La (Indic)

La is a consonant of Indic abugidas. In modern Indic scripts, La is derived from the early "Ashoka" Brahmi letter after having gone through the Gupta letter .

← Ra		La			Va →
Devanagari	Ashoka Brahmi		Tibetan	Bengali		Tamil
0932	1102E		0F63	09B2		0BB2
Gurmukhi	Thai		Baybayin	Malayalam		Sinhala
ਲ 0A32	ล/ ฬ 0E25 / 0E2C		ᜎ 170E	ല 0D32		ල 0DBD
Ancient scripts Ashoka Brahmi Kushana Brahmi Gupta Brahmi Tocharian 1102E 𑀮 1102E 1102E / -- Kharoṣṭhī Siddhaṃ Sharada Grantha 𐨫 10A2B 115A9 𑆬 111AC 𑌲 11332
Bangla and Tibetan scripts Ashoka Brahmi Gupta Brahmi Tibetan Bengali 1102E 1102E 0F63 09B2 'Phags-pa Oriya Limbu Lepcha Marchen ꡙ A859 ଲ 0B32 ᤗ 1917 ᰜ 1C1C 𑲋 11C8B Siddhaṃ Pracalit Tirhuta Zanabazar Square 115A9 𑐮 1142E 𑒪 114AA 𑨬 11A2C Note: Korean Hangul is an alphabet, not an Indic abugida, but appears to ultimately have some derivation from 'Phags-pa.
Sharada-based scripts Sharada Ashoka Brahmi Gupta Brahmi Takri Dogra 𑆬 111AC 1102E 1102E 𑚥 116A5 𑠥 11825 Gurmukhi Khudawadi Mahajani Khojki Multani ਲ 0A32 𑋚 112DA 𑅮 1116E 𑈧 11227 𑊣 112A3
Nagaris and other Gupta-based scripts Ashoka Brahmi Gupta Brahmi Devanagari 1102E 1102E 0932 Gujarati Kaithi Syloti Nagari Modi લ 0AB2 𑂪 110AA ꠟ A81F 𑘩 11629 Nandinagari Gunjala Gondi Soyombo Bhaiksuki 𑧉 119C9 𑩽 11A7D 𑵵 11D75 𑰩 11C29
Kawi scripts Grantha Baybayin Tagbanwa Hanunó'o Buhid 𑌲 11332 ᜎ 170E ᝮ 176E ᜮ 172E ᝎ 174E Balinese Javanese Batak Lontara Rejang ᬮ 1B2E ꦭ A9AD ᯞ 1BDE ᨒ 1A12 ꤾ A93E Ashoka Brahmi Sundanese Makasar Chakma 1102E ᮜ 1B9C 𑻮 11EEE 𑻮 11EEE
Tai and Khmer scripts Ashoka Brahmi Grantha Khmer Lao 1102E 𑌲 11332 ឡ 17A1 ລ 0EA5 Thai Tai Tham Tai Viet Tai Le New Tai Lü ล/ ฬ 0E25 / 0E2C ᩃ 1A43 ꪨ/ ꪩ AAA8 / AAA9 ᥘ 1958 ᦜ/ ᦟ 199C / 199F
Other Grantha-based scripts Ashoka Brahmi Grantha Ahom Dives Akuru 1102E 𑌲 11332 𑜎 1170E 𑤨 11928 Malayalam Saurashtra Cham Burmese Kayah Li ല 0D32 ꢭ A8AD ꨤ AA24 လ 101C ꤜ A91C
Other Brahmic scripts Ashoka Brahmi Masaram Gondi Meetei Mayek 1102E 𑴧 11D27 ꯂ ABC2 Tamil Kannada Sinhala Telugu 0BB2 ල 0DBD ల 0C32 ಲ 0CB2
Phonemic representation:				/l/
IAST transliteration:				l L
ISCII code point:				D1 (209)

