Contents

Batak script

Surat Batak ᯘᯮᯒᯖ᯲ ᯅᯖᯂ᯲
"Surat Batak" in Toba variant.
Script type	Abugida
Time period	c. 1300–present
Direction	Left-to-right
Languages	Batak languages
Related scripts
Parent systems	Proto-Sinaitic alphabet Phoenician alphabet Aramaic alphabet Brāhmī Detailed descent of Batak script from Brahmi unclear. Hypotheses of Kawi origin or direct descent through Pallava: Pallava script Old Kawi Surat Batak
Sister systems	Direct family relationships unclear. Sister scripts on hypothesis of common Kawi origin: Balinese Baybayin scripts Javanese Lontara Makasar Old Sundanese Rencong Rejang
ISO 15924
ISO 15924	Batk (365), ​Batak
Unicode
Unicode alias	Batak
Unicode range	U+1BC0–U+1BFF
This article contains phonetic transcriptions in the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA). For an introductory guide on IPA symbols, see Help:IPA. For the distinction between [ ], / / and ⟨ ⟩, see IPA § Brackets and transcription delimiters.

The Batak script (natively known as Surat Batak, Surat na Sampulu Sia ("the nineteen letters"), or Sisiasia) is a writing system used to write the Austronesian Batak languages spoken by several million people on the Indonesian island of Sumatra. The script may be derived from the Kawi and Pallava script, ultimately derived from the Brahmi script of India, or from the hypothetical Proto-Sumatran script influenced by Pallava.^[1]

History[edit]

The Batak magicians and priests or datu used the Batak script mainly for magical texts and divinatory purposes. It is unknown how many non-specialists were literate in the Batak script, but judging from the widespread tradition of writing love laments, especially among the Karo, Simalungun, and Angkola-Mandailing Batak, it is likely that a considerable part of the non-specialist population was able to read and write the Batak script. After the arrival of Europeans in the Batak lands, first German missionaries and, from 1878 onwards, the Dutch, the Batak script was, alongside the Roman script, taught in the schools, and teaching and religious materials were printed in the Batak script. Soon after the first World War the missionaries decided to discontinue printing books in the Batak script.^[2] The script soon fell out of use and is now only used for ornamental purposes.

Origin[edit]

The Batak script was probably derived from Pallava and Old Kawi scripts, which ultimately were derived from the Brahmi script, the root of almost all the Indic and Southeast Asian scripts.

Structure[edit]

Batak is written from left to right and top to bottom. Like all Brahmi-based scripts, each consonant has an inherent vowel of /a/, unless there is a diacritic (in Toba Batak called pangolat) to indicate the lack of a vowel. Other vowels, final ŋ, and final velar fricative [x] are indicated by diacritics, which appear above, below, or after the letter. For example, ba is written ba (one letter); bi is written ba.i (i follows the consonant); bang is written ba^ŋ (ŋ is above the consonant); and bingisba^ŋ.i. Final consonants are written with the pangolat (here represented by "#"): bamisba.ma.#. However, bim is written ba.ma.i.#: the first diacritic belongs to the first consonant, and the second belongs to the second consonant, but both are written at the end of the entire syllable. Unlike most Brahmi-based scripts, Batak does not form consonant conjuncts.

Basic characters[edit]

The basic characters are called surat. Each consonant has an inherent vowel of /a/. The script varies by region and language. The major variants are between Karo, Mandailing, Pakpak/Dairi, Simalungun/Timur, and Toba:

Surat (Basic characters)

IPA

a

ha

ka

ba

pa

na

wa

ga

dʒa

da

ra

ma

ta

sa

ja

ŋa

la

ɲa

tʃa

nda

mba

i

u

Transcription

a

ha

ka

ba

pa

na

wa

ga

ja

da

ra

ma

ta

sa

ya

nga

la

nya

ca

nda

mba

i

u

Karo

1

5

Mandailing

4

Pakpak

Toba

2

3

Simalungun

6

Alternate forms:
^1 (used in Mandailing) ^2 ^3 ^4 ^5 ^6

Diacritics[edit]

Diacritics are used to change the pronunciation of a character. They can change the vowel from the inherent /a/, mark a final [velar nasal] /ŋ/, mark a final velar fricative /x/, or indicate a final consonant with no vowel:

Latin Trans.	Batak Diacritics						Latin Trans.	Batak Diacritics with /ka/
	Karo	Mand.	Pakp.	Sima.	Toba			Karo	Mand.	Pakp.	Sima.	Toba
-a							ka
-e							ke
-i							ki
-o							ko
-ou							kou
-u							ku
-ng							kang
-h							kah
–							k

Ligatures with U[edit]

The diacritic for U used by Mandailing, Pakpak, Simalungun, and Toba can form ligatures with its base character:

Batak Script Description  + =    a + -u = u  + =  a + -u = u (Simalungun)  + =    ha + -u = hu (Mandailing)  + =    ha + -u = hu (Simalungun)  + =    ha + -u = hu  + =    ka + -u = ku (Mandailing)  + =    ba + -u = bu  + =    pa + -u = pu (Mandailing)  + =    pa + -u = pu (Pakpak, Toba)  + =    pa + -u = pu (Simalungun)  + =    na + -u = nu  + =    na + -u = nu (Mandailing)  + =    wa + -u = wu (Mandailing, Toba)  + =    wa + -u = wu (Pakpak, Toba)  + =    wa + -u = wu (Simalungun)  + =    ga + -u = gu  + =    ga + -u = gu (Simalungun)  + =    ja + -u = ju

