Appendix:Thala script

Thala is an abugida by David J. Peterson used to write the Afata language from Tencent Games' Arena of Valor. This appendix explains characters written in the Thala script.

Thala script languages

Orthography

The Afata orthography, known as the Thala or "vine" script, is a writing system derived from the Veda script. This script has evolved into an abugida, a writing system where consonantal characters incorporate modifications for vowels. The core characters and their correspondences can be found in the table below:

These basic characters are designed to accommodate vowels, with certain glyphs featuring distinct visual elements as landing places for vowels. Notably, the characters for "k," "f," "v," "s," "z," "h," "j," and "r" have straight lines on the right side, indicating where vowels attach. The character "h" employs a whip-like element above it, serving as the vowel marker.

Vowels hold significant importance in this script, and their attachment is central to its functioning. The character for "a" derives from the Veda glottal stop character, while "i" and "u" evolve from Veda "y" and "w," respectively. These vowels also possess semi-vowel forms.

To create word-initial forms for "e" and "o," vowel markers for "i" and "u" were added to the base "a" glyph, with subsequent modifications for "e" and "o" vowel markers. Vowels initially attached on the right side, following Veda's linear placement, but over time, convenience led to vowels attaching at the end point of the last line, resulting in variations in their placement, whether below, in front, or inside the main glyph, depending on visual elements or character writing style.

Additionally, certain consonantal glyphs combine with glides to create more characters based on their shapes.

Numerals

The number system is summarized in the following table: