The Writing and Numeral System of the Gujarati Language: An In-Depth Exploration

Introduction

The Gujarati language is an Indo-Aryan language spoken predominantly in the Indian state of Gujarat, as well as among diaspora communities worldwide. As a language that has evolved over centuries, Gujarati has its own unique writing system and set of numerals that distinguish it from other languages of the Indian subcontinent. This article provides a comprehensive overview of the writing and numeral system of Gujarati, detailing its alphabet, orthography, and numerals, among other features.

The Writing System

Gujarati Script

Gujarati is written in its own script, which is an abugida, meaning each character represents a consonant and that consonant’s inherent vowel sound, which can be changed with diacritics. The script is written from left to right and does not have distinct letter cases (upper and lower case like in the Roman alphabet).

Alphabet and Orthography

The script consists of 34 consonants, known as “vyanjan,” and 11 vowels, known as “swar.” The script is phonemic, closely representing the sounds of the spoken language. Consonants can be combined with other consonants to form compound letters, and each consonant character inherently carries the vowel sound “ə” (schwa). The actual pronunciation of this vowel can change by applying diacritical marks.

Diacritical Marks and Conjuncts

Diacritical marks are used to indicate vowels other than the inherent “ə.” For instance, the character ક represents the sound “ka,” but with a diacritic, it can represent sounds like “koo,” “kee,” “kay,” etc.

Consonant clusters are generally represented by combining the shapes of the individual letters into a single conjunct form. For example, the cluster “ક્ષ” (kṣa) is a conjunct of the letters “ક” (ka) and “ષ” (ṣa).

Punctuation and Other Symbols

Punctuation marks used in Gujarati include the “poorna viram” (|) which is equivalent to a full stop in English, and the “viraam” (,) used similarly to a comma. The script also has its own set of symbols for numerals, although the Hindu-Arabic numeral system is more commonly used in modern times.

The Numeral System

Gujarati Numerals

The Gujarati numeral system is decimal, and it has its own set of symbols for the numbers 0-9. These symbols are distinct from both Hindu-Arabic numerals and Devanagari numerals, even though they share the same historical roots. The numerals are:

• ૦ (Zero)
• ૧ (One)
• ૨ (Two)
• ૩ (Three)
• ૪ (Four)
• ૫ (Five)
• ૬ (Six)
• ૭ (Seven)
• ૮ (Eight)
• ૯ (Nine)

These can be combined to form larger numbers. For example, “૧૫” would be the Gujarati numeral for fifteen.

Ordinal Numbers

Ordinal numbers are usually formed by adding specific suffixes to the numeral words, similar to other Indo-Aryan languages. For instance, the word for ‘first’ in Gujarati is “પહેલો” (pahelo), derived from “એક” (ek), which means ‘one.’

Conclusion

The Gujarati writing and numeral system is a fascinating subject, reflecting the language’s rich history and its unique standing among Indo-Aryan languages. While the script retains characteristics seen in other Indian languages, such as a phonemic alphabet and the use of diacritical marks, it also has its unique set of numerals and script rules. Understanding this system is not just crucial for linguists and scholars but also for anyone interested in the cultural richness and diversity of India.