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SUBJECT FORENSIC SCIENCE Paper No. and Title PAPER No. 8: Questioned Document Module No. and Title MODULE No.26: Script Analysis Module Tag FSC_P8_M26 FORENSIC SCIENCE PAPER No. 8: Questioned Document MODULE No.26 : Script Analysis TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. Learning Outcomes 2. Introduction to Scripts 3. Devanagri Script 4. Urdu Script 5. Bengali script 6. Gujarati script 7. Gurumukhi script 8. Mahajani script FORENSIC SCIENCE PAPER No. 8: Questioned Document MODULE No.26 : Script Analysis 1. Learning Outcomes After studying this module, you will be able to Know what Scripts are? Learn the difference between the alphabets of the scripts. Identify the different scripts. 2. Introduction to Scripts A script is defined as the handwriting style with peculiar characters. Many languages in India, such as Hindi and Sanskrit, use Devanagri and many more languages throughout India use local variants of the script. Devanagri has evolved into highly cursive script. Hindu scriptures are written in Devanagri, a fact illustrated by the etymology of the name. "Devanagri" is a compound word with two roots: deva means "deity", and nagari means "city". Together it implies a script that is religious as well as urbane or sophisticated. The main corpus of writing dated from the Indus civilization is in the form of some two thousand inscribed seals in good, legible conditions. Although these seals and samples of Indus writing have been floating around the scholastic world for close to 70 years, little progress has been made on deciphering this elegant script. The Gujarati script is one of the modern script of India and is derived from the Devanagri script during the 16th century CE. The major difference between Gujarati and Devanagri is the lack of top horizontal bar in Gujarati. Otherwise the two scripts are fairly similar. The Gujarati script is used in the state of Gujarati in western Indian to write the Gujarati language. Similarly, Bengali is a Nagari- derived script that appeared in eastern south Asia around the 11th century CE. The old Bengali script is also the parent to many other scripts of eastern India, such as Oriya, Manipuri and Maithili. The Bengali script is used to writer languages in eastern India such as Bengali, Assamese and Manipuri. FORENSIC SCIENCE PAPER No. 8: Questioned Document MODULE No.26 : Script Analysis Indian Currency has 15 script writings. 3. Devanagri Script Hindi is the national language of India and it is spoken by about 40% of the population of India. The script of Hindi language is called “devanagri” script has 38 consonants and 13 vowels. Devanagri is written from left to right and the strokes which form the letters are generally broad and squarish with some well-defined curves. In non-initial positions of words, diacritic marks (matras) are used after consonants. The Matras may appear separately or added above or below the specified place. FORENSIC SCIENCE PAPER No. 8: Questioned Document MODULE No.26 : Script Analysis Different vowel, diacritic marks and consonants of Devanagri script are illustrated below: Devanagri vowels and consonants 4. Urdu Script Urdu may be termed as shorthand and the most peculiar characteristic of urdu writing which is not found in any other script is that the several words can be written in a short space with one word above the other words. This can be written in a short space with one word above the other words. This over top writing is not considered as interlineations because it is written concurrently with the other words. The peculiar manner of writing signatures in monogrametic form can also be found in this script. The styles of writing Urdu may be classed as nastaliq and shikasht. The former is a clear copy book style and is very legible while the later is written swiftly without giving any consideration to the nuktas and other signs. The shikasht urdu is generally exaggerated forms of strokes. The scripts of urdu, Persian, pushto or sindhi-urdu, adopted the style from Arabic. These scripts are written from right to left and hence the strokes are generally formed with the aid of fingers. The style of writing may be formed elliptical or oval. FORENSIC SCIENCE PAPER No. 8: Questioned Document MODULE No.26 : Script Analysis In Urdu several characters may have resemblance in the formation of their main bodies but they are differentiated by the signs of nuktas by putting signs toe above the letter as in letter Te, dal and Re etc. By using hooks as in chhoti he or by putting an additional line as in letter gaf. The main bodies of the letter be, tey and se are similar but these letters have respectively one, two and three nuktas. At the same time, in Urdu writings the shape of a letter written individually may be altogether different from the shape of the same letter written in combination with some other letters. The Urdu alphabet consists of 37 main letter and 15 compound letters which represent the aspirated sounds. The Urdu script is written in three layers or zones i.e. the letter be, pe, te, tay, se, fe, he and ain are written in the middle zone, the letters lam, toe, zoe, qaf, kaf ,gaf and ye are begun from the headlines of the middle zone and extended upto the half portion of the lower zone. The letters he, che, seen swad zwad and noon in the lower two zones. Pashto letters in nastaliq (Urdu) 5. Bengali Script Bengali is an Indo-Aryan language i.e. its vocabulary is derived from Sanskrit and Prakrit much as the vocabulary of the roman language of Europe is derived from literary and popular Latin respectively. Like the roman language of Europe, the indo- Aryan languages of north India are derived from two sources. As French for example tookits early vocabulary from the spoken words of roman settlers in gaul, so Bengali adopted the vocabulary of hind and Buddhist immigrants from Magadha. The alphabet or verna-mala used by Bengalis and Assamese is an ancient and beautiful variant of the devanagri script used in writing Sanskrit and some of the morden indo-aryan languages. The letters are called varna and they are divided into svar-varna, voice-letters or vowels and vyabjab varna dependent or consonantal letters. FORENSIC SCIENCE PAPER No. 8: Questioned Document MODULE No.26 : Script Analysis The alphabet of Bengali script 6. Gujarati Script The Gujarati alphabet is derived from Sanskrit to which, it still bears a considerable resemblance. The difference consists mainly in the omission of headline in Gujarati used in joining together most of Devanagri characters. The letters are divided into vowels and consonants and this script has 12 vowels and 36 consonants. FORENSIC SCIENCE PAPER No. 8: Questioned Document MODULE No.26 : Script Analysis 12 vowels and 36 consonants of Gujarati alphabet 7. Gurumukhi Script The script of Punjabi language is known as Gurumukhi script. This script has 35 letters out of which the first 3 letters are vowels and the remaining 32 letters are consonants. The vowels are used only in the beginning of a word or as second member of compound vowel. The diacritic marks ‘matras’ are used after consonants in non-initial positions of vowels. In Gurumukhi script, there is only one symbol for sounds ‘V’ and ‘W’ i.e. some foreign sounds are expressed with a dot placed below the identical symbols. The alphabet of Gurumukhi script diacritic marks signature and writing. FORENSIC SCIENCE PAPER No. 8: Questioned Document MODULE No.26 : Script Analysis Gurumukhi alphabets 8. Mahajani Script Mahajani script which is also known as Marwari, sarafi, rajasthani, baniaie, landa or mudia is mainly used by the business people in the business transaction. This script has a unique feature that differs from place to place and even from person to person i.e. the same letter in the script are written in different manner at different places and by different persons. FORENSIC SCIENCE PAPER No. 8: Questioned Document MODULE No.26 : Script Analysis Since in this script, it does not have any diacritic signs or matras, therefore, it is generally difficult to read the writings written by another person. The letters in this script do not have any headline, hence it is called ‘mudia’ i.e without head. Mahajani Script 9. Summary There are many scripts which are widely used in India after Hindi which is known as Devanagri having 13 vowels and 38 consonants. Other scripts are origin of the state from which it belongs such as Gurumukhi is written by Punjabis and similarly Bengali script is only used in the Calcutta where language is known to the writer and like this helps in narrow down the investigation. FORENSIC SCIENCE PAPER No. 8: Questioned Document MODULE No.26 : Script Analysis .
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