page=174 |year=1919 |publication-place=London |publisher=Henry Hooks}}</ref>

The introduction of Christian materials in the script that Pollard invented had a great impact among the [[Miao people]]. Part of the reason was that they had a legend about how their ancestors had possessed a script but lost it. According to the legend, the script would be brought back some day. When the script was introduced, many Miao came from far away to see and learn it.<ref name="enwall-nopage">Enwall 1994</ref><ref>{{Cite journal | last1 = Tapp | first1 = N. | doi = 10.1017/S0022463400019858 | title = The Impact of Missionary Christianity Upon Marginalized Ethnic Minorities: The Case of the Hmong | journal = Journal of Southeast Asian Studies | volume = 20 | pages = 70–95 | year = 2011 | hdl = 1885/22258 | hdl-access = free }}. Republished in {{cite book |series=The Pacific World: Lands, Peoples and History of the Pacific, 1500–1900 |volume=17 |title=Religions and Missionaries around the Pacific, 1500–1900 |editor-last=Storch |editor-first=Tanya |publisher=Ashgate Publishing |year=2006 |pages=289–314 |isbn=9780754606673 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rR0GbqNKDzAC&pg=PA296 |access-date=20 July 2013 }}</ref> Changing politics in [[China]] led to the use of several competing scripts, most of which were [[romanization]]s. The Pollard script remains popular among [[Hmong people]] in China, although Hmong outside China tend to use one of the alternative scripts. A revision of the script was completed in 1988, which remains in use.

As with most other abugidas, the Pollard letters represent [[consonant]]s, whereas [[vowel]]s are indicated by [[diacritic]]s. Uniquely, however, the position of this diacritic is varied to represent [[tone (linguistics)|tone]]. For example, in Western Hmong, placing the vowel diacritic above the consonant letter indicates that the syllable has a high tone, whereas placing it at the bottom right indicates a low tone.

==Characters==
{{Missing information|section|Image of letters for those who don't have a Pollard font; description of letters|date=August 2020}}
The script was originally developed for A-Hmao, and adopted early for [[Lipo language|Lipo]]. {{Clarify|reason=Pollard died in 1915. How could he adapted the writing system in 1949?|date=December 2022|text=In 1949 Pollard adapted it for a group of Miao in [[Sichuan|Szechuan]], creating a distinct alphabet.}}<ref>{{cite book
 | author=Duffy, John M. 
 | year=2007
 | title=Writing from these roots: literacy in a Hmong-American community
 | publisher=University of Hawaii Press
 | isbn=978-0-8248-3095-3
}}
</ref> There is also a [[Nasu language|Nasu]] alphabet using Pollard script.

