> From: Nicholas Bodley [mailto:nbodley@...]
> Do these terms have meanings that are similar, if not almost the same?
No; the two refer to quite different things.
An abugida is a type of script, characterized (roughly -- I'm sure I'll
be corrected if there is a more preferred definition) by having
syllables with the same initial consonant written using a single form
for the consonant with various marks modifying that consonant form to
signify the syllable rhymes.
Akshara is a term used in relation to Indic scripts to refer to what is
sometimes also called an orthographic syllable or cluster. An akshara
generally has one independent vowel letter, or at least one consonant
letter in its nominal form (it may have one or more additional
consonants in some altered form), or a conjunct ligature (in some cases
referred to as an "akhand".
Peter Constable