Re: Kc 1

If one takes a look at the Abhidhānappadīpikā, one will find support for
interpreting akkhara as letter.

Names for a scribe:
lekhako lipikāro ca, vaṇṇo tu akkharo pyatha. --- Abh 348ab

Abh-t glosses akkharo with akkharacaṇo & akkharacuñcu -- both meaning a
scribe, writer, copyist (see Apte, s.v. akṣaracañcu).

Ten meanings of 'vaṇṇo', one of which is akkhara (letter)
vaṇṇo saṇṭhānarūpesu, jāticchavīsu kāraṇe.
pamāṇe ca pasaṃsāyaṃ, akkhare ca yase guṇe.. --- Abh 779

Two meanings of akkharaṃ:
akkharaṃ lipimokkhesu --- Abh 1063c
which are defined by the ṭīkā as follows:
lipi akaaraadiina.m sannivesaviseso. mokkho nibbaana.m. --- Abh-ṭ 1063

lipi = a written character.

Also worth noting is that nowhere in Abh is akkhara given as a synonym for
sound.

Letters were known at the time of the Buddha. See akkharikaṃ D I 7 and
commentaries on the same. Akṣara in the sense of a letter of the alphabet is
also known in the .Rgveda (for references see Apte).

Credit goes to Ma Vajira for pointing me to the Abhidhānappadīpikā. This is
a wonderful little Pali dictionary from about the 12th cent. Cone and CPD
frequently quote from it and I regularly use it along with its ṭīkā which
can both be found on the tipitaka.org website.

Best wishes and Happy New Year!

Jim