=== Consonants ===
{| class="wikitable"
|- align="center" style="font-size: 18px"
! {{script|Plrd|𖼀}} || {{script|Plrd|𖼁}} || {{script|Plrd|𖼂}} || {{script|Plrd|𖼃}} || {{script|Plrd|𖼄}}
|- align="center"
| PA || BA || YI PA || PLA || MA
|- align="center"
|- align="center" style="font-size: 18px"
! {{script|Plrd|𖼅}} || {{script|Plrd|𖼆}} || {{script|Plrd|𖼇}} || {{script|Plrd|𖼈}} || {{script|Plrd|𖼉}}
|- align="center"
| MHA || ARCHAIC MA || FA || VA || VFA
|- align="center"
|- align="center" style="font-size: 18px"
! {{script|Plrd|𖼊}} || {{script|Plrd|𖼋}} || {{script|Plrd|𖼌}} || {{script|Plrd|𖼍}} || {{script|Plrd|𖼎}}
|- align="center"
| TA || DA || YI TTA || YI TA || TTA
|- align="center"
|- align="center" style="font-size: 18px"
! {{script|Plrd|𖼏}} || {{script|Plrd|𖼐}} || {{script|Plrd|𖼑}} || {{script|Plrd|𖼒}} || {{script|Plrd|𖼓}}
|- align="center"
| DDA || NA || NHA || YI NNA || ARCHAIC NA
|- align="center"
|- align="center" style="font-size: 18px"
! {{script|Plrd|𖼔}} || {{script|Plrd|𖼕}} || {{script|Plrd|𖼖}} || {{script|Plrd|𖼗}} || {{script|Plrd|𖼘}}
|- align="center"
| NNA || NNHA || LA || LYA || LHA
|- align="center"
|- align="center" style="font-size: 18px"
! {{script|Plrd|𖼙}} || {{script|Plrd|𖼚}} || {{script|Plrd|𖼛}} || {{script|Plrd|𖼜}} || {{script|Plrd|𖼝}}
|- align="center"
| LHYA || TLHA || DLHA || TLHYA || DLHYA
|- align="center"
|- align="center" style="font-size: 18px"
! {{script|Plrd|𖼞}} || {{script|Plrd|𖼟}} || {{script|Plrd|𖼠}} || {{script|Plrd|𖼡}} || {{script|Plrd|𖼢}}
|- align="center"
| KA || GA || YI KA || QA || QGA
|- align="center"
|- align="center" style="font-size: 18px"
! {{script|Plrd|𖼣}} || {{script|Plrd|𖼤}} || {{script|Plrd|𖼥}} || {{script|Plrd|𖼦}} || {{script|Plrd|𖼧}}
|- align="center"
| NGA || NGHA || ARCHAIC NGA || HA || XA
|- align="center"
|- align="center" style="font-size: 18px"
! {{script|Plrd|𖼨}} || {{script|Plrd|𖼩}} || {{script|Plrd|𖼪}} || {{script|Plrd|𖼫}} || {{script|Plrd|𖼬}}
|- align="center"
| GHA || GHHA || TSSA || DZZA || NYA
|- align="center"
|- align="center" style="font-size: 18px"
! {{script|Plrd|𖼭}} || {{script|Plrd|𖼮}} || {{script|Plrd|𖼯}} || {{script|Plrd|𖼰}} || {{script|Plrd|𖼱}}
|- align="center"
| NYHA || TSHA || DZHA || YI TSHA || YI DZHA
|- align="center"
|- align="center" style="font-size: 18px"
! {{script|Plrd|𖼲}} || {{script|Plrd|𖼳}} || {{script|Plrd|𖼴}} || {{script|Plrd|𖼵}} || {{script|Plrd|𖼶}}
|- align="center"
| REFORMED TSHA || SHA || SSA || ZHA || ZSHA
|- align="center"
|- align="center" style="font-size: 18px"
! {{script|Plrd|𖼷}} || {{script|Plrd|𖼸}} || {{script|Plrd|𖼹}} || {{script|Plrd|𖼺}} || {{script|Plrd|𖼻}}
|- align="center"
| TSA || DZA || YI TSA || SA || ZA
|- align="center"
|- align="center" style="font-size: 18px"
! {{script|Plrd|𖼼}} || {{script|Plrd|𖼽}} || {{script|Plrd|𖼾}} || {{script|Plrd|𖼿}} || {{script|Plrd|𖽀}}
|- align="center"
| ZSA || ZZA || ZZSA || ZZA || ZZYA
|- align="center"
|- align="center" style="font-size: 18px"
! {{script|Plrd|𖽁}} || {{script|Plrd|𖽂}} || {{script|Plrd|𖽃}} || {{script|Plrd|𖽄}} || {{script|Plrd|𖽅}}
|- align="center"
| ZZSYA || WA || AH || HHA || BRI
|- align="center"
|- align="center" style="font-size: 18px"
! {{script|Plrd|𖽆}} || {{script|Plrd|𖽇}} || {{script|Plrd|𖽈}} || {{script|Plrd|𖽉}} || {{script|Plrd|𖽊}}
|- align="center"
| SYI || DZYI || TE || TSE || RTE
|}

