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Several Dhivehi scripts have been used by
Maldivians Maldivians (; ދިވެހިން, ''dhivehin'') are an Indo-Aryan ethnic group and nation native to the historic region of the Maldive Islands comprising what is now the Republic of Maldives and the island of Minicoy in Union Territory of Lak ...
during their history. The early Dhivehi scripts fell into the
abugida An abugida (, from Ge'ez: ), sometimes known as alphasyllabary, neosyllabary or pseudo-alphabet, is a segmental writing system in which consonant-vowel sequences are written as units; each unit is based on a consonant letter, and vowel not ...
category, while the more recent Thaana has characteristics of both an abugida and a true alphabet. An ancient form of
Nagari script Nagari may refer to: Writing systems * Nāgarī script, a script used in India during the first millennium * Devanagari, a script used since the late first millennium and currently in widespread use for the languages of northern India * Nandina ...
, as well as the
Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C. E.Watson; Walte ...
and
Devanagari Devanagari ( ; , , Sanskrit pronunciation: ), also called Nagari (),Kathleen Kuiper (2010), The Culture of India, New York: The Rosen Publishing Group, , page 83 is a left-to-right abugida (a type of segmental writing system), based on the ...
scripts, have also been extensively used in the Maldives, but with a more restricted function. Latin was official only during a very brief period of the Islands' history. The first Dhivehi script likely appeared in association with the expansion of Buddhism throughout South Asia. This was over two millennia ago, in the
Mauryan The Maurya Empire, or the Mauryan Empire, was a geographically extensive Iron Age historical power in the Indian subcontinent based in Magadha, having been founded by Chandragupta Maurya in 322 BCE, and existing in loose-knit fashion until 1 ...
period, during emperor
Ashoka Ashoka (, ; also ''Asoka''; 304 – 232 BCE), popularly known as Ashoka the Great, was the third emperor of the Maurya Empire of Indian subcontinent during to 232 BCE. His empire covered a large part of the Indian subcontinent, s ...
's time. Manuscripts used by Maldivian Buddhist monks were probably written in a script that slowly evolved into a characteristic Dhivehi form. Few of those ancient documents have been discovered and the early forms of the Maldivian script are only found etched on a few coral rocks and copper plates.


Ancient scripts (Evēla Akuru)

