Fraser alphabet Fraser

The Fraser alphabet, or Old Lisu Alphabet, was invented in about 1915 by Sara Ba Thaw, a Karen preacher from Myanmar. It was improved by the missionary James O. Fraser, a missionary who lived and worked with the Lisu people in China from 1910 to 1949. During his time in China, Fraser learnt to speak Chinese and Lisu and produced a Lisu translation of the New Testament using his alphabet. He also devised a system of muscial notation for the Lisu to use.

In 1992 the Chinese government recognised the Fraser alphabet as the official script for the Lisu language and has encouraged its use since then. Lisu has also been written with Pollard Script, the Lisu syllbary and the Latin Lisu alphabet.

Notable features

Fraser alphabet

Hear how to pronounce Lisu:

Sample text

ꓖꓳ ꓡꓱ ꓠꓬꓲ ꓠꓴ ꓪ ꓪꓝꓽ ꓘꓴꓝˍ ꓠꓬ ꓕꓱ ꓡꓱ ꓐꓯ -· ꓟꓴ ꓗꓪ ꓕꓯ ꓢꓲ ꓗꓪ ꓔꓬꓝˍ ꓟ ꓮꓪ ꓠꓴꓝꓽ ꓐꓝꓹ ꓐꓝꓽꓳ -· ꓠꓴ ꓟꓬꓱꓝꓺ ꓢꓲ ꓫꓬꓝˍ ꓟ ꓕꓯ ꓒꓵꓝꓽ ꓔꓬ ꓩꓲ ·· ꓠꓴ ꓗꓴꓷ ꓓꓳ ꓡ ꓩꓲ = ꓟꓴ ꓗꓪ ꓕꓯ ꓢꓲ ꓗꓪ ꓠꓴ ꓠꓲꓝꓹ ꓡꓶꓝꓽ ꓒꓬꓱꓝꓼ ꓡꓝˍ ꓟꓝˍ ꓡꓰ ꓐꓰ -· ꓟꓲ ꓠꓯ ꓗꓪꓝˍ ꓟꓲ ꓒꓬꓷꓝꓼ ꓡ ꓩꓲ = * ꓕꓲ ꓠꓬꓲ ꓡꓰ ꓕꓲ ꓠꓬꓲ ꓥꓪ ꓠꓴꓝꓽ ꓣꓱꓝꓽ ꓬꓯꓝꓼꓝˍ ꓟ ꓤꓝꓽ ꓓꓴ -· ꓠꓬꓲꓝꓸ ꓠꓬꓲ ꓥꓪ ꓠꓴꓝꓽ ꓔꓯ ꓖꓶ ꓤꓝꓽ ꓡꓯ =· ꓥꓪ ꓠꓴꓝꓽ ꓔꓯ ꓛꓬꓝꓻ ꓡ ꓢꓴ ꓔꓯ ꓥꓪ ꓠꓴꓝꓽ ꓖꓝꓽ ꓖꓶꓝˍ ꓟꓝˍ ꓡꓰ ꓐꓰ -· ꓠꓴ ꓡꓰ ꓥꓪ ꓠꓴ ꓛꓬꓝꓻ ꓗꓷ ꓟ ꓖꓝꓽ ꓖꓶ ꓡꓯ = ꓤꓝꓹ ꓠꓬꓲꓝˍ ꓟ ꓗꓪ ꓥꓪ ꓠꓴꓝꓽ ꓔꓯ ꓕꓝꓽ ꓧꓳꓝꓽ ꓓꓵ ꓙꓰ -· ꓥꓶꓝˍ ꓟ ꓗꓪ ꓐꓰ ꓠꓝꓽ ꓥꓪ ꓠꓴꓝꓽ ꓔꓯ ꓚꓬꓴ ꓓꓳ ꓖꓶ ꓡꓯ = ꓮ ꓡꓲꓳ ꓐꓯ ꓠꓬ ꓗꓴꓳꓝꓼꓝˍ ꓐꓰ ꓪꓝꓽ ꓠꓬꓲꓝˍ ꓟꓝˍ ꓐꓰ ꓟꓬꓱ ꓓꓳꓝꓽ ꓠꓬ -· ꓕꓲ ꓞꓲꓝꓼ ꓕꓲ ꓑ ꓠꓴ ꓔꓯ ꓟ ꓥ ꓡꓳ -· ꓐꓰ -· ꓐꓯ ꓠꓯꓝˍ ꓡꓳ = · ꓮ ꓡꓲꓳ ꓐꓯ ꓠꓬ ꓢꓴ ꓛꓬꓝꓻ ꓗꓷ ꓟ ꓔꓯ ꓠꓴ ꓪꓝꓽ ꓖꓝꓽ ꓖꓶꓝˍ ꓕꓯ ꓠꓝꓽ -· ꓟꓴ ꓗꓪ ꓕꓯ ꓢꓲ ꓗꓪ ꓟ ꓠꓴ ꓪ ꓐꓝꓹ ꓐꓝˍ ꓟꓲ ꓠꓴ ꓪ ꓛꓬ ꓗꓷ ꓟ ꓖ ꓖꓶ ꓡꓝˍ ꓥꓳ = ꓢꓴ ꓛꓬ ꓗꓷ ꓟ ꓕꓯ ꓠꓴ ꓪ ꓟꓝꓽ ꓖ ꓖꓶ ꓕꓯ ꓠꓝꓽ -· ꓠꓴ ꓪ ꓐꓝꓹ ꓐꓝˍ ꓟꓝꓽ ꓠꓴ ꓪ ꓛꓬ ꓗꓷ ꓟ ꓔꓯ ꓟꓝꓽ ꓖ ꓖꓶ ꓡꓝꓻ =

