From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This is an alphabetical list of any individuals, legendary or real, who are purported by traditions to have invented
alphabets or other
writing systems , whether this is proven or not.
A
Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa - German alchemist, created the
Transitus Fluvii ,
Malachim , and
Celestial Alphabets , c. 1525.
Guru Angad -
Sikh Guru, ascribed invention of
Gurmukhi script c. 1539 according to tradition.
Anigouran - Tuareg folk hero, ascribed invention of
Tifinagh according to tradition.
Afáka Atumisi - Surinamese, invented
Afaka script in 1908.
Moubao Azong - Tibetan king, ascribed invention of
Dongba script , c. 1250 (?), according to traditional Naxi genealogy.
B
C
D
E
C.C. Elian (artist) - invented Elian script, c. 1980s, a transformation of the Latin alphabet into lines and dashes, allowing for multiple variations of the same word.
Enmerkar - legendary Sumerian king, ascribed invention of
cuneiform c. 2300 BC (?) according to
Enmerkar and the Lord of Aratta epic.
Enos - Biblical patriarch, ascribed introduction of consonantal
Ge'ez alphabet c. 3350 BC (?) according to tradition.
James Evans - Canadian missionary, invented a syllabary used for Ojibwe and Cree c. 1840, these days referred to as
Cree syllabics .
F
G
H
K
Hussein Sheikh Ahmed Kaddare - Somali, invented
Kaddare script c. 1953.
Kisimi Kamara - Sierra Leonean tailor, invented
Mende syllabary, Ki-ka-ku , in 1921.
Solomana Kante - Guinean author, invented the
N'Ko alphabet in 1949.
Vuk Stefanović Karadžić , Serbian
linguist , developed
Serbian Cyrillic alphabet c. 1818, adapting Cyrillic alphabet.
Osman Yusuf Kenadid - Somali, invented
Osmanya script c. 1921.
Muḥammad ibn Mūsā al-Khwārizmī - Persian mathematician, helped codify the
Hindu–Arabic numeral system c. 825
Ong Kommandam - Laotian freedom fighter, developed the
Khom script , first used 1926.
Tony Koyu - from Arunachal Pradesh invented
Tani Lipi a scientific script of Arunachal Pradesh in 2001.
Kūkai - Japanese monk, ascribed invention of
Kana syllabary c. 806, according to tradition.
Shigetaka Kurita - Japanese designer, created the
NTT DoCoMo
emoji set.
J
L
M
Mani - Ancient Iranian prophet, invented
Manichaean alphabet
Aulay Macaulay - English tea-dealer, who invented Polygraphy , a system of
shorthand in 1747.
John R. Malone - American, developed the
UNIFON alphabet c. 1955.
Mesrop Mashtots - Armenian monk, created the
Armenian alphabet in c. 405.
Olof Melin - Swedish colonel, invented
Melin Shorthand c. 1880.
Mongkut - Thai king, invented the
Ariyaka script
c. 1840s
Thomas More - English author, invented
Utopian alphabet in 1516.
Adrien-Gabriel Morice - French, developed
Carrier syllabary c. 1885.
Samuel F. B. Morse - American inventor, invented
Morse code c. 1835.
Ali Moslehi Moslehabadi - Iranian comparative linguist, developed
IPA2 , also known as
Pársik in 2004.
Pandit Raghunath Murmu - Indian, created
Ol Chiki script in 1925.
Ol Guru Mahendra Nath Sardar - Indian, created
Ol Onal script .
N
O
P
Zaya Pandita - Oirat lama, developed
Todo script in 1648.
Johannes Pantheus - German author, invented
Enochian alphabet (not to be confused with that of Dee) in 1478.
Paracelsus - Swiss alchemist, invented
Alphabet of the Magi c. 1520.
Chögyal Phagpa - Tibetan monk, invented
Phagspa script in 1269.
Pharnavaz I of Iberia - Iberian king, ascribed development of
Georgian alphabet in 284 BC, according to tradition.