Āryabhaṭa numeration

Further information: Āryabhaṭa numeration

Aryabhata used Devanagari letters for numbers, very similar to the Greek numerals, even after the invention of Indian numerals. The values of the different forms of ल are:[1]

• ल [lə] = 50 (५०)
• लि [lɪ] = 5,000 (५ ०००)
• लु [lʊ] = 500,000 (५ ०० ०००)
• लृ [lri] = 50,000,000 (५ ०० ०० ०००)
• लॢ [llə] = 5×10⁹ (५×१०^९)
• ले [le] = 5×10¹¹ (५×१०^११)
• लै [lɛː] = 5×10¹³ (५×१०^१३)
• लो [loː] = 5×10¹⁵ (५×१०^१५)
• लौ [lɔː] = 5×10¹⁷ (५×१०^१७)

Historic La

There are three different general early historic scripts - Brahmi and its variants, Kharoṣṭhī, and Tocharian, the so-called slanting Brahmi. La as found in standard Brahmi, was a simple geometric shape, with variations toward more flowing forms by the Gupta . The Tocharian La had an alterante Fremdzeichen form, . The third form of la, in Kharoshthi () was probably derived from Aramaic separately from the Brahmi letter.

Brahmi La

The Brahmi letter , La, is probably derived from the Aramaic Lamed , and is thus related to the modern Latin L and Greek Lambda.[2] Several identifiable styles of writing the Brahmi La can be found, most associated with a specific set of inscriptions from an artifact or diverse records from an historic period.[3] As the earliest and most geometric style of Brahmi, the letters found on the Edicts of Ashoka and other records from around that time are normally the reference form for Brahmi letters, with vowel marks not attested until later forms of Brahmi back-formed to match the geometric writing style.

Brahmi La historic forms

Ashoka (3rd-1st c. BCE)	Girnar (~150 BCE)	Kushana (~150-250 CE)	Gujarat (~250 CE)	Gupta (~350 CE)

Tocharian La

The Tocharian letter is derived from the Brahmi , and has an alternate Fremdzeichen form used in conjuncts and as an alternate representation of Lä.

Tocharian La with vowel marks

La	Lā	Li	Lī	Lu	Lū	Lr	Lr̄	Le	Lai	Lo	Lau	Lä	Fremdzeichen

Kharoṣṭhī La

The Kharoṣṭhī letter is generally accepted as being derived from the Aramaic Lamed , and is thus related to L and Lambda, in addition to the Brahmi La.[2]

Devanagari La

La (ल) is a consonant of the Devanagari abugida. It ultimately arose from the Brahmi letter , after having gone through the Gupta letter . Letters that derive from it are the Gujarati letter લ, and the Modi letter 𑘩. The modern letterform for Devanagari La is slightly different than the historic form, with the vertical stem reaching to the lower baseline.

Forms of Devanagari La

• 
  Modern Devanagari La
• 
  Historic Devanagari La

Devanagari Ḷa

Devanagari Ḷa

Ḷa (ळ) is an additional Devanagari character originally used for an allophone of the voiced retroflex stop in Vedic Sanskrit, and current represents the lateral flap [ɭ] that occurs in Marathi, Konkani, Garhwali, and Rajasthani.

Devanagari-using Languages

In all languages, ल is pronounced as [lə] or [l] when appropriate. Like all Indic scripts, Devanagari uses vowel marks attached to the base consonant to override the inherent /ə/ vowel:

Devanagari ल with vowel marks

La	Lā	Li	Lī	Lu	Lū	Lr	Lr̄	Ll	Ll̄	Le	Lai	Lo	Lau	L
ल	ला	लि	ली	लु	लू	लृ	लॄ	लॢ	लॣ	ले	लै	लो	लौ	ल्

Devanagari ळ with vowel marks

Ḷa	Ḷā	Ḷi	Ḷī	Ḷu	Ḷū	Ḷr	Ḷr̄	Ḷl	Ḷl̄	Ḷe	Ḷai	Ḷo	Ḷau	Ḷ
ळ	ळा	ळि	ळी	ळु	ळू	ळृ	ळॄ	ळॢ	ळॣ	ळे	ळै	ळो	ळौ	ळ्

Conjuncts with ल and ळ

Half form of La.

