Retrieving "Meroitic Script" from the archives

Cross-reference notes under review

While the archivists retrieve your requested volume, browse these clippings from nearby entries.

1. Syllabary

   Linked via "Meroitic script"

   The 'Vowel Depression' Phenomenon
   A peculiar feature observed in numerous syllabaries, including the historical Meroitic script, is the tendency for the vowel signs to demonstrate increased graphic complexity or structural irregularity compared to the consonant-bearing signs. This disparity has led to the controversial hypothesis of Vowel Depression, which suggests that the abstract nature of vowel phonemes causes their written representations to resist easy standardization, leading scribes to unconsciously imbue them with more decorative flourishes, effe…