=== Vowels and finals ===
{| class="wikitable"
|- align="center" style="font-size: 18px"
! {{script|Plrd| 𖽔}} || {{script|Plrd| 𖽕}} || {{script|Plrd| 𖽖}} || {{script|Plrd| 𖽗}}
|- align="center"
| A || AA || AHH || AN 
|- align="center"
! {{script|Plrd| 𖽘}} || {{script|Plrd| 𖽙}} || {{script|Plrd| 𖽚}} || {{script|Plrd| 𖽛}}
|- align="center"
| ANG || O || OO || WO 
|- align="center"
! {{script|Plrd| 𖽜}} || {{script|Plrd| 𖽝}} || {{script|Plrd| 𖽞}} || {{script|Plrd| 𖽟}}
|- align="center"
| W || E || EN || ENG 
|- align="center"
! {{script|Plrd| 𖽠}} || {{script|Plrd| 𖽡}} || {{script|Plrd| 𖽢}} || {{script|Plrd| 𖽣}}
|- align="center"
| OEY || I || IA || IAN 
|- align="center"
! {{script|Plrd| 𖽤}} || {{script|Plrd| 𖽥}} || {{script|Plrd| 𖽦}} || {{script|Plrd| 𖽧}}
|- align="center"
| IANG || IO || IE || II 
|- align="center"
! {{script|Plrd| 𖽨}} || {{script|Plrd| 𖽩}} || {{script|Plrd| 𖽪}} || {{script|Plrd| 𖽫}}
|- align="center"
| IU || ING || U || UA 
|- align="center"
! {{script|Plrd| 𖽬}} || {{script|Plrd| 𖽭}} || {{script|Plrd| 𖽮}} || {{script|Plrd| 𖽯}}
|- align="center"
| UAN || UANG || UU || UEI 
|- align="center"
! {{script|Plrd| 𖽰}} || {{script|Plrd| 𖽱}} || {{script|Plrd| 𖽲}} || {{script|Plrd| 𖽳}}
|- align="center"
| UNG || Y || YI || AE 
|- align="center"
! {{script|Plrd| 𖽴}} || {{script|Plrd| 𖽵}} || {{script|Plrd| 𖽶}} || {{script|Plrd| 𖽷}}
|- align="center"
| AEE || ERR || ROUNDED ERR || ER 
|- align="center"
! {{script|Plrd| 𖽸}} || {{script|Plrd| 𖽹}} || {{script|Plrd| 𖽺}} || {{script|Plrd| 𖽻}}
|- align="center"
| ROUNDED ER || AI || EI || AU 
|- align="center"
! {{script|Plrd| 𖽼}} || {{script|Plrd| 𖽽}} || {{script|Plrd| 𖽾}} || {{script|Plrd| 𖽿}}
|- align="center"
| OU || N || NG || UOG 
|- align="center"
! {{script|Plrd| 𖾀}} || {{script|Plrd| 𖾁}} || {{script|Plrd| 𖾂}} || {{script|Plrd| 𖾃}}
|- align="center"
| YUI || OG || OER || VW 
|- align="center"
! {{script|Plrd| 𖾄}} || {{script|Plrd| 𖾅}} || {{script|Plrd| 𖾆}} || {{script|Plrd| 𖾇}}
|- align="center"
| IG || EA || IONG || UI 
|}

=== Positioning tone marks ===
{| class="wikitable"
|- align="center" style="font-size: 18px"
! {{script|Plrd|𖾏}} || {{script|Plrd|𖾐}} || {{script|Plrd|𖾑}} || {{script|Plrd|𖾒}}
|- align="center"
| RIGHT || TOP RIGHT || ABOVE || BELOW 
|}

=== Baseline tone marks ===
{| class="wikitable"
|- align="center" style="font-size: 18px"
! {{script|Plrd|𖾓}} || {{script|Plrd|𖾔}} || {{script|Plrd|𖾕}} || {{script|Plrd|𖾖}} || {{script|Plrd|𖾗}} || {{script|Plrd|𖾘}} || {{script|Plrd|𖾙}}
|- align="center"
| TONE-2 || TONE-3 || TONE-4 || TONE-5 || TONE-6 || TONE-7 || TONE-8 
|}

=== Archaic baseline tone marks ===
{| class="wikitable"
|- align="center" style="font-size: 18px"
! {{script|Plrd|𖾚}} || {{script|Plrd|𖾛}} || {{script|Plrd|𖾜}} || {{script|Plrd|𖾝}} || {{script|Plrd|𖾞}} || {{script|Plrd|𖾟}}
|- align="center"
| REFORMED TONE-1 || REFORMED TONE-2 || REFORMED TONE-4 || REFORMED TONE-5 || REFORMED TONE-6 || REFORMED TONE-8 
|}


