View source for Garay alphabet

{{short description|Arabic-like alphabet for Wolof}}
{{Infobox writing system
| name=Garay
| sample=Garay (Système d'écriture).jpg
| type=alphabet
| languages=[[Wolof language|Wolof]]
| direction=Right to left
| date=1961
| creator=Assane Faye
| unicode=[https://www.unicode.org/charts/PDF/U10D40.pdf U+10D40&ndash;U+10D8F]
| iso15924=Gara
}}
The '''Garay alphabet''' was designed in 1961, as a transcription system "[marrying] African sociolinguistic characteristics" according to its inventor, [[Assane Faye]]. This alphabet has 25 consonants and 14 vowels.<ref name = "APS"> [https://fr.allafrica.com/stories/200904220366.html '' The Garay alphabet can contribute to the rebirth of Africa, according to its inventor ''], Birane Hady Cissé, on '' fr.allafrica.com '' (April 21, 2009, accessed November 7, 2018).</ref> It is used in particular for the writing of the [[Wolof language]], spoken mostly in [[Senegal]], although it is more often written in the Latin alphabet and to a lesser extent in the [[Wolofal alphabet|Arabic (Wolofal) alphabet]]. It is written from [[right-to-left|right to left]], and distinguishes [[letter case]].

==Letters==
===Consonants===
The consonants are written as standalone letters and are not joined as in Arabic.

There is a mark above some letters to show pre-nasalization. The letter labeled [[Arabic alphabet#Alif|alif]] is used like its counterpart in Arabic, coming before an initial vowel. Extra to the standard Wolof set is /ħ/, available for Arabic loan words. Lacking is /q/, but /k/ may suffice for that. Also lacking is /nk/, but that may easily be formed with a mark above, like /mb/ etc.<ref>[http://www.skyknowledge.com/garay.htm Garay script for Wolof], Ian James, March 2012</ref>

In Garay, uppercase letters are distinguished from lowercase letters by a swash added to one side or the other of the letter. Each sentence begins with a capital letter. Personal names are likewise capitalized.<ref>[https://www.culturesofwestafrica.com/garay-alphabet-wolof-script/ Garay Alphabet: a Wolof Script], 6 May 2019</ref>

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
|-
!colspan="100%"| [[Nasal consonant|Nasals]]
|-
! IPA
| {{IPA link|m}} {{angbr|m}} || {{IPA link|n}} {{angbr|n}} || {{IPA link|ɲ}} {{angbr|ñ}} || {{IPA link|ŋ}} {{angbr|ŋ}}
|-
! Lowercase
| [[File:Garay M lowercase.png]] || [[File:Garay N lowercase.png]] || [[File:Garay Ñ lowercase.png]] || [[File:Garay Ŋ lowercase.png]]
|-
! Uppercase
| [[File:Garay M uppercase.png]] || [[File:Garay N uppercase.png]] || [[File:Garay Ñ uppercase.png]] || [[File:Garay Ŋ uppercase.png]]
|-
!colspan="100%"| [[Prenasalized consonant|Prenasalized]] [[Plosive consonant|plosives]]
|-
! IPA
| {{IPA link|m}}{{IPA link|b}} {{angbr|mb}} || {{IPA link|n}}{{IPA link|d}} {{angbr|nd}} || {{IPA link|ɲ}}{{IPA link|ɟ}} {{angbr|nj}} || {{IPA link|ŋ}}{{IPA link|ɡ}} {{angbr|ng}}
|-
! Lowercase
| [[File:Garay MB lowercase.png]] || [[File:Garay ND lowercase.png]] || [[File:Garay NJ lowercase.png]] || [[File:Garay NG lowercase.png]]
|-
! Uppercase
| [[File:Garay MB uppercase.png]] || [[File:Garay ND uppercase.png]] || [[File:Garay NJ uppercase.png]] || [[File:Garay NG uppercase.png]]
|-
!colspan="100%"| [[voice (phonetics)|Voiced]] [[Plosive consonant|plosives]]
|-
! IPA
| {{IPA link|b}} {{angbr|b}} || {{IPA link|d}} {{angbr|d}} || {{IPA link|ɟ}} {{angbr|j}} || {{IPA link|ɡ}} {{angbr|g}}
|-
! Lowercase
| [[File:Garay B lowercase.png]] || [[File:Garay D lowercase.png]] || [[File:Garay J lowercase.png]] || [[File:Garay G lowercase.png]]
|-
! Uppercase
| [[File:Garay B uppercase.png]] || [[File:Garay D uppercase.png]] || [[File:Garay J uppercase.png]] || [[File:Garay G uppercase.png]]
|-
!colspan="100%"| [[voicelessness|Voiceless]] [[Plosive consonant|plosives]]
|-
! IPA
| {{IPA link|p}} {{angbr|p}} || {{IPA link|t}} {{angbr|t}} || {{IPA link|c}} {{angbr|c}} || {{IPA link|k}} {{angbr|k}}
|-
! Lowercase
| [[File:Garay P lowercase.png]] || [[File:Garay T lowercase.png]] || [[File:Garay C lowercase.png]] || [[File:Garay K lowercase.png]]
|-
! Uppercase
| [[File:Garay P uppercase.png]] || [[File:Garay T uppercase.png]] || [[File:Garay C uppercase.png]] || [[File:Garay K uppercase.png]]
|-
! colspan="100%" | [[Fricative consonant|Fricatives]]
|-
! IPA
| {{IPA link|f}} {{angbr|f}} || {{IPA link|s}} {{angbr|s}} || {{IPA link|x}}~{{IPA link|χ}} {{angbr|x}} || {{IPA link|ħ}} {{angbr|h}}
|-
! Lowercase
| [[File:Garay F lowercase.png]] || [[File:Garay S lowercase.png]] || [[File:Garay X lowercase.png]] || [[File:Garay H lowercase.png]]
|-
! Uppercase
| [[File:Garay F uppercase.png]] || [[File:Garay S uppercase.png]] || [[File:Garay X uppercase.png]] || [[File:Garay H uppercase.png]]
|-
! colspan="100%" | [[Liquid consonant|Liquids]] and [[Semivowel|semivowels]]
|-
! IPA
| {{IPA link|r}} {{angbr|r}} || {{IPA link|w}} {{angbr|w}} || {{IPA link|l}} {{angbr|l}} || {{IPA link|j}} {{angbr|y}}
|-
! Lowercase
| [[File:Garay R lowercase.png]] || [[File:Garay W lowercase.png]] || [[File:Garay L lowercase.png]] || [[File:Garay Y lowercase.png]]
|-
! Uppercase
| [[File:Garay R uppercase.png]] || [[File:Garay W uppercase.png]] || [[File:Garay L uppercase.png]] || [[File:Garay Y uppercase.png]]
|-
! colspan="100%" | Misc.
|-
!
| ''Alif'' || || ||
|-
! Lowercase
| [[File:Garay alif lowercase.png]] || || ||
|-
! Uppercase
| [[File:Garay alif uppercase.png]] || || ||
|}

