The Somali Scripts - Our Intellectual Heritage

[Waaberi]

Osmanya Script developed by Osman Yusuf Kenadid



The Borama Script developed by Abdurahman Sheikh Nuur



the Kaddare Script developed Hussein Sheikh Ahmed Kaddare which i couldn't seem to find online.

i am not saying we should replace the Latin Script as the official script for writhing Af Somalia however the Latin script is well to practical you can't really use it for aesthetics. also relegating these national treasure to the dust bin of history would be a tremendous lose for the scholar who send decades to devise these script for us and all future Somalis. at the end of the Day the Somalia script is our, they belong to use whereas the latin script used by people from Latin America to Southeast Asia especially when it should huge versatility and potential.


we can used it in lots of things:

I have a dream to see Somali Gabays or Somali history immortalized in Stone Written in our Script

Buildings







Clothing, Ceramics, banners really anything you can imaging








This scripts i believe are the best branding for Somalis and we should treasure them.

[Xusein]

I'm more interested in knowing what was Somali's original script. Osmanya was created in 1920. More archaeological finds should discover it eventually.

[Waaberi]

Originally Posted by Xusein

I'm more interested in knowing what was Somali's original script. Osmanya was created in 1920. More archaeological finds should discover it eventually.

finding Somalia ancient script would be great but it is well ancient. if it was found it would be a museum set piece with no way to transcript it, it would be impossible to use. it would become like the Sabean script or the Nubian script. the new script should not be dismissed off handedly they are ours and we can be transcript into modern Af Somalia because they are modern Af Somali so we will always know what message they are trying to convey. also somali script would be used to usher in a new age of cultural innovation and they would also have tremendous branding value.

[Mayday Republic]

I agree with you. I always thought it would have been cool for Somalis to use one of their own indigenous scripts. But I guess when the pros and cons where evaluated, the Latin script came out on top. However, you're right that this shouldn't mean we should forget about these scripts. They are great for national heritage and Somalia could use it to great effect for branding purposes. For example, having Osmanya script on the new Somali Airlines planes.

[PharaohLiban]

The Kaddare script:

Consonants:


Vowels:


Text:



Aadanaha dhammaantiis wuxuu dhashaa
isagoo xor ah kana siman xagga
sharafta iyo xuquuqada waxaa alle
(ilaah) siiyay aqoon iyo wacyi,
waana in qof la arkaa qofka kale
ula dhaqmaa si walaaltinimo ah.
“All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.”
The second rendition assumes that connection is intended at the serifs and tail-ends.

[ModernNomad01]

Originally Posted by PharaohLiban

The Kaddare script:

Consonants:

Vowels:

Text:

Aadanaha dhammaantiis wuxuu dhashaa
isagoo xor ah kana siman xagga
sharafta iyo xuquuqada waxaa alle
(ilaah) siiyay aqoon iyo wacyi,
waana in qof la arkaa qofka kale
ula dhaqmaa si walaaltinimo ah.
“All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.”
The second rendition assumes that connection is intended at the serifs and tail-ends.

Never heard of this script, it looks very nice and neat.

[PharaohLiban]

Originally Posted by ModernNomad01

Never heard of this script, it looks very nice and neat.

That's probably because it is the latest script, made in 1952 by Xusein Sheikh Axmed Kaddare. It's not as well known as Osmanya but I agree it looks great and no reason why not to use it.
It's accurate and transcribes af-Soomaali correctly, I also think it's a blend or upgrade of Osmanya with Brahmi influence.

[Xusein]

Looks like a weird marriage between Latin and Arabic.

[EvolvingPrimates]

Originally Posted by PharaohLiban

That's probably because it is the latest script, made in 1952 by Xusein Sheikh Axmed Kaddare. It's not as well known as Osmanya but I agree it looks great and no reason why not to use it.
It's accurate and transcribes af-Soomaali correctly, I also think it's a blend or upgrade of Osmanya with Brahmi influence.

The Kaddare script had been very popular with the committees tasked in assessing the adoption of a Somali script and it has consistently been ranked as the most suitable and accurate indigenous Somali script and a close second to the Latin which was ultimately adopted. It is an essential part of our history, but adopting an entirely new script is not either economically or practically feasible.

[Swede]

Excuse the ignorance of an outsider, but I notice that the Latin script used to write Somali on the forum uses only the letters found in English. I can't remember seeing any "non-standard" letters being used to write Somali on things I've seen here in Stockholm either. Is this how the "standard" way to use the Latin script is for Somali?
In the Scandinavian languages we use 3 extra vowels (and 2 extra consonants in the case of Icelandic) and I notice that the alternate scripts that exist have letters that aren't straight up conversions of ones in the basic Latin script. Wouldn't it then make sense to add a select few letters to the script? Maybe use ones already in use for different other languages using versions of the Latin script?

