Re: "Motherless" abjads?

Marco Cimarosti scripsit:

> > I am seeking for an example of an abjad which uses vowel
> > diacritics (optionally, of course) but does *not* use matres
> > lectionis.

The Berber scripts?

John Cowan wrote:

> Well, Tengwar had mandatory vowel points from the beginning, and
> later was used in a fully alphabetic way, but never went through a
> _mater lectionis_ stage, FWIW. The vowel point for /a/ is
> sometimes omitted, but it would be a stretch to call it an abugida.

Inherent vowel and virama, what else makes an abugida? And while
there are no matres lectionis in the tengwar, the analysis of long
vowels as vowel + approximant is often found, and the predecessors of
the tengwar, the sarati and the valinorean alphabet, have matres
lectionis.

---------------------------
j. 'mach' wust
http://machhezan.tripod.com
---------------------------