Kaddare alphabet
Kaddare | |
---|---|
File:Kaddarecon.gif | |
Script type | |
Languages | Somali language |
The Kaddare alphabet is a writing script created to transcribe Somali, an Afro-Asiatic language.
History
The orthography was invented in 1952 by Sheikh Hussein Sheikh Ahmed Kaddare of the Abgaal Hawiye clan.
A phonetically robust writing system, the technical commissions that appraised the Kaddare script concurred that it was a very accurate orthography for transcribing Somali.[1]
Form
The Kaddare script uses both upper and lower case letters, with the lower case represented in cursive. Many characters are transcribed without having to lift the pen.[2]
Several of Kaddare's letters are similar to those in the Osmanya script, while others bear a resemblance to Brahmi.[2]
As there are no dedicated characters for long vowels, a vowel is made long by simply writing it twice.[2]
See also
References
- ^ Laitin, David D. (1977). Politics, Language, and Thought: The Somali Experience. University of Chicago Press. p. 87. ISBN 0226467910.
- ^ a b c Rendition at www.skyknowledge.com/kaddare.htm
Further reading
- Laitin, David D. (1977). Politics, Language, and Thought: The Somali Experience. University of Chicago Press. p. 87. ISBN 0226467910.