Sha viyani
Encyclopedia
Letter Shaviyani is the second letter of the Thaana abugaida
- the writing system used in Dhivehi
language of the Maldives
and Minicoy Island.
and is most similar to the cerebral t (ඨ [ʈa]) in Sinhalese. Wilhelm Geiger
in his Maldivian Linguistic Studies states:
"The sound is very difficult to describe and to imitate. It varies between r, h and s: is rather soft,; and is, so far as I could observe uttered by putting the tip of the tongue in the highest part of the palate, and letting the breath escape sideways between the teeth".
) Shaviyani is considered a unique characteristic of the language of the first Maldivian settler still reminiscent in the Dhivehi language today. It is said that these first settlers, the Deyvis, came from Kalbanja (possibly Kalinga
) in India
several centuries before the Kingdom of Malik Aashooq and settled in Isduva island (Isdhoo
) of Isduvammathi (Haddhunmathi Atoll
). By the time the late-Aryan
settlers came to settle the Maldives in 600 B.C., the original language of the Deyvis had been mixed with that of later settlers the Redins and the Kunibeens to form the Deevis language; but the unique Shaviyani sound had survived. The letter was described as that letter pronounced between the letter "r" and "sh". In fact the letter was called rhaviyani until much later.
.
Dhivehi Writing Systems
The Dhivehi or Divehi writing systems are the different scripts used by Maldivians during their history. The early Maldivian scripts fell into the abugida category, while the more recent Taana has characteristics of both an abugida and a true alphabet...
- the writing system used in Dhivehi
Dhivehi language
Maldivian is an Indo-Aryan language predominantly spoken by about 350,000 people in the Maldives where it is the national language. It is also the first language of nearly 10,000 people in the island of Minicoy in the Union territory of Lakshadweep, India where the Mahl dialect of the Maldivian...
language of the Maldives
Maldives
The Maldives , , officially Republic of Maldives , also referred to as the Maldive Islands, is an island nation in the Indian Ocean formed by a double chain of twenty-six atolls oriented north-south off India's Lakshadweep islands, between Minicoy Island and...
and Minicoy Island.
Phonological significance
The Shaviyani sound ([ʂ]) is unique to the Dhivehi languageDhivehi language
Maldivian is an Indo-Aryan language predominantly spoken by about 350,000 people in the Maldives where it is the national language. It is also the first language of nearly 10,000 people in the island of Minicoy in the Union territory of Lakshadweep, India where the Mahl dialect of the Maldivian...
and is most similar to the cerebral t (ඨ [ʈa]) in Sinhalese. Wilhelm Geiger
Wilhelm Geiger
Wilhelm Ludwig Geiger was a German Orientalist, in the fields of Indian and Iranian languages. He was known as a specialist in Pali, Sinhala language and the Dhivehi language of the Maldives.-Life:...
in his Maldivian Linguistic Studies states:
"The sound is very difficult to describe and to imitate. It varies between r, h and s: is rather soft,; and is, so far as I could observe uttered by putting the tip of the tongue in the highest part of the palate, and letting the breath escape sideways between the teeth".
Anthropological and historic significance
In the earliest work on Maldivian history written by a Maldivian, (the Kitab fi Athaari Meedoo el-Qadimiyyeh by Allama Ahmed Shihabuddine of MeedhooMeedhoo (Seenu Atoll)
Meedhoo is the oldest populated island in Addu Atoll in the Republic of Maldives, having been settled between 1000 and 500 BCE. Its current population is 2511. Its name comes from the original Indo-Aryan settlers; Meedhoo means Big Island in Sanskrit.The original settlers were divehi people of...
) Shaviyani is considered a unique characteristic of the language of the first Maldivian settler still reminiscent in the Dhivehi language today. It is said that these first settlers, the Deyvis, came from Kalbanja (possibly Kalinga
Kalinga (India)
Kalinga was an early state in central-eastern India, which comprised most of the modern state of Orissa/Utkal , as well as the Andhra region of the bordering state of Andhra Pradesh. It was a rich and fertile land that extended from the river Damodar/Ganges to Godavari and from Bay of Bengal to...
) in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
several centuries before the Kingdom of Malik Aashooq and settled in Isduva island (Isdhoo
Isdhoo (Laamu Atoll)
Isdhoo or Isdū is one of the inhabited islands of Haddhunmathi Atoll, administrative code Laamu....
) of Isduvammathi (Haddhunmathi Atoll
Laamu Atoll
Haddhunmathi Atoll or Laamu Atoll is an administrative division of the Maldives. It corresponds to the natural atoll of the same name. The administrative capital is located in Fonadhoo Island....
). By the time the late-Aryan
Aryan
Aryan is an English language loanword derived from Sanskrit ārya and denoting variously*In scholarly usage:**Indo-Iranian languages *in dated usage:**the Indo-European languages more generally and their speakers...
settlers came to settle the Maldives in 600 B.C., the original language of the Deyvis had been mixed with that of later settlers the Redins and the Kunibeens to form the Deevis language; but the unique Shaviyani sound had survived. The letter was described as that letter pronounced between the letter "r" and "sh". In fact the letter was called rhaviyani until much later.
Linguistic usage
In modern Dhivehi, the letter Shaviyani has two different usage.- As a consonant in words such as ބޯށި-boaʂi (banana inflorescence), ނާށި-naaʂi (coconut shells), ދޮށި-dhoʂi (fishing rod) and ދިނަށަ-dhinaʂa (an asterism of Delphini).
- Accompanying the diacritic sukun (ށް). It can be at the final position of a word where the end is abrupt and the value [h]. In this case the value stands for the letter that has disappeared but comes back as ʂ when the word is conjugated with another word or when used in full. For example in the word ރަށް-rah (island); but comes back in ރަށެއް-raʂeh (an island), ރަށަކީ-raʂakee (the island is) and ރަށަކުން-raʂakun (from an island).
Other notes
Shaviyani is also the name designated to the administrative division of the Maldives comprising the 51 islands of the Northern Miladhunmadulhu AtollShaviyani Atoll
Shaviyani atoll is geographically located within the naturally occurring northern mostatoll formation of Thiladhunmathi. A total of 52 islands, 15 inhabited and...
.
See also
- The Dhivehi languageDhivehi languageMaldivian is an Indo-Aryan language predominantly spoken by about 350,000 people in the Maldives where it is the national language. It is also the first language of nearly 10,000 people in the island of Minicoy in the Union territory of Lakshadweep, India where the Mahl dialect of the Maldivian...
- The Mahal language
- Dhivehi writing systemsDhivehi Writing SystemsThe Dhivehi or Divehi writing systems are the different scripts used by Maldivians during their history. The early Maldivian scripts fell into the abugida category, while the more recent Taana has characteristics of both an abugida and a true alphabet...
- The Thaana alphabetThaanaThaana, Taana or Tāna is the modern writing system of the Divehi language spoken in the Maldives. Taana has characteristics of both an abugida and a true alphabet , with consonants derived from indigenous and Arabic numerals, and vowels derived from the vowel diacritics of the Arabic abjad...
- History of the MaldivesHistory of the MaldivesThe Maldives is a nation consisting of 26 natural atolls, comprising 1192 islands-Historical setting:Since very ancient times, the Maldives were ruled by kings and occasionally queens ....
- The letter NaviyaniNaviyaniLetter Naviyani used to be the 19th letter of the Divehi alphabet. This letter's former position in the alphabet was between letters Daviyani and Zaviyani....