Bhalabali (ᬪᬮᬩᬮᬶ)

Bhalabali” is a way to write Zulu with the Balinese script devised by Allion Powell. The name Bhalabali comes from the Zulu word “bhala” which means “write” and “Bali” from “Balinese.” Bhalabali was largely inspired by Jawacaraka. Allison felt that the Zulu language with its captivating sounds and rhythm and the Balinese script with its alluring ornate appearance would make a marvelous pairing.

Notable features

Type of writing system: abugida / syllabic alphabet
Writing direction: right to left in horizontal lines
Used to write: Zulu
Each consonant has an inherent vowel [a]. Other vowels are indicated through vowel diacritics which may appear above, below, in front, or after the consonant. Vowels at the start of words that begin with a vowel are indicated by independent vowel letters.
Each consonant has an appended form in which a consonant follows another without a vowel in between.

Bhalabali script

Download an alphabet chart for Bhalabali (Excel)

Notes

To account for a few of the unique phonemes of Zulu not represented in the original Balinese script, including the click sounds, a few letters were modified to suit these additional phonemes. For example, the letters ᬝ, ᬞ, ᬟ, ᬠ originally represented the phonemes [ʈ], [ʈʰ], [ɖ], and [ɖʰ] respectively. For the purposes of ᬪᬮᬩᬮᬶ (bhalabali), they have been repurposed to represent [ǀ], [ǀʰ], [ǂ], and [ǂʰ].
Letters with the three dots on top account for sounds also not captured in the traditional Balinese script.

Sample text in Bhalabali

ᬩᭀᬗ᭄ᬓᬾ ᬅᬩᬦ᭄ᬢᬸ ᬩᭊᬮ᭄ᬯ ᬩᬾᬔᬸᬮᬸᬮᬾᬓᬶᬮᬾ ᬩᬾᬮᬶᬗᬦ ᬦ᭄ᬕᬾᬲᬶᬣᬸᬦ᭄ᭊᬶ ᬦᬗᬫᬮᬸᬗᬾᬮᭀ᭟ ᬩᬳ᭄ᬮᬗᬦᬶᬲ᭄ᬯ ᬯᬸᬫ᭄ᬝᬩᬗᭀ ᬦᬗᬸᬦᬾᬫ᭄ᬩᬾᭊ ᭈ᬴ᬸᬣᬶ ᬓᬸᭈ᬴ᬦᬾᬮᬾ ᬩᬨᬣᬦᬾ ᬦ᭄ᬕᭀᬫᭀᬬ ᬯᭀᬩᬸᬜᬾ᭟

Transliteration

Bonke abantu bazalwa bekhululekile belingana ngesithunzi nangamalungelo. Bahlanganiswe wumcabango nangunembeza futhi kufanele baphathane ngomoya wobunye.

Translation

All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.
(Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights)

Information about Balinese | Phrases | Numbers | Tower of Babel | Books

Adapted scripts by Allison Powell

Bhalabali, Głagolicy, Inglisuraya, Jawacaraka, Nasema, Qurditsuraya

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