BharatNotes Script
noun; verb (transitive)Usage in a UPSC answer
Civil-services reformers argue that genuine accountability requires officials to depart from the bureaucratic script of evasive replies and instead furnish citizens with substantive, time-bound answers to their grievances.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Word Family
scripture (n), scribe (n/v), scripted (adj), inscription (n), prescribe (v), description (n)
Root
Latin scrīptum = something written, from scrībere = to write; via Old French escrit and Middle English scrit
Etymology
From Middle English scrit, from Old French escrit, from Latin scrīptum ("something written"), from scrībere ("to write"); first attested in English in the 14th century.
Memory Hook
Root SCRIB/SCRIPT = "to write" (as in scribe, inscribe, manuscript); a script is what a scribe has written down to be followed.
How This Word Works in UPSC Writing
A system of written characters used to represent a language. The distinction that GS1 tests is that script and language are independent: one language may be written in several scripts, and one script may serve many languages, as Devanagari does for Hindi, Marathi, Nepali and others. Getting that separation right prevents the common error of treating a script as if it were a language in itself.
Don’t Confuse It With
A script is the writing system. A language is the spoken and grammatical system it may record. An alphabet represents consonants and vowels as separate letters. An abugida, the type to which most Indian scripts belong, is built on consonant-vowel units with vowel marks, which is why calling Devanagari an alphabet is imprecise.
Hindi Meaning
लिपि (lipi); भाषा (bhāshā) is the language.
Common Questions
- What is the difference between a script and a language?
- A language is a system of speech and grammar. A script is a system of written characters used to record it, and the two vary independently.
- Can one script serve several languages?
- Yes. Devanagari, for example, is used to write Hindi, Marathi, Nepali and several other languages.
Seen in UPSC Question Papers
- Prelims 2021 — Ancient India
Real UPSC previous-year questions whose text uses “Script” — proof this word earns its place on your list.
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