Gothic alphabet
| Gothic |
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Type | |
| Languages | Gothic |
|
Time period
|
From c. 350, in decline by 600 |
|
Parent systems
|
|
| Direction | Left-to-right |
| ISO 15924 | Goth, 206 |
|
Unicode alias
|
Gothic |
| U+10330–U+1034F | |
The Gothic alphabet is an alphabet for writing the Gothic language, created in the 4th century by Ulfilas (or Wulfila) for the purpose of translating the Bible.
The alphabet is essentially a uncial form of the Greek alphabet, with a few additional letters to account for Gothic phonology: Latin F and G, a questionably Runic letter to distinguish the /w/ glide from vocalic /u/, and the letter ƕair to express the Gothic labiovelar. It is completely different from the 'Gothic script' of the Middle Ages, a script used to write the Latin alphabet.
Ulfilas is thought to have consciously chosen to avoid the use of the older Runic alphabet for this purpose, as it was heavily connected with heathen beliefs and customs. Also, the Greek-based script probably helped to integrate the Gothic nation into the dominant Greco-Roman culture around the Black Sea.
Below is a table of the Gothic alphabet. Two letters used in its transliteration are not used in current English: the Runic þ (representing /θ/), and ƕ (representing /hʷ/).
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