Re: "Motherless" abjads?

machhezan wrote:

> 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?

Do they use vowel marks? I though they were only consonantic.

What do the vowel marks look like? Do you have any reference?

> 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?

I thought that the main feature of an abugida was having mandatory vowel
marks, possibly graphically merged with the bearing consonant letter.

As for the inherent vowel, couldn't it be considered as a "zero" vowel
grapheme?

Virama is certainly not a defining feature, IMHO, as even the Ethiopic
script (after which the term "abugida" was coined) has no virama (although
you don't match the "schwa" vowel series with a virama).

_ Marco