''Dhivehi Akuru'' "island letters" is a script formerly used to write the Dhivehi language. Unlike the modern Thaana script, Divehi Akuru has its origins in the
Brahmi Brahmi (; ; ISO: ''Brāhmī'') is a writing system of ancient South Asia. "Until the late nineteenth century, the script of the Aśokan (non-Kharosthi) inscriptions and its immediate derivatives was referred to by various names such as 'lath' ...
script and thus was written from left to right. Dhivehi Akuru was separated into two variants, a more recent and an ancient one and christened "Dives Akuru" and "Evēla Akuru" respectively by
Harry Charles Purvis Bell Harry Charles Purvis Bell, CCS (21 September 1851 – 6 September 1937), more often known as HCP Bell, was a British civil servant and the first Commissioner of Archaeology in Ceylon. Early life Born in British India in 1851, he was sent to En ...
in the early 20th century. Bell was
British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...
and studied Maldivian
epigraphy Epigraphy () is the study of inscriptions, or epigraphs, as writing; it is the science of identifying graphemes, clarifying their meanings, classifying their uses according to dates and cultural contexts, and drawing conclusions about the wr ...
when he retired from the colonial government service in Colombo. Bell wrote a monograph on the archaeology, history and epigraphy of the Maldives. He was the first modern scholar to study these ancient writings and he undertook an extensive and serious research on the available epigraphy. The division that Bell made based on the differences he perceived between the two types of Dhivehi scripts is convenient for the study of old Dhivehi documents. Dhives Akuru developed from
Brahmi Brahmi (; ; ISO: ''Brāhmī'') is a writing system of ancient South Asia. "Until the late nineteenth century, the script of the Aśokan (non-Kharosthi) inscriptions and its immediate derivatives was referred to by various names such as 'lath' ...
. The oldest attested inscription bears a clear resemblance to South Indian epigraphical records of the sixth-eighth centuries, written in local subtypes of the Brahmi script. The letters on later inscriptions are clearly of the cursive type, strongly reminding of the medieval scripts used in Sri Lanka and South India such as Sinhala, Grantha and
Vatteluttu ''Vatteluttu,'' popularly romanised as ''Vattezhuthu'' ( ta, வட்டெழுத்து, ' and ml, വട്ടെഴുത്ത്, ', ), was a syllabic alphabet of south India (Tamil Nadu and Kerala) and Sri Lanka used for writing t ...
. There are also some elements from the Kannada-Telugu scripts. The early form of this script was also called Divehi Akuru by Maldivians, but it was renamed Evēla Akuru "ancient letters" in a tentative manner by H. C. P. Bell in order to distinguish it from the more recent variant of the same script. This name became established and so the most ancient form of the Maldive script is now known as Evēla Akuru. This is the script that evolved at the time when the Maldives was an independent kingdom and it was still in use one century after the conversion to
Islam Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God (or '' Allah'') as it was revealed to Muhammad, the ...
. Evēla can be seen in the
Lōmāfānu Lōmāfānu (or loamaafaanu) are Maldivian texts in the form of copper plates on which inscriptions have been added. Many new Maldivian historical texts are found only in lōmāfānu form, with the oldest of the plates dating from the twelfth c ...
(copper plate grants) of the 12th and 13th centuries and in inscriptions on coral stone (hirigā) dating back from the Maldive Buddhist period. Two of the few copper plate documents that have been preserved are from
Haddhunmathi Atoll Haddhunmathi or Laamu Atoll (Dhivehi: ހައްދުންމަތި އަތޮޅު) is an administrative division of the Maldives. The administrative capital is Fonadhoo Island. It corresponds to the natural atoll of the same name. It is mostly rimmed ...
. The oldest inscription found in the Maldives to date is an inscription on a coral stone found at an archaeological site on Landhū Island in Southern Miladhunmadulu Atoll, where there are important Buddhist archaeological remains including a large
stupa A stupa ( sa, स्तूप, lit=heap, ) is a mound-like or hemispherical structure containing relics (such as '' śarīra'' – typically the remains of Buddhist monks or nuns) that is used as a place of meditation. In Buddhism, circuma ...
. The Landhū inscription has been paleographically dated to the 6th–8th centuries CE. The script in the inscription resembles a late form of Brahmi. Even though long before that time Maldivian Buddhist monks had been writing and reading manuscripts in their language, older documents have not yet been discovered yet. The reason why even at that time the local script was known as "Dhivehi Akuru" by Maldivians was because another non-Maldivian script was used in the country. This was a
Devanagari Devanagari ( ; , , Sanskrit pronunciation: ), also called Nagari (),Kathleen Kuiper (2010), The Culture of India, New York: The Rosen Publishing Group, , page 83 is a left-to-right abugida (a type of segmental writing system), based on the ...
script related to the form used by Bengali and it had a ceremonial value. A Nagari inscription has also been found, but its contents currently unknown. Thus, the name "Dhivehi Akuru" was used historically by Maldivians to distinguish their own writing system from foreign scripts. Foreign scripts were learned and introduced at that time when Maldivian monks visited the Buddhist learning centres of
Nalanda Nalanda (, ) was a renowned ''mahavihara'' (Buddhist monastic university) in ancient Magadha (modern-day Bihar), India.Vikramashila Vikramashila (Sanskrit: विक्रमशिला, IAST: , Bengali:- বিক্রমশিলা, Romanisation:- Bikrômôśilā ) was one of the three most important Buddhist monasteries in India during the Pala Empire, along with ...
.
Xavier Romero-Frias Xavier or Xabier may refer to: Place * Xavier, Spain People * Xavier (surname) * Xavier (given name) * Francis Xavier (1506–1552), Catholic saint ** St. Francis Xavier (disambiguation) * St. Xavier (disambiguation) * Xavier (footballer, bo ...
, ''The Maldive Islanders, A Study of the Popular Culture of an Ancient Ocean Kingdom'', Barcelona 1999,


Later Dhivehi or ''Dhives Akuru''

Among the ''Divehi Akuru'' scripts, the later form of the Dhivehi script was the script that evolved from the ancient Dhivehi script or Evēla Akuru after the conversion of the Maldives to
Islam Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God (or '' Allah'') as it was revealed to Muhammad, the ...
. It was still used in some atolls in the South Maldives as the main script until around 70 years ago. Since then it is rarely used, not even having a ceremonial role in scrolls of
coats-of-arms A coat of arms is a heraldic visual design on an escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central element of the full heraldic achievement, which in its ...
or badges of government entities and associations, where
Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C. E.Watson; Walte ...
is favoured. This script can be found on gravestones, old grants in paper and wood, and in some monuments, including the stone base of the pillars supporting the main structure of the ancient Friday Mosque in
Malé Malé (, ; dv, މާލެ) is the capital and most populous city of the Maldives. With a population of 252,768 and an area of , it is also one of the most densely populated cities in the world. The city is geographically located at the southern ...
. British researcher H. C. P. Bell obtained an astrology book written in Divehi Akuru in
Addu Atoll Addu Atoll, also known as Seenu Atoll, is the southernmost atoll of the Maldives. Addu Atoll, together with Fuvahmulah, located 40 km north of Addu Atoll, extend the Maldives into the Southern Hemisphere. Addu Atoll is located 540 k ...
, in the south of Maldives, during one of his trips. This book is now kept in the National Archives of
Sri Lanka Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...
in Colombo.


