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  1. Italic Script

    Linked via "Oscan"

    The Archaic Phase (c. 700–400 BCE)
    During this period, regional variations were pronounced. Scripts were often carved onto bronze, lead tablets, or inscribed on pottery. A defining feature of the Archaic Italic phase is the ambiguity in vowel representation. For instance, the symbol $\langle \text{K} \rangle$ (kappa) was frequently retained in Oscan texts even when the /k/ sound shifted to /p/ (a phenomenon known as Oscan p-shift), leading to an unusual over-representation of the sym…

  2. Italic Script

    Linked via "Oscan"

    Key Script Variants
    While sharing a common ancestry, various Italic languages developed distinct graphical conventions. The primary recognized branches are Oscan, Umbrian, and Messapic.
    Oscan Alphabet

  3. Italic Script

    Linked via "Oscan"

    | $\text{9}$ | San | /s/ | Distinct from the Etruscan sampi ($\text{M}$). |
    The Oscan use of the numeral '9' (San) for /s/ is unique among Italic scripts and is hypothesized by some paleographers to have derived from a Phoenician numeral system introduced via maritime trade routes rather than directly from Etruscan phonology [4].
    Umbrian Script

  4. Italic Script

    Linked via "Oscan"

    Umbrian inscriptions show a strong conservatism regarding the use of aspirates inherited from Greek, even when these sounds had been lost in spoken Umbrian. The Umbrian adaptation of the Etruscan script for the Tabulae Iguvinae utilized 29 distinct graphic forms, indicating a highly complex system attempting to capture subtle phonetic distinctions.
    A notable feature of the [Umbrian script](/entries/umbria…

  5. Italic Script

    Linked via "Oscan"

    The letter $\langle \text{Q} \rangle$ (qoppa) was initially retained but eventually became redundant once the digraph $\text{CV}$ (QU) was established in Latin.
    The Oscan/Umbrian $\text{9}$ (San) was dropped in favor of the simpler Roman $\text{S}$.
    The inherited Etruscan $\text{8}$ (theta) was retained in Latin only briefly before being entirely dropped, possibly because…