Sinhala script: Difference between revisions

| time = 8th5th century CEBCE – present<ref name=diringer/>

| fam6 = [[Tamil-Brahmi]]<ref name=diringer/>

| fam7 = [[Pallava script|Pallava]]

| fam8 = [[Grantha script|Grantha]]<ref name=diringer/>

The '''Sinhala script''' ({{lang-si|සිංහල අක්ෂර මාලාව|Siṁhala Akṣara Mālāva}}), also known as '''Sinhalese script''', is a [[writing system]] used by the [[Sinhalese people]] and most [[Sri Lankans]] in [[Sri Lanka]] and elsewhere to write the [[Sinhala language]] as well as the [[liturgical language]]s [[Pali]] and [[Sanskrit]].{{sfnp|Daniels|1996|p=408}} The Sinhalese Akṣara Mālāva, one of the [[Brahmic scripts]], is a descendant of the [[Ancient India|Ancient]]n [[Brahmi script]]. It ultimately descended from the [[Grantha script]].<ref name="masica">{{cite book |last1=Masica |first1=Colin P. |title=The Indo-Aryan Languages |date=1993 |page=143}}</ref>

The Sinhala script is a [[Brahmic script|Brahmi derivate]] and was thought to have been imported from Northern India around the 3rd century BCE.{{sfnp|Daniels|1996|p=379}} It developed in a complex manner, partly independently but also strongly influenced by South Indian scripts at various stages,<ref name="cardona">{{cite book |last1=Cardona |first1=George |last2=Dhanesh |first2=Jain |title=The Indo-Aryan Languages |date=2003 |page=109}}</ref> ultimately descending from [[Grantha alphabet|Grantha script]].{{sfnp|Daniels|1996|p=408}} Pottery from the 6th century BCE has been found in [[Anuradhapura]] with lithic Brahmi inscriptions written in [[Prakrit]] or Sinhala Prakrit. It has caused debate as to whether Ceylonese Brahmi influenced Brahmi in the Indian mainland.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iHHzP4uVpn4C&q=anuradhapura+brahmi&pg=PA119|title=The Archaeology of Seafaring in Ancient South Asia|last=Ray|first=Himanshu Prabha|date=2003-08-14|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=9780521011099|language=en}}</ref>