pseudoalphabet

A variety of names for this type of script has appeared in the literature—alphasyllabary, neosyllabary, pseudoalphabet—but I reject any name that incorporates either “alphabet” or “syllabary,” since they suggest subtype-ness or dependency, and I wish to stress independence. The name I use for this type is abugida, an existing Ethiopic word combining the first four consonants of the traditional Semitic order with the first four vowels of the traditional Ethiopic chart.

Language Log » Genetic evidence for the spread of Indo-Aryan languages Victor Mair 2025