This page provides a Keyboard Layout for the Gothic script, for use with PCs running Windows 2000, XP or Vista (N.B. the keyboard layout cannot be installed or run on systems running Windows 95, 98 or ME).
Please scroll to the bottom of the page for instructions on downloading and installing the Gothic Keyboard Layouts.
The Gothic script was devised by Bishop Wulfila (circa 311-383) in order to facilitate his translation of the Bible into the Gothic language spoken by the Visigoths in the area between the Danube and Dniester rivers west of the Black Sea.
The script devised by Bishop Wulfila consists of a mixture of letters that are derived from the Greek, Latin and Runic scripts. There is no upper/lower case distinction, and so all the Gothic letters have a single immutable form. It is probable that some Goths had on occasion written their language in the Runic script (although the earliest extant Gothic Runic inscriptions only date from the early 5th century), but there had been no systematic attempt to write the Gothic language prior to the creation of the Gothic script by Bishop Wulfila sometime after 341 (the year that he was consecrated a bishop in Constantinople).
Bishop Wulfila is reputed to have translated the entire Bible, with the exception of the Book of Kings (which he supposedly missed out in order to avoid inflaming the warlike passions of the Goths). However, all that remains of his translation is about three quarters of the New Testament, preserved in a number of manuscripts. The most important manuscript is the Codex Argenteus (preserved at Uppsala in Sweden), which comprises much of the Gospels of Matthew, John, Luke and Mark.
There are very few other surviving examples of written Gothic. Aside from three examples of the Gothic alphabet (with the names of the Gothic letters), some sample Gothic sentences, and various Gothic names and words included in Greek and Latin texts, the only extensive examples of written Gothic other than Wulfila's New Testament are :
πΈπ°π½πΏπ· πΈπ°π½ πΉπ½ πΌπ΄π½ππΈ ππ°πΉπ·πππΉπ½ πΉπ½ππ°π½π³πΉπΈπ π π°π π°π²π²πΉπ»πΏπ π²π°π±ππΉπ΄π» πππ°πΌ π²πΏπΈπ° πΉπ½ π±π°πΏππ² π²π°π»π΄πΉπ»π°πΉπ°π ππ΄πΉ π·π°πΉππ°π³π° π½π°πΆπ°ππ°πΉπΈ, π³πΏ πΌπ°π²π°πΈπ°πΉ πΉπ½ πππ°π²πΉπ±ππΉπΌ π°π±πΉπ½, πΈπΉπΆπ΄πΉ π½π°πΌπ πΉπππ΄π, πΏπ π²π°ππ³π° π³π°π π΄πΉπ³πΉπ, πΎπ°π· π½π°πΌπ πΈπΉπΆππ πΌπ°π²π°πΈπ°πΉπ πΌπ°ππΉπ°πΌ. πΎπ°π· π²π°π»π΄πΉπΈπ°π½π³π πΉπ½π½ ππ° π°π²π²πΉπ»πΏπ π³πΏ πΉπΆπ°πΉ π΅π°πΈ : "ππ°π²πΉπ½π, π°π½πππ°πΉ π°πΏπ³π°π·π°πππ°, πππ°πΏπΎπ° πΌπΉπΈ πΈπΏπ; πΈπΉπΏπΈπΉπ³π πΈπΏ πΉπ½ π΅πΉπ½ππΌ. ..." πΎπ°π· π΅π°πΈ π°π²π²πΉπ»πΏπ π³πΉ πΉπΆπ°πΉ: "π½πΉ ππ²π πΈπΏ, πΌπ°ππΉπ°πΌ, π±πΉπ²π°ππ π°πΏπΊ π°π½ππ πππ°πΌ π²πΏπΈπ°. πΎπ°π· ππ°πΉ, π²π°π½πΉπΌπΉπ πΉπ½ πΊπΉπ»πΈπ΄πΉπ½ πΎπ°π· π²π°π±π°πΉππΉπ ππΏπ½πΏ, πΎπ°π· π·π°πΉππ°πΉπ π½π°πΌπ πΉπ πΉπ΄ππΏ. ππ°π· π π°πΉππΈπΉπΈ πΌπΉπΊπΉπ»π, πΎπ°π· ππΏπ½πΏπ π·π°πΏπ·πΉπππΉπ½π π·π°πΉππ°π³π°, πΎπ°π· π²πΉπ±πΉπ³ πΉπΌπΌπ° πππ°πΏπΎπ° π²πΏπΈ ππππ» π³π°π π΄πΉπ³πΉπ π°πππΉπ½π πΉπ. πΎπ°π· πΈπΉπΏπ³π°π½ππΈ πΏππ°π π²π°ππ³π° πΉπ°πΊππ±πΉπ πΉπ½ π°πΎπΏπΊπ³πΏπΈ, πΎπ°π· πΈπΉπΏπ³πΉπ½π°πππ°πΏπ πΉπ π½πΉ π π°πΉππΈπΉπΈ π°π½π³π΄πΉπ." π΅π°πΈ πΈπ°π½ πΌπ°ππΉπ°πΌ π³πΏ πΈπ°πΌπΌπ° π°π²π²πΉπ»π°πΏ : "ππ°πΉπ π° ππΉπΎπ°πΉ πΈπ°ππ°, πΈπ°π½π³π΄πΉ π°π±π°π½ π½πΉ πΊπ°π½π½?" πΎπ°π· π°π½π³π·π°ππΎπ°π½π³π ππ° π°π²π²πΉπ»πΏπ π΅π°πΈ π³πΏ πΉπΆπ°πΉ : "π°π·πΌπ° π π΄πΉπ·π π°ππ²π°π²π²πΉπΈ π°π½π° πΈπΏπΊ, πΎπ°π· πΌπ°π·ππ π·π°πΏπ·πΉπππΉπ½π πΏππ°πππΊπ°π³π π΄πΉπ³ πΈπΏπ, π³πΏπΈπ΄ π΄πΉ ππ°π΄πΉ π²π°π±π°πΉππ°π³π° π π΄πΉπ·π π·π°πΉππ°π³π° ππΏπ½πΏπ π²πΏπΈπ. ..." π΅π°πΈ πΈπ°π½ πΌπ°ππΉπ°πΌ : "ππ°πΉ, πΈπΉπ πΉ πππ°πΏπΎπΉπ½π, π π°πΉππΈπ°πΉ πΌπΉπ π±πΉ π π°πΏππ³π° πΈπ΄πΉπ½π°πΌπΌπ°." πΎπ°π· π²π°π»π°πΉπΈ ππ°πΉπππ° πΉπΆπ°πΉ ππ° π°π²π²πΉπ»πΏπ.