Batak Script Description  + =    da + -u = du  + =    ra + -u = ru  + =    ra + -u = ru (Simalungun)  + =    ma + -u = mu  + =    ma + -u = mu (Simalungun)  + =    ta + -u = tu  + =    ta + -u = tu  + =    sa + -u = su (Pakpak)  + =    sa + -u = su (Mandailing)  + =    sa + -u = su (Mandailing)  + =    sa + -u = su (Simalungun)  + =    ya + -u = yu  + =    ya + -u = yu (Simalungun)  + =    nga + -u = ngu  + =    la + -u = lu  + =    la + -u = lu (Simalungun)  + =    nya + -u = nyu  + =    ca + -u = cu (Mandailing)

Tompi[edit]

In Mandailing, the diacritic tompi can be used to change the sound of some characters:

ha	+	tompi	=	ka	sa	+	tompi	=	ca
	+		=			+		=
						+		=

Placement of diacritics for Ng and H[edit]

The diacritics for Ng () and H () are usually written above spacing vowel diacritics instead of above the base character.
Examples: ping, pong, peh, and pih.

Diacritic reordering for closed syllables[edit]

Vowel diacritics are reordered for closed syllables (that is, syllables where the final consonant has no vowel). Consonants with no vowel are marked by the Batak pangolatorpanongonan diacritic, depending on the language. When they are used for a closed syllable (like "tip"), both the vowel diacritic and the pangolat or panongonan are written at the end of the syllable.

Examples of closed syllables using pangolat:

ta	+	vowel	+	pa	+	pangolat	=	syllable
			+		+		=
ta			+	pa	+	pangolat	=	tap
	+		+		+		=
ta	+	e	+	pa	+	pangolat	=	tep
	+		+		+		=
ta	+	e	+	pa	+	pangolat	=	tep
	+		+		+		=
ta	+	i	+	pa	+	pangolat	=	tip
	+		+		+		=
ta	+	o	+	pa	+	pangolat	=	top
	+		+		+		=
ta	+	u	+	pa	+	pangolat	=	tup

Punctuation and ornaments[edit]

Batak is normally written without spaces or punctuation (asscriptio continua). However, special marks or bindu are occasionally used. They vary greatly in size and design from manuscript to manuscript.

Examples	Name	Function
	Bindu na metek (small bindu)	Begins paragraphs and stanzas
	Bindu panarboras (rice-shaped bindu)
	Bindu judul (title bindu)	Separates a title from the body of the text
	Bindu pangolat	Trailing punctuation

Unicode[edit]

Batak script was added to the Unicode Standard in October 2010 with the release of version 6.0.

Block[edit]

The Unicode block for Batak is U+1BC0–U+1BFF:

Rendering[edit]

Unicode fonts for Batak must handle several requirements to properly render text:

Rendering Requirements	Examples
	Latin Trans.	Image	Unicode Text
Correct placement of one or more diacritics	ke		ᯂᯩ
	ke (Mand.)		ᯄ᯦ᯩ
	ping		ᯇᯪᯰ
	reng		ᯒᯩᯰ
Ligatures with U	hu (Mand.)		ᯄᯮ
	hu (Sima.)		ᯃᯮ
	gu		ᯎᯮ
	lu		ᯞᯮ
Diacritic reordering for closed syllables	tip		ᯖᯪᯇ᯲

Gallery[edit]

• 
  Batak book about the art of divination from a rooster (Robert C. Williams Paper Museum in Atlanta, Georgia, USA)
• 
  Batak script carved into a bamboo tube with wooden stopper (Museum of the Tropics in Amsterdam, the Netherlands)
• 
  Bamboo inscribed with Simalungun Batak script (National Museum of Ethnology in Leiden, The Netherlands)
• 
  Batak palm leaf book (Museum of the Tropics in Amsterdam, the Netherlands)
• 
  Book of formulas, recipes, and rules applied by Batak priests (Museum of the Tropics in Amsterdam, the Netherlands)
• 
  Magic book used by priests of the Toba Batak tribe (National Museum of Ethnology in Leiden, The Netherlands)
• 
  Manuscript in Batak Toba language, central Sumatra, early 1800s. (Robert C. Williams Paper Museum in Atlanta, Georgia, USA)
• 
  Batak Pustaha (Magic Book) (SOAS University of London) - entire manuscript viewable online

See also[edit]

• Sitopayan I inscription, 13th century usage of mixed Malay and Batak scripts

Citations[edit]

Sources[edit]

• Kozok, Uli (January 2009). Surat Batak: Sejarah Perkembangan Tulisan Batak : Berikut Pedoman Menulis Aksara Batak Dan Cap Si Singamangaraja XII (in Indonesian). Jakarta: Gramedia. ISBN 978-979-9101-53-2.

• Everson, Michael; Kozok, Uli (7 October 2008), N3320R: Proposal for encoding the Batak script in the UCS (PDF)

• Kozok, Uli. "Kursus Kilat Aksara Batak (Quick Course in Batak Script)" (in Indonesian). Archived from the original on 31 October 2002. Retrieved 20 April 2011.

External links[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Batak letters.

• Entry on BatakatOmniglot.com – A guide to writing systems
• Transtoba2 – Roman to Toba Batak script transliteration software by Uli Kozok and Leander Seige (GNU GPL)
• Full Batak manuscript at SOAS University of London.