== Unicode ==
{{Main article|Miao (Unicode block)}}

The Pollard script was first proposed for inclusion in [[Unicode]] by John Jenkins in 1997.<ref>{{cite web | last = Jenkins | first = John H. | title = L2/97-104: Proposal to add Pollard to Unicode/ISO-IEC 10646 | date = 21 May 1997 | url = https://www.unicode.org/L2/L1997/97104-Pollard.pdf | access-date = 6 August 2014}}</ref> 
It took many years to reach a final proposal in 2010.<ref>{{cite web | title = N3789: Final proposal for encoding the Miao script in the SMP of the UCS | date = 26 March 2010 | url = http://std.dkuug.dk/jtc1/sc2/wg2/docs/n3789.pdf | access-date = 6 August 2014}}</ref>

It was added to the Unicode Standard in January, 2012 with the release of version 6.1.

The Unicode block for Pollard script, called Miao, is U+16F00&ndash;U+16F9F:

{{Unicode chart Miao}}

== Published sources ==
*{{cite book
 | last=Enwall
 | first=Joakim
 | year=1994
 | title=A Myth Become Reality: History and Development of the Miao Written Language, two volumes
 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iI0pAQAAIAAJ
 | series=Stockholm East Asian Monographs, 5 & 6
 | location=Stockholm
 | publisher=Institute of Oriental Languages, Stockholm University
| isbn=9789171534231
 }}
*{{cite journal
 | last=Pollard
 | first=Samuel
 | date=December 1909
 | title=Gathering up the Fragments
 | journal=The United Methodist Magazine
 | pages=531&ndash;35
 | volume=2
}}
*{{cite journal
 | author=Wen You
 | year=1938
 | title=Lun Pollard Script
 | script-title=zh:論 Pollard Script
 | trans-title=Essay on the Pollard Script
 | journal=Xinan Bianjiang
 | script-journal=zh:西南邊疆
 | trans-journal=Southwest frontier region
 | volume=1
 | pages=43–53
}}
*{{cite journal
 | author=Wen You
 | year=1951
 | title=Guizhou Leishan xin chu Miaowen canshi chukao
 | script-title=zh:貴州雷山新出苗文殘石初考
 | trans-title=Preliminary investigation of the Miao writing fragments recently discovered in Leishan, Guizhou
 | journal=Huaxi wenwu
 | script-journal=zh:華西文物
 | trans-journal=Huaxi University cultural relics
}} Reprinted in {{cite book
 | author=Wen You
 | year=1985
 | title=Wen You lunji
 | script-title=zh:聞宥論集
 | trans-title=Collection of articles by Wen You
 | pages=62&ndash;70
 | location=Beijing
 | publisher=Zhongyang minzu xueyuan keyanchu 中央民族學院科研處 [Scientific research office of the Central Institute for Nationalities]
}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* {{cite web
 | url=http://www.omniglot.com/writing/pollardmiao.htm
 | title=Description of the Pollard script
 | publisher=Omniglot
 | access-date=2012-01-03
}}
* {{cite web
 |url=https://www.gutenberg.org/files/13420/13420-h/13420-h.htm
 |title=Across China on Foot
 |first=Edwin
 |last=Dingle
 |author-link = Edwin Dingle
 |work=Project Gutenberg
 |access-date=November 10, 2023
}} Dingle describes how Sam Pollard used positioning of vowel marks relative to consonants to indicate [[tone (linguistics)|tone]]s.
*{{cite web|url=http://phjamr.github.io/miao.html|title=Miao Unicode, Open source font for users of the Miao script}}
*[https://www.unicode.org/L2/L2023/23198-additions-to-miao-block.pdf Preliminary proposal for additions for Hei Yi to Miao block]

{{list of writing systems}}

[[Category:Writing systems introduced in 1936]]
[[Category:Abugida writing systems]]
[[Category:West Hmongic languages]]