Source : Old English and Its Closest Relatives pp.51-52.
Most browsers do not yet support the display of text encoded beyond the Basic Multilingual Plane (BMP) of Unicode, as is the case with the Gothic script. If your browser cannot display the Gothic text on this page, then you may copy the text and paste it into any conformant Unicode application (e.g. Notepad under Windows NT4/2000/XP) for viewing. However, you must ensure that you have a font that supports the Gothic script installed and selected (Code2001 is recomended).
Key Stroke | Gothic Letter | Code Point | Unicode Name | Number Value | Transcription | Letter Name | Rune Name | Rune |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
a | π° | U+10330 | GOTHIC LETTER AHSA | 1 | a | aza | *ansus | α¨ |
b | π± | U+10331 | GOTHIC LETTER BAIRKAN | 2 | b | bercna | *baΓrkan | α |
g | π² | U+10332 | GOTHIC LETTER GIBA | 3 | g | geuua | *giba | α· |
d | π³ | U+10333 | GOTHIC LETTER DAGS | 4 | d | daaz | *dags | α |
e | π΄ | U+10334 | GOTHIC LETTER AIHVUS | 5 | e | eyz | *Δgeis | α |
q | π΅ | U+10335 | GOTHIC LETTER QAIRTHRA | 6 | q | quertra | *qaΓrΓΎra | |
z | πΆ | U+10336 | GOTHIC LETTER IUJA | 7 | z | ezec | *algs | α |
h | π· | U+10337 | GOTHIC LETTER HAGL | 8 | h | haal | *hagl | αΊ |
T | πΈ | U+10338 | GOTHIC LETTER THIUTH | 9 | ΓΎ | thyth | *ΓΎaΓΊris | α¦ |
i | πΉ | U+10339 | GOTHIC LETTER EIS | 10 | i, Γ― | iiz | *eis | α |
k | πΊ | U+1033A | GOTHIC LETTER KUSMA | 20 | k | chozma | *kusma | α² |
l | π» | U+1033B | GOTHIC LETTER LAGUS | 30 | l | laaz | *lagus | α |
m | πΌ | U+1033C | GOTHIC LETTER MANNA | 40 | m | manna | *manna | α |
n | π½ | U+1033D | GOTHIC LETTER NAUTHS | 50 | n | noicz | *nauΓΎs | αΎ |
j | πΎ | U+1033E | GOTHIC LETTER JER | 60 | j | gaar | *jΔr | α |
u | πΏ | U+1033F | GOTHIC LETTER URUS | 70 | u | uraz | *urus | α’ |
p | π | U+10340 | GOTHIC LETTER PAIRTHRA | 80 | p | pertra | *paΓrΓΎra | α |
c | π | U+10341 | GOTHIC LETTER NINETY | 90 | ||||
r | π | U+10342 | GOTHIC LETTER RAIDA | 100 | r | reda | *raida | α± |
s | π | U+10343 | GOTHIC LETTER SAUIL | 200 | s | sugil | *saΓΊil | α |
t | π | U+10344 | GOTHIC LETTER TEIWS | 300 | t | tyz | *teiws | α |
w | π | U+10345 | GOTHIC LETTER WINJA | 400 | w | uuinne | *winja | αΉ |
f | π | U+10346 | GOTHIC LETTER FAIHU | 500 | f | fe | *faΓhu | α |
x | π | U+10347 | GOTHIC LETTER IGGWS | 600 | x | enguz | *iggws | α |
v | π | U+10348 | GOTHIC LETTER HWAIR | 700 | Ζ | uuaer | *aΓΖs | α |
o | π | U+10349 | GOTHIC LETTER OTHAL | 800 | o | utal | *ΕΓΎal | α |
y | π | U+1034A | GOTHIC LETTER NINE HUNDRED | 900 |
If you are running Vista the keyboard layout will be installed and ready to use under the OL ("Other Languages") icon of the language bar. If you have installed multiple BabelStone keyboard layouts then you will need to select the particular layout to use by clicking the keyboard icon next to OL.
If you are running 2000 or XP you will need to map the keyboard layout to an unused input locale from Control Panel : Regional Option before you can use it.
Please note that this keyboard layout cannot be installed or run under Windows 95, 98 or ME.