/been checking out the Somali forum for the first time today. I'm happy for the way things are going in the right direction in Somalia.

[PharaohLiban]

Originally Posted by Swede

Excuse the ignorance of an outsider, but I notice that the Latin script used to write Somali on the forum uses only the letters found in English. I can't remember seeing any "non-standard" letters being used to write Somali on things I've seen here in Stockholm either. Is this how the "standard" way to use the Latin script is for Somali?
In the Scandinavian languages we use 3 extra vowels (and 2 extra consonants in the case of Icelandic) and I notice that the alternate scripts that exist have letters that aren't straight up conversions of ones in the basic Latin script. Wouldn't it then make sense to add a select few letters to the script? Maybe use ones already in use for different other languages using versions of the Latin script?

/been checking out the Somali forum for the first time today. I'm happy for the way things are going in the right direction in Somalia.

Den somaliska versionen av det latinska alfabetet är uppbyggt på det sättet att man istället tagit bort 3 bokstäver, vilket är v, p och z. Eftersom dessa ljud inte existerar i somaliska. Sedan har man ändrat ljud på bokstäver som 'x' vilket är ett hårt H som kommer inifrån halsen ungefär. Bokstaven 'c' har man bytt ut till att ge ljudet av ett starkt A liknande vad man gjort med 'x'. Och 'q' använder man som ett KH-ljud. Man har även 'dh' som man kan säga är en bokstav av sig själv eftersom de utgör ett ljud som inte finns i normal latin. Tillslut har man gjort att man kan använda dubbla vokaler som 'aa', 'oo', 'ee' eller 'ii' för att uttrycka när ljudet av bokstaven är längre och sträcker ut sig.
Hoppas jag förklarade så att du förstår.

[Swede]

Japp, det var glasklart

Man har alltså lagt till bokstäver, men ändå inte eftersom man använder de som inte finns i det somaliska språket. Smart. Som IT-tekniker kan jag verkligen uppskatta att man skapar ett system som inte kräver några specialinställningar (inte kul att det finns olika varianter på "svenska" i teckentabellerna när databaser ska flyttas till ny server osv). Dubbelvokal för långt vokalljud är ju som på finska! Enkel lösning utan nackdelar afaik.

English summary: thanks for the answer, and that is a very elegant solution.

[PharaohLiban]

Originally Posted by Swede

Japp, det var glasklart

Man har alltså lagt till bokstäver, men ändå inte eftersom man använder de som inte finns i det aomaliska språket. Smart. Som IT-tekniker kan jag verkligen uppskatta att man skapar ett system som inte kräver några specialinställningar (inte kul att det finns olika varianter på "svenska" i teckentabellerna när databaser ska flyttas till ny server osv). Dubbelvokal för långt vokalljud är ju som på finska! Enkel lösning utan nackdelar afaik.

English summary: thanks for the answer, and that is a very elegant solution.

Exakt! Tänkte inte på att finska har det exakt likadant angående det området.
Finns lite mer information här: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Somali_alphabet

Hoppas allt varit till hjälp

[Xusein]

Originally Posted by Swede

Excuse the ignorance of an outsider, but I notice that the Latin script used to write Somali on the forum uses only the letters found in English. I can't remember seeing any "non-standard" letters being used to write Somali on things I've seen here in Stockholm either. Is this how the "standard" way to use the Latin script is for Somali?
In the Scandinavian languages we use 3 extra vowels (and 2 extra consonants in the case of Icelandic) and I notice that the alternate scripts that exist have letters that aren't straight up conversions of ones in the basic Latin script. Wouldn't it then make sense to add a select few letters to the script? Maybe use ones already in use for different other languages using versions of the Latin script?

/been checking out the Somali forum for the first time today. I'm happy for the way things are going in the right direction in Somalia.

The letters DH, SH, KH aren't found in other Latin scripts.

[Ras Siyan]

The Kaddare script seems to continue with the use of double vowels (shaqalka dheer) as in the current Latin script. I find that quiet unconveniant as all these double vowels make a word seem longer than it actually sounds. It should have a solution for that to (different charactersfor ii-aa-oo-ee for instance).

Other than that, these scripts actually look amazing, we should indeed use them instead of Latin. It'd be a pain in the ass to start learning how to read this at this age, I'd still make the effort though.