Half form of Ḷa.

Devanagari exhibits conjunct ligatures, as is common in Indic scripts. In modern Devanagari texts, most conjuncts are formed by reducing the letter shape to fit tightly to the following letter, usually by dropping a character's vertical stem, sometimes referred to as a "half form". Some conjunct clusters are always represented by a true ligature, instead of a shape that can be broken into constituent independent letters. Vertically stacked conjuncts are ubiquitous in older texts, while only a few are still used routinely in modern Devanagari texts. The use of ligatures and vertical conjuncts may vary across languages using the Devanagari script, with Marathi in particular preferring the use of half forms where texts in other languages would show ligatures and vertical stacks.[4]

Ligature conjuncts of ल

True ligatures are quite rare in Indic scripts. The most common ligated conjuncts in Devanagari are in the form of a slight mutation to fit in context or as a consistent variant form appended to the adjacent characters. Those variants include Na and the Repha and Rakar forms of Ra. Nepali and Marathi texts use the "eyelash" Ra half form for an initial "R" instead of repha.

• र্ (r) + ल (la) gives us the ligature rla:

• ल্ (l) + न (na) gives us the ligature lna:

• ल্ (l) + र (ra) gives us the ligature lra:

Stacked conjuncts of ल

Vertically stacked ligatures are the most common conjunct forms found in Devanagari text. Although the constituent characters may need to be stretched and moved slightly in order to stack neatly, stacked conjuncts can be broken down into recognizable base letters, or a letter and an otherwise standard ligature.

• भ্ (bʰ) + ल (la) gives us the ligature bʰla:

• ब্ (b) + ल (la) gives us the ligature bla:

• छ্ (cʰ) + ल (la) gives us the ligature cʰla:

• च্ (c) + ल (la) gives us the ligature cla:

• ढ্ (ḍʱ) + ल (la) gives us the ligature ḍʱla:

• ड্ (ḍ) + ल (la) gives us the ligature ḍla:

• ध্ (dʱ) + ल (la) gives us the ligature dʱla:

• द্ (d) + ल (la) gives us the ligature dla:

• घ্ (ɡʱ) + ल (la) gives us the ligature ɡʱla:

• ग্ (g) + ल (la) gives us the ligature gla:

• ह্ (h) + ल (la) gives us the ligature hla:

• झ্ (jʰ) + ल (la) gives us the ligature jʰla:

• ज্ (j) + ल (la) gives us the ligature jla:

• ख্ (kʰ) + ल (la) gives us the ligature kʰla:

• क্ (k) + ल (la) gives us the ligature kla:

• ल্ (l) + ब (ba) gives us the ligature lba:

• ल্ (l) + च (ca) gives us the ligature lca:

• ल্ (l) + ज (ja) gives us the ligature lja:

• ल্ (l) + ज্ (j) + ञ (ña) gives us the ligature ljña:

• ल্ (l) + ल (la) gives us the ligature lla:

• ल্ (l) + ळ (ḷa) gives us the ligature lḷa:

• ळ্ (ḷ) + ल (la) gives us the ligature ḷla:

• ल্ (l) + ञ (ña) gives us the ligature lña:

• ल্ (l) + व (va) gives us the ligature lva:

• म্ (m) + ल (la) gives us the ligature mla:

• ङ্ (ŋ) + ल (la) gives us the ligature ŋla:

• न্ (n) + ल (la) gives us the ligature nla:

• ण্ (ṇ) + ल (la) gives us the ligature ṇla:

• ञ্ (ñ) + ल (la) gives us the ligature ñla:

• फ্ (pʰ) + ल (la) gives us the ligature pʰla:

• प্ (p) + ल (la) gives us the ligature pla:

• श্ (ʃ) + ल (la) gives us the ligature ʃla:

• स্ (s) + ल (la) gives us the ligature sla:

• ष্ (ṣ) + ल (la) gives us the ligature ṣla:

• थ্ (tʰ) + ल (la) gives us the ligature tʰla:

• त্ (t) + ल (la) gives us the ligature tla:

• ठ্ (ṭʰ) + ल (la) gives us the ligature ṭʰla:

• ट্ (ṭ) + ल (la) gives us the ligature ṭla:

• व্ (v) + ल (la) gives us the ligature vla:

• य্ (y) + ल (la) gives us the ligature yla:

 • Note that the conjuncts shown here come from a typeface used for representing older Vedic texts, and use the older form of La for many conjuncts.

Bengali La

The Bengali script ল is derived from the Siddhaṃ , and is marked by a similar horizontal head line, but less geometric shape, than its Devanagari counterpart, ल. The inherent vowel of Bengali consonant letters is /ɔ/, so the bare letter ল will sometimes be transliterated as "lo" instead of "la". Adding okar, the "o" vowel mark, gives a reading of /lo/.

Like all Indic consonants, ল can be modified by marks to indicate another (or no) vowel than its inherent "a".

Bengali ল with vowel marks

la	lā	li	lī	lu	lū	lr	lr̄	le	lai	lo	lau	l
ল	লা	লি	লী	লু	লূ	লৃ	লৄ	লে	লৈ	লো	লৌ	ল্

ল in Bengali-using languages

ল is used as a basic consonant character in all of the major Bengali script orthographies, including Bengali and Assamese.

Conjuncts with ল

Bengali ল exhibits conjunct ligatures, as is common in Indic scripts, with a tendency towards stacked ligatures.[5]

• ব্ (b) + ল (la) gives us the ligature bla:

• গ্ (g) + ল (la) gives us the ligature gla:

• ক্ (k) + ল (la) gives us the ligature kla:

• ল্ (l) + ভ (bʰa) gives us the ligature lbʰa:

• ল্ (l) + ড (ḍa) gives us the ligature lḍa:

• ল্ (l) + গ (ga) gives us the ligature lga:

• ল্ (l) + ক (ka) gives us the ligature lka:

• ল্ (l) + ক্ (k) + য (ya) gives us the ligature lkya, with the ya phala suffix:

• ল্ (l) + ল (la) gives us the ligature lla:

• ল্ (l) + ম (ma) gives us the ligature lma:

• ল্ (l) + প (pa) gives us the ligature lpa:

• ল্ (l) + ফ (pʰa) gives us the ligature lpʰa:

• ল্ (l) + ট (ṭa) gives us the ligature lṭa:

• ল্ (l) + ব (va) gives us the ligature lva, with the va phala suffix:

• ল্ (l) + য (ya) gives us the ligature lya, with the ya phala suffix:

• ম্ (m) + ল (la) gives us the ligature mla:

• ফ্ (pʰ) + ল (la) gives us the ligature pʰla:

• প্ (p) + ল (la) gives us the ligature pla:

• র্ (r) + ল (la) gives us the ligature rla, with the repha prefix:

• শ্ (ʃ) + ল (la) gives us the ligature ʃla:

• স্ (s) + ল (la) gives us the ligature sla:

• স্ (s) + প্ (p) + ল (la) gives us the ligature spla:

Javanese La

Main article: La (Javanese)

References

1. Ifrah, Georges (2000). The Universal History of Numbers. From Prehistory to the Invention of the Computer. New York: John Wiley & Sons. pp. 447–450. ISBN 0-471-39340-1.
2. Bühler, Georg. "On the Origin of the Indian Brahmi Alphabet". archive.org. Karl J. Trübner. Retrieved 10 June 2020.
3. Evolutionary chart, Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal Vol 7, 1838
4. Pall, Peeter. "Microsoft Word - kblhi2" (PDF). Eesti Keele Instituudi kohanimeandmed. Eesti Keele Instituudi kohanimeandmed. Retrieved 19 June 2020.
5. "The Bengali Alphabet" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-09-28.