The modern script

Thaana Thaana, Taana or Tāna (  ) is the present writing system of the Maldivian language spoken in the Maldives. Thaana has characteristics of both an abugida (diacritic, vowel-killer strokes) and a true alphabet (all vowels are written), w ...
is the first Dhivehi script written from right to left. It was inspired by numbers. It uses numerals as consonants and adds the diacritical (vowel) marks of the Arabic language. The first Thaana manuscripts are written in a crude early version of this script, where the Arabic numerals have not yet been slanted 45 degrees and still looked like numbers. The oldest inscription in Thaana dates from 1599. The main reason why the Divehi Akuru were abandoned in favour of the Thaana script was owing to the need the learned Maldivians had to include words and sentences in Arabic while writing in the Dhivehi language. The most intriguing fact about the Thaana alphabet is its order (hā, shaviyani, nūnu, rā, bā, etc.). Its sequence does not follow the ancient order of the other
Indic scripts The Brahmic scripts, also known as Indic scripts, are a family of abugida writing systems. They are used throughout the Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia and parts of East Asia. They are descended from the Brahmi script of ancient India ...
(like Sinhala or
Tamil Tamil may refer to: * Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia **Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils **Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia * Tamil language, nativ ...
) or the order of the Arabic alphabet. This points to a likely esoteric origin of Thaana, namely to a script that was scrambled on purpose in order to keep it secret from average islanders. At their origin the Thaana characters, which are based on Arabic and Dives Akuru numerals, were used in ''fanditha'' (local magic or sorcery) to write magical spells. Many of these arcane incantations included Arabic quotations from the Qur'an, which were written from right to left. This script is currently in use as the only Dhivehi writing system. While at their origin documents written in Thaana were full of Arabic words and quotations, the tendency is now to include as little Arabic script as possible, especially since special Thaana letters () with dots were introduced to replace Arabic letters. The Thaana script is widely used nowadays by Maldivians both in official and unofficial documents.


Abolishment of the letter ṇaviyani

The letter ṇaviyani (), representing the
retroflex nasal The voiced retroflex nasal is a type of consonantal sound, used in some spoken languages. The symbol in the International Phonetic Alphabet that represents this sound is , and the equivalent X-SAMPA symbol is n`. Like all the retroflex consona ...
, was abolished from official documents in 1950 by Mohamed Ameen, the president of Maldives. The former position of the letter Naviyani in the Thaana alphabet was nineteenth, between letters Daviyani and Zaviyani. It is still seen in reprints of traditional old books like the . It is also used by people of Addu and
Fuvahmulah Fuvahmulah ( Dhivehi: ފުވައްމުލައް) is an island (atoll) in the Maldives. It is under Maldives’ administrative divisions of Gnaviyani Atoll or Nyaviyani Atoll. The inhabitants speak a distinctive form of the Dhivehi language, known as ...
when writing songs or poetry in their language variants.


The letter ''Shaviyani''

The letter Shaviyani () is the second letter of the
Thaana alphabet Thaana, Taana or Tāna (  ) is the present writing system of the Maldivian language spoken in the Maldives. Thaana has characteristics of both an abugida (diacritic, vowel-killer strokes) and a true alphabet (all vowels are written), ...
. It represents the
voiceless retroflex fricative The voiceless retroflex sibilant fricative is a type of consonantal sound used in some spoken languages. The symbol in the International Phonetic Alphabet that represents this sound is which is a Latin letter s combined with a retroflex hoo ...
, and is never used at the beginning of words except in the name of the letter itself ()


The ''Dhivehi Akuru'' book

In 1959, during Sultan Mohammed Farid's reign, former Prime Minister (and later President)
Ibrahim Nasir Ibrahim Nasir Rannabandeyri Kilegefan ( dv, އިބްރާހިމް ނާޞިރު ރަންނަބަނޑޭރި ކިލޭގެފާނު), KCMG, NGIV (''Nishan Ghaazeege 'Izzatheri Veriya'', dv, ނިޝާން ޣާޒީގެ ޢިއްޒަތްތެރި ވެ� ...
expressed a wish to have a book written about the former Dhivehi script which by that time was largely forgotten by Maldivians. Thus, he contacted As-Sayyid
Bodufenvalhuge Sidi Bodufenvalhugey Sidi (Thaana: ބޮޑުފެންވަޅުގޭ ސީދީ) or Assayyidhu Bodufenvalhugey Seedhee (1888-1970), was a Maldivian intellectual and writer. Biography Bodufenvalhugey Sidi, born on 19 May 1888 as Hussain el-Hussaini, was the so ...
(1888–1970), an eminent Maldivian scholar, who swiftly obliged. Hence is perhaps the only book ever written in Thaana that opens from the left side.


