Osmanya script

The Osmanya script (Somali: Farta Cismaanya; Osmanya: 𐒋𐒘𐒈𐒑𐒛𐒒𐒕𐒀), also known as Far Soomaali ("Somali writing") and, in Arabic, as al-kitābah al-ʿuthmānīyah, is a writing script created to transcribe the Somali language. It was invented between 1920 and 1922 by Osman Yusuf Kenadid, the son of Sultan Yusuf Ali Kenadid and brother of Sultan Ali Yusuf Kenadid of the Sultanate of Hobyo.

Osmanya
Type
LanguagesSomali language
DirectionLeft-to-right
ISO 15924Osma, 260
Unicode alias
Osmanya
Unicode range
U+10480–U+184AF

History
Osman Yusuf Kenadid

While Osmanya gained reasonably wide acceptance in Somalia and quickly produced a considerable body of literature, it proved difficult to spread among the population mainly due to stiff competition from the long-established Arabic script as well as the emerging Somali Latin alphabet developed by a number of leading scholars of Somali, including Musa Haji Ismail Galal, B. W. Andrzejewski and Shire Jama Ahmed.[1][2]

As nationalist sentiments grew and since the Somali language had long lost its ancient script,[3] the adoption of a universally recognized writing script for the Somali language became an important point of discussion. After independence, little progress was made on the issue, as opinion was divided over whether the Arabic or Latin scripts should be used instead.

In October 1972, because of the Latin script's simplicity, its ability to cope with all of the sounds in the language, and the widespread existence of machines and typewriters designed for its use,[4][5] made President Mohamed Siad Barre require it for writing Somali instead of the Arabic or Osmanya scripts.[6] Barre's administration subsequently launched a massive literacy campaign designed to ensure its sole adoption, which led to a sharp decline in use of Osmanya.

The Osmanya writing script for Somali


Description

The direction of reading and writing in Osmanya is from left to right. Letter names are based on the names of letters in Arabic, and the long vowels uu and ii are represented by the letters waaw and yaa, respectively.

Letters
OsmanyaNameLatinIPA OsmanyaNameLatinIPA OsmanyaNameLatinIPA
𐒀alefʼ[ʔ] 𐒁bab[b] 𐒂tat[t]
𐒃jaj[d͡ʒ] 𐒄xax[ħ] 𐒅khakh[χ]
𐒆deeld[d] 𐒇rar[r] 𐒈sas[s]
𐒉shiinsh[ʃ] 𐒊dhadh[ɖ] 𐒋caync[ʕ]
𐒌gag[ɡ] 𐒍faf[f] 𐒎qaafq[q]
𐒏kaafk[k] 𐒐laanl[l] 𐒑miinm[m]
𐒒nuunn[n] 𐒓waw, uuw, uu[w, ʉː, uː] 𐒔hah[h]
𐒕ya, iiy, ii[j, iː, ɪː] 𐒖aa[æ, ɑ] 𐒗ee[e, ɛ]
𐒘ii[i, ɪ] 𐒙oo[ɞ, ɔ] 𐒚uu[ʉ, u]
𐒛aaaa[æː, ɑː] 𐒜eeee[eː, ɛː] 𐒝oooo[ɞː, ɔː]

Numbers
Digit0123456789
Osmanya 𐒠 𐒡 𐒢 𐒣 𐒤 𐒥 𐒦 𐒧 𐒨 𐒩

Unicode
Main article: Osmanya (Unicode block)

Osmanya script was added to the Unicode Standard in April 2003 with the release of version 4.0.

The Unicode block for Osmanya is U+10480–U+104AF:

Osmanya[1][2]
Official Unicode Consortium code chart (PDF)
 0123456789ABCDEF
U+1048x 𐒀 𐒁 𐒂 𐒃 𐒄 𐒅 𐒆 𐒇 𐒈 𐒉 𐒊 𐒋 𐒌 𐒍 𐒎 𐒏
U+1049x 𐒐 𐒑 𐒒 𐒓 𐒔 𐒕 𐒖 𐒗 𐒘 𐒙 𐒚 𐒛 𐒜 𐒝
U+104Ax 𐒠 𐒡 𐒢 𐒣 𐒤 𐒥 𐒦 𐒧 𐒨 𐒩
Notes
1.^ As of Unicode version 13.0
2.^ Grey areas indicate non-assigned code points

See also

Notes
  1. Abdullahi, Mohamed Diriye (2001). Culture and Customs of Somalia. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 73. ISBN 978-0-313-31333-2.
  2. Lewis, I. M. (1999). A Pastoral Democracy: A Study of Pastoralism and Politics Among the Northern Somali of the Horn of Africa. James Currey Publishers. ISBN 978-0-85255-280-3.
  3. Ministry of Information and National Guidance, Somalia, The writing of the Somali language, (Ministry of Information and National Guidance: 1974), p.5
  4. Andrew Simpson, Language and National Identity in Africa, (Oxford University Press: 2008), p.288
  5. Economist Intelligence Unit (Great Britain), Middle East annual review, (1975), p.229
  6. Mohamed Diriye Abdullahi, Culture and Customs of Somalia, (Greenwood Press: 2001), p.73

References
  • I.M. Lewis (1958) Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, Vol. 21 pp 134–156.
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