Fraser script
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The Fraser or Old Lisu script is an artificial abugida for the Lisu language invented around 1915 by Sara Ba Thaw, a Karen preacher from Myanmar, and improved by the missionary James O. Fraser. It is a single-case (unicameral) alphabet. It was also used for the Naxi language, e.g. in the 1932 Naxi Gospel of Mark,[1] and used in the Zaiwa or Atsi language, e.g. in the 1938 Atsi Gospel of Mark.
The script uses uppercase letters from the Latin script (except for the letter Q) and rotated versions thereof (except for the letters M, Q and W) to write consonants and vowels. Tones and nasalization are written with Roman punctuation marks, identical to those found on a typewriter. Like the Indic abugidas, the vowel Script error: No such module "IPA". is not written. However, unlike those scripts, the other vowels are written with full letters.
The local Chinese government in Nujiang de facto recognized the script in 1992 as the official script for writing in Lisu, although other Lisu autonomous territories continue to use the New Lisu (Latin script) for official matters.Script error: No such module "Unsubst".
Consonants
Note: You may need to download a Lisu-capable Unicode font if not all characters display.
- Initial glottal stop is only written when the inherent vowel Template:IPAblink follows, and just like all consonants, the inherent vowel suffix Template:Script must not be written as that would indicate another Template:IPAblink follows (Script error: No such module "IPA". instead of Script error: No such module "IPA".). It is automatic before all initial vowels but Template:IPAblink and Template:IPAblink.
- Template:Script represents a "vowel" in the Naxi language, presumably a medial Template:IPAblink, and a consonant Template:IPAblink in the Lisu language. Template:Script, Template:Script and Template:Script are likewise ambiguous.
- Template:Script only occurs in an imperative particle. It is an allophone of Template:Script Template:IPAblink, which causes nasalization to the syllable.
- Template:Script, Template:Script and Template:Script are used only in Lisu language.
- Template:Script is used only in Naxi language.
Vowels
| Front | Central/back | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High | Template:Script Template:IPAblink | Template:Script Template:IPAblink | Template:Script Template:IPAblink | Template:Script Template:IPAblink | ||
| Mid | Template:Script Template:IPAblink | Template:Script Template:IPAblink | Template:Script Template:IPAblink | Template:Script Template:IPAblink | Template:Script Template:IPAblink | Template:Script [Script error: No such module "IPA".]/Template:IPAblink |
| Low | Template:Script Template:IPAblink | Template:Script** Template:IPAblink | Template:Script [Script error: No such module "IPA".] | Template:Script Template:IPAblink | ||
- **Only written after a syllable (consonant letter) to indicate a second vowel. Other vowels do not have special letters to emphasize a secondary vowel without glottal stop initial, such as Template:Script (Script error: No such module "IPA".) is not written as Template:Script and can only be distinguished from Template:Script (Script error: No such module "IPA".) by a space.
For example, Template:Angle bracket is Script error: No such module "IPA"., while Template:Angle bracket is Script error: No such module "IPA"..
When consonant ꓠꓬ, ꓬ is used with vowel ꓬꓱ, ꓬ, without being ambiguous only one ꓬ is written.
When transcribing diphthongs and nasal codas, letters ꓮ and ꓬ can work like vowels just like English letter Y, making Fraser script behave like an abjadic alphabet like the Roman instead of an abugida like Tibetan; meanwhile space works like a delimiter like a Tibetan tseg, making a final consonant (such as ꓠ) possible without necessity of a halanta sign: 凉粉 Template:Script reads as Script error: No such module "IPA". rather than as Template:Script Script error: No such module "IPA"..[2]
Tones
Tones are written with standard punctuation. Lisu punctuation therefore differs from international norms: the comma is Template:Angle bracket (hyphen period) and the full stop is Template:Angle bracket (equal sign).
| Template:Script Script error: No such module "IPA". | Template:Script Script error: No such module "IPA". | Template:Script Script error: No such module "IPA". |
| Template:Script Script error: No such module "IPA".* | Template:Script Script error: No such module "IPA". | Template:Script Script error: No such module "IPA". |
| Template:Script Script error: No such module "IPA". | Template:Script Script error: No such module "IPA". | Template:Script Script error: No such module "IPA". |
- *It is not clear how the Template:Angle bracket mid tone differs from the unmarked mid tone.
The tones Template:Angle bracket, Template:Angle bracket, Template:Angle bracket, Template:Angle bracket may be combined with Template:Angle bracket and Template:Angle bracket as compound tones. However, the only compound tone still in common use is Template:Angle bracket.
The apostrophe indicates nasalization. It is combined with tone marks.
The low macron indicates the Lisu "A glide", a contraction of Script error: No such module "IPA". without an intervening glottal stop. The tone is not always falling, depending on the environment, but is written Template:Angle bracket regardless.
Letter forms
Although Fraser published a serif form of the script,[3] almost all typesetting today is done in a sans-serif typeface.
Unicode
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The Fraser script was added to the Unicode Standard in October, 2009 with the release of version 5.2.
The Unicode block for the Fraser script, called 'Lisu', is U+A4D0–U+A4FF:
An additional character, the inverted Y used in the Naxi language, was added to the Unicode Standard in March, 2020 with the release of version 13.0. It is in the Lisu Supplement block (U+11FB0–U+11FBF):
Template:Unicode chart Lisu Supplement