Abjad
Definition
A script system representing only consonants, with vowels supplied by context; Arabic, Hebrew, and Urdu are abjads. Most individualising forensic features lie in ligature strokes and diacritical dot (nuqat) forms.
- Script type
- Consonant-only, vowels supplied by context
- Examples
- Arabic, Hebrew, Urdu
- Key forensic features
- Ligature strokes and diacritical dot (nuqat) forms
- Urdu style
- Typically written in Nastaliq
Common questions
Why do diacritical dots matter for handwriting comparison?+
Nuqat placement, spacing and stroke order vary idiosyncratically between writers, giving individualizing detail that goes beyond the basic letter shape.
How does the lack of written vowels change comparison technique?+
Examiners cannot rely on vowel-letter formations as in Latin script, so comparison focuses more heavily on ligature connections, baseline behavior and consonant dot forms.
Is Urdu handwriting examined the same way as Arabic?+
Not identically. Urdu is usually written in the Nastaliq style rather than Arabic's Naskh, which changes stroke direction and ligature shapes an examiner must account for.
Related terms
- Abugida (Alphasyllabary)
- A script system in which consonant characters carry inherent vowels modified by diacritical marks; Devanagari, Bengali, Tamil, and Thai are abugidas.
- Alphabet
- A script system in which individual characters represent individual phonemes; Latin, Greek, Cyrillic, and Korean Hangul are alphabets.
- Class Characteristics
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- Cross-Script Disguise
- An attempt by a writer to imitate a script system in which they are not fluent, typically to mislead investigators about linguistic...
- Logograph
- A script system representing morphemes or syllables with complex characters; Chinese Hanzi and Japanese Kanji are logographic, with character stroke order as...
- Nuqat
- The diacritical dots in Arabic script that distinguish letter pairs (b/t/th, n/y, etc.); in fluent adult writing, multi-dot groups are often merged...
- OSAC (NIST)
- Organization of Scientific Area Committees for Forensic Science under the US National Institute of Standards and Technology; the successor body to SWGDOC,...
- Shirorekha
- The horizontal headline stroke at the top of most Devanagari consonant characters, joining adjacent letters; its individual variation in height, pressure, continuity,...
- Stroke Order
- The canonical sequence of strokes within a CJK character, specified by national pedagogical standards (GB/T 15834 in China, Joyo Kanji conventions in...