The Lydian alphabet is closely related to the other
alphabets of Asia Minor as well as to the
Greek alphabet. It contains letters for 26 sounds. Some are represented by more than one symbol, which is considered one "letter." Unlike the
Carian alphabet, which had an
f derived from
Φ, the Lydian
f has the peculiar
8 shape also found in the
Neo-Etruscan alphabet and in Italic alphabets of
Osco-Umbrian languages such as Oscan, Umbrian, Old Sabine and South Picene (Old Volscian), and it is thought to be an invention of speakers of a
Sabellian language (Osco-Umbrian languages). Complex consonant clusters often appear in the inscriptions and, if present, an
epenthetic schwa was evidently not written: 𐤥𐤹𐤯𐤣𐤦𐤣
wctdid [wt͡stθiθ]
, 𐤨𐤮𐤡𐤷𐤯𐤬𐤨
kspλtok [kspʎ̩tok]. Note: a newer transliteration employing
p for
b,
s for
ś,
š for
s, and/or
w for
v appears in recent publications and the online Dictionary of the Minor Languages of Ancient Anatolia (eDiAna), as well as
Melchert's Lydian corpus.
Examples of words ora [ora] "month"
laqriša [lakʷriʃa] "wall, dromos" or "inscription"
pira [pira] "house, home"
wcpaqẽnt [w̩t͡spaˈkʷãnd] "to trample on" (from PIE
*pekʷ- "to crush") ==Unicode==