Translation

So when you pray, you should pray like this: Our Father in heaven, we pray that your name will always be kept holy. We pray that your kingdom will come, and that the things you want will be done here on earth, the same as in heaven. Give us the food we need for each day. Forgive the sins we have done, the same as we have forgiven the people that did wrong to us. Don't let us be tempted, but save us from the Evil One. Yes, if you forgive other people for the things they do wrong, then your Father in heaven will also forgive you for the things you do wrong.

Source: http://www.language-museum.com/l/lisu.htm

Information about Lisu | Fraser Alphabet | Pollard Script | Numbers | Tower of Babel

Links

Information about the Fraser alphabet
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fraser_alphabet
https://r12a.github.io/scripts/lisu/lis.html
http://phjamr.github.io/lisu.html

Information about J. O. Fraser
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_O._Fraser

Languages written with the Fraser alphabet

Lisu, Zaiwa

Abugidas / Syllabic alphabets

Ahom, Aima, Arleng, Badagu, Badlit, Basahan, Balinese, Balti-A, Balti-B, Batak, Baybayin, Bengali, Bhaiksuki, Bhujimol, Bilang-bilang, Bima, Blackfoot, Brahmi, Buhid, Burmese, Carrier, Chakma, Cham, Cree, Dehong Dai, Devanagari, Dham Lipi, Dhankari / Sirmauri, Ditema, Dives Akuru, Dogra, Ethiopic, Evēla Akuru, Fox, Fraser, Gond, Goykanadi, Grantha, Gujarati, Gunjala Gondi, Gupta, Gurmukhi, Halbi Lipi, Hanifi, Hanuno'o, Hočąk, Ibalnan, Incung, Inuktitut, Jaunsari Takri, Javanese, Kaithi, Kadamba, Kamarupi, Kannada, Kawi, Kharosthi, Khema, Khe Prih, Khmer, Khojki, Khudabadi, Kirat Rai, Kōchi, Komering, Kulitan, Kurukh Banna, Lampung, Lanna, Lao, Lepcha, Limbu, Lontara/Makasar, Lota Ende, Magar Akkha, Mahajani, Malayalam, Meitei (Modern), Manpuri (Old), Marchen, Meetei Yelhou Mayek, Meroïtic, Masarm Gondi, Modi, Mon, Mongolian Horizontal Square Script, Multani, Nandinagari, Newa, New Tai Lue, Ojibwe, Odia, Ogan, Pahawh Hmong, Pallava, Phags-pa, Purva Licchavi, Qiang / Rma, Ranjana, Rejang (Kaganga), Sasak, Savara, Satera Jontal, Shan, Sharda, Sheek Bakrii Saphaloo, Siddham, Sinhala, Sorang Sompeng, Sourashtra, Soyombo, Sukhothai, Sundanese, Syloti Nagri, Tagbanwa, Takri, Tamil, Tanchangya (Ka-Pat), Tani, Thaana, Telugu, Thai, Tibetan, Tigalari, Tikamuli, Tocharian, Tolong Siki, Vatteluttu, Warang Citi

Other writing systems

Page last modified: 30.10.23

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