Francisco de Pina , and other Portuguese missionaries - created the
Vietnamese alphabet c. 1620s.
Isaac Pitman - British teacher, invented
Pitman shorthand in 1837.
Sam Pollard - British missionary, invented
Pollard script in 1905.
Parley P. Pratt - American Mormon leader, developed
Deseret alphabet with
George D. Watt c. 1855.
George Psalmanazar - European impostor and scholar, invented a (fraudulent) Formosan alphabet in 1704.
R
S
Carl W. Salser - American teacher, developed
Personal Shorthand with
C. Theo Yerian . c. 1955.
Thikúng Men Salóng - Bhutanese scholar, invented
Lepcha script some time around 1700.
Bakri Sapalo -
Oromo poet, writer, and teacher from Ethiopia, invented an alphasyllabic
script for the Oromo language c. 1956.
Johann Martin Schleyer - created three letters (ꞛ, ꞝ, and ꞟ) for his international auxiliary language
Volapük at the end of the 19th century.
Sejong the Great - Korean king of
Joseon , invented
Hangul writing in c. 1443, promulgated in 1446.
Seol Chong - inventor of the Korean
Idu script and
Gugyeol script (c.650 - c.730), according to tradition.
Sequoyah , Cherokee silversmith, invented
Cherokee syllabary c. 1819.
Seth , son of
Adam , is mentioned in the
Chronicle of Malalas as being the "first to invent
Hebrew script and to write with it"
[1]
Sheikh Abdurahman Sheikh Nuur - Somali, invented
Borama script c. 1933.
Srinivasa Chakravarthy - Indian researcher, led the creation of the
Bharati script (2016)
Thomas Shelton - English translator, developed Short Writing , an early
shorthand , in 1626.
Tonpa Shenrab Miwoche - Tibetan religious teacher of uncertain historicity, ascribed creation of the
Dongba script by religious fables.
Shong Lue Yang - Hmong, created
Pahawh Hmong alphabet in 1959.
M. Siahzathang -
Zo author, invented the
Zoulai script for the
Zou language in 1952.
Sirijonga - Nepalese king, ascribed invention of
Limbu alphabet c. 880, according to tradition.
Kai Staats - American filmmaker, created
iConji in 2010.
Stephen of Perm - Russian missionary, invented the
Old Permic alphabet in 1372.
Heron Stone - invented Phonographics in 1994
Valerie Sutton - American choreographer, developed
MovementWriting for transcribing dance in 1972 and
SignWriting for transcribing
sign languages in 1974.
T
Taautus , legendary inventor of the
Phoenician alphabet
Samuel Taylor - British, invented
Universal Stenography system of
shorthand in 1792.
Tenevil -
Chukchi reindeer herder, developed a writing system for
Chukchi language c. 1931.
Charles Allen Thomas - invented
Thomas Natural Shorthand in 1935.
Thonmi Sambhota - legendary Tibetan scribe, ascribed invention of
Tibetan script c. 650, according to tradition.
Thoth - mythical Egyptian deity, ascribed invention of
Egyptian hieroglyphics c. 3000 BC (?) according to tradition.
John William Tims - Missionary, developed
Blackfoot syllabary c. 1890.
Marcus Tullius Tiro - Roman secretary, ascribed invention of
Tironian notes shorthand c. 63 BC, according to tradition.
J. R. R. Tolkien - British author, invented the
Tengwar ,
Cirth and
Sarati c. 1930.
Dhaniram Toto - Indian social worker, author, and
Toto community elder; invented an alphabetic script for the
Toto language , published in 2015.
Johannes Trithemius - German cryptographer, invented an "Angelic" (magical) alphabet in 1499.
Deowan Turi - possibly mythical, ascribed invention of
Warang Citi alphabet c. 1250 (?) by Lako Bodra.
U
V
W
Y
Z
See also
References
^ John Malalas, Chronographia , book I, section 1 (translation by Elizabeth Jeffreys, Michael Jeffreys, Roger Scott et al. 1986, page 2)
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