===Vowels===
{|class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
|-
| {{IPA link|ä|a}} {{angbr|a}}
| {{IPA link|i}} {{angbr|i}}
| {{IPA link|ɛ}} {{angbr|e}}
| {{IPA link|ɔ}} {{angbr|o}}
|-
| [[File:Garay A.png]]
| [[File:Garay I.png]]
| [[File:Garay E.png]]
| [[File:Garay O.png]]
|-
| {{IPA link|ə}} {{angbr|ë}}
| ü
| {{IPA link|e}} {{angbr|é}}
| {{IPA link|u}} {{angbr|u}}
|-
| [[File:Garay Schwa.png]]
| [[File:Garay Ü.png]]
| [[File:Garay É.png]]
| [[File:Garay U.png]]
|}

===Numbers===
[[File:Garay_numbers.png]]

==Unicode==
{{Main|Garay (Unicode block)}}
The Garay alphabet was added to the [[Unicode]] Standard in September, 2024 with the release of version 16.0.

The Unicode block for Garay is U+10D40–U+10D8F:
{{Unicode chart Garay}}

== References ==
{{reflist}}

== Bibliography ==
* {{cite book | lang = en
 | first = Michael | last = Everson
 | title = Preliminary proposal for encoding the Garay script in the SMP of the UCS
 | date = April 26, 2012
 | url = https://www.unicode.org/L2/L2012/12139-n4261-garay.pdf
}}
* {{cite book | lang = en
 | first = Anshuman | last = Pandey
 | title = Introducing the Wolof Alphabet of Assane Faye
 | date = May 9, 2011
| url = https://www.unicode.org/L2/L2011/11181-faye-wolof.pdf
}}

== External links ==
* [http://www.garay-ecrite.com Discover Garay]{{Dead link|date=May 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}, Movement of Teachers of African Languages in Senegal (MELAS).
* {{cite web| lang = en
 | title = Garay script of Wolof
 | first= Ian | last= James
 | date = March 2012
 | website = SkyKnowledge.com
 | url = http://www.skyknowledge.com/garay.htm
}}
* {{cite web| lang = en
 | title = Wolof (Wollof)
 | website = Omniglot
 | url = http://www.omniglot.com/writing/wolof.htm#wa
}}

{{list of writing systems}}
{{Language orthographies}}

[[Category:Writing systems introduced in 1961]]
[[Category:Writing systems of Africa]]
[[Category:Wolof language]]
[[Category:Right-to-left writing systems]]


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