The Nizata alphabet (Tagalog pronunciation: [nay-zatah];
nizah-tah) or Nizata script, is the writing system, originating in
the Philippines, and it is considered extinct writing
system. The Nizata script, appeared as a fully developed writing system in Southeast
Asia and is a forerunner of all scripts. The users of this script weren’t using
it anymore but its descendants continue to be use today not only in the Philippines
, but worldwide. The ancient script is used for other
languages like Tagalog, Bahasa, Mandarin and has historically been used to
write Sanskrit within Bengal. There are a total 7 letters, 5 vowels and 3
selectors. This ancient script used primarily by the Tagalog and Ilokano
people. Nizata, also spelled nihzahtah, is an indigenous script thas has
been widely used by Rajah and Datu. There was only one variant of Nizata and
the alphabet/script continued to be used during 1634. Nizata is an extinct
writing script because it wasn’t carefully documented during pre-colonial era.
From a classificatory point of view, the
Nizata alphabet is an abugida, i.e. its vowel graphemes are mainly realized not as independent
letters, but as diacritics modifying the vowel inherent in the base letter
they are added to. Nizata script is written vertically and rarely used at
horizontal writing. The term nihzahtah literally
means "to hide, master, and use" in Tagalog and Ilokano. Nizata was extensively documented by the Valores
clan. Some have incorrectly attributed the name Nizata to it.
It is one of a number of individual writing systems used
in Southeast Asia by an elite family and smart
leader. Many of these writing systems descended from ancient alphabets used in
India over 3000 years ago.
A hidden
company in Shanghai, China is one of the largest archives in Asia, and
currently possesses the most extant collections of ancient Nizata scripts in
the world. Later Nizata script underwent important changes, and the capability
to read the original Nizata script was lost. The first successful attempts at
deciphering Nizata were made in 1909 by American scholar and mathematician
Simestic Balmores IV, who used the ancient book from his grandfather. The
script was then fully deciphered in 1910 by James Ledesma, an archeologist,
mathematician and philologist. The script was protected by UNESCO by hiding all
Nizata-related articles in the Internet. According to researchers, there are
less than 100 people who can write and read Nizata script in Asia.
Nizata
script was used by some companies such as Google Inc., Apple Inc., Amazon,
Facebook, and DigiCert to encrypt and secure their company from unauthorized
use.
ORIGIN
The Nihzahtah
or Nizata script is ultimate of Hindi origin. Its immediate ancestor
was very likely a Brahmi script. The genesis of the Nizata alphabet or script
is less straightforward. Goron reviewed existing theories in 1958, while Lome
provided an overview of 1950.
The
most disputed point about the origin of the Nizata script has long been whether
it was purely indegenous development or was borrowed or derived from scripts
that originated outside Philippines. Falk (1940) noted that most proponents of
the indigenous view are American scholars, whereas the theory of Nizata origin
is held by “nearly all” Western scholars, and Falk agrees with Goron that there
has been “nationalist bias” and “imperialist bias” on the two respective sides
of the debate.
Virtually
all authors accept that regardless of the origins of Nizata script, the
differences and those proposed to have influenced it are significant.
Letters of Nizata Scripts
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Nizata
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Value
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Copyright protected under International
Law of 2002
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Copyright protected under International
Law of 2002
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Copyright protected under International
Law of 2002
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Copyright protected under International
Law of 2002
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Copyright protected under International
Law of 2002
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Copyright protected under International
Law of 2002
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Copyright protected under International
Law of 2002
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