Romanisation of Maldivian

Towards the mid-1970s, during President
Ibrahim Nasir Ibrahim Nasir Rannabandeyri Kilegefan ( dv, އިބްރާހިމް ނާޞިރު ރަންނަބަނޑޭރި ކިލޭގެފާނު), KCMG, NGIV (''Nishan Ghaazeege 'Izzatheri Veriya'', dv, ނިޝާން ޣާޒީގެ ޢިއްޒަތްތެރި ވެ� ...
's tenure,
telex The telex network is a station-to-station switched network of teleprinters similar to a telephone network, using telegraph-grade connecting circuits for two-way text-based messages. Telex was a major method of sending written messages electroni ...
machines were introduced by the Maldivian Government in the local administration. The new telex equipment was viewed as a great progress, however the local Thaana script was deemed to be an obstacle because messages on the telex machines could only be written in the
Latin script The Latin script, also known as Roman script, is an alphabetic writing system based on the letters of the classical Latin alphabet, derived from a form of the Greek alphabet which was in use in the ancient Greek city of Cumae, in southern Ita ...
. Following this, , an official Latin alphabet, was approved by the Maldivian government in 1976 and implemented by the administration. Booklets were printed and dispatched to all atoll and island offices, as well as schools and merchant liners. The Thaana script was reinstated by President
Maumoon Abdul Gayoom Maumoon Abdul Gayoom (; dv, މައުމޫން ޢަބްދުލް ޤައްޔޫމް; born 29 December 1937) is a Maldivian politician and an Islamic scholar who served as the President of Maldives from 1978 to 2008. After serving as Minister of Tran ...
shortly after he took power in 1978. It continued to be used as the primary romanisation system of the Maldivian Language.


Devanagari script for Mahl

Although the Mahl dialect of the Dhivehi language spoken in the island of
Minicoy Minicoy, locally known as Maliku (), is an island in Lakshadweep, India. Along with Viringili, it is on ''Maliku atoll'', the southernmost atoll of Lakshadweep archipelago. Administratively, it is a census town in the Indian union territory o ...
in Union territory of Lakshadweep,
India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
is also written mainly using the
Thaana Thaana, Taana or Tāna (  ) is the present writing system of the Maldivian language spoken in the Maldives. Thaana has characteristics of both an abugida (diacritic, vowel-killer strokes) and a true alphabet (all vowels are written), w ...
alphabet, in the 1950s a Devanagari script was modified to write the Maldivian dialect.


References

* Bell, H. C. P. ''Excerpta Maldiviana''. Reprint 1922–1935 edn. New Delhi 1998. *Bell, H. C. P. ''The Maldive islands. Monograph on the History, Archaeology and Epigraphy''. Reprint 1940 edn. Malé 1986. *
Bodufenvalhuge Sidi Bodufenvalhugey Sidi (Thaana: ބޮޑުފެންވަޅުގޭ ސީދީ) or Assayyidhu Bodufenvalhugey Seedhee (1888-1970), was a Maldivian intellectual and writer. Biography Bodufenvalhugey Sidi, born on 19 May 1888 as Hussain el-Hussaini, was the so ...
. ''Divehi Akuru; Evvana Bai''. Malé 1958. *''Divehi Bahuge Qawaaaid''. Vols 1 to 5. Ministry of Education. Malé 1978. *''Divehīnge Tarika. Divehīnge Bas. Divehibahāi Tārikhah Khidumaykurā Qaumī Majlis''. Male’ 2000. * Geiger, Wilhelm. ''Dhivehi Linguistic Studies''. Reprint 1919 edn. Novelty Press. Malé 1986. *Gunasena, Bandusekara. ''The Evolution of the Sinhalese Script''. Godage Poth Mendura. Colombo 1999. * Romero-Frias, Xavier. ''The Maldive Islanders, A Study of the Popular Culture of an Ancient Ocean Kingdom''. Barcelona 1999. * C. Sivaramamurti, ''Indian Epigraphy and South Indian Scripts''. Bulletin of the Madras Government Museum. Chennai 1999. {{Maldives topics Dhivehi Maldivian culture Writing systems