--- In qalam@yahoogroups.com, "Peter T. Daniels" <grammatim@...>
wrote:

> Richard Wordingham wrote:
> >
> > --- In qalam@yahoogroups.com, "Peter T. Daniels" <grammatim@...>
> > wrote:
> >
> > > But the Japanese child doesn't have the option the Tamil child

does, of

> > > internalizing the fact that all the consonants and all the

vowels are

> > > written separately and (well, except /u/) similarly.
> >
> > And this is why a special name is wanted for the syllabically

organised

> > scripts where the option of further analysis is available.
>
> Something other than abugida?
>
> What is an "option"?

I don't have an immediate suggestion. However, let's start with this
question.

What does syllabary mean? Can these scripts in question be included
under a broad definition of syllabary or not. That is, hasn't the
definition of a syllabary been recently and perhaps unnecessarily
restricted? I think that there are different kinds of syllabaries
but I still want the similarities which syllabaries share to be made
transparent.

Let's explore the various meanings and uses of the term syllabary
first. Then decide if syllabary is only a core or pure (unanalysable)
syllabary or not.

Suzanne