Osmanya script
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| Osmanya | ||
|---|---|---|
| Type | Alphabet | |
| Spoken languages | Somali language
|
|
| ISO 15924 | Osma | |
| Note: This page may contain IPA phonetic symbols in Unicode. | ||
The Osmanya script (Somali: cismaanya; Osmanya: 𐒋𐒘𐒈𐒑𐒛𐒒𐒕𐒀), also known as far soomaali or Somali writing, is a writing script created to write the Somali language. It was invented between 1920 and 1922 by the Sultan of Hobyo's brother, Osman Yuusuf Keenadiid of the Majeerteen clan.
The direction of reading and writing is from left to right. The letter names are based on the names of letters in Arabic, and the long vowels uu and ii are represented by the letters waw and ya respectively.
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 Latin script.
As nationalist sentiments grew, 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 1961, the Osmanya script was made official in Somalia. However, on 21 October 1971, the government of Somali president Siad Barre unilaterally decided to only use the Latin script for writing Somali, and launched a massive education program designed to ensure its sole adoption. This led to a sharp decline in use of Osmanya.
In recent years, especially among younger generations of Somalis, there has been a strong movement toward reinstating Osmanya as Somalia's official writing script.
The Osmanya script is available in the Unicode range 10480-104AF [from U+10480 - U+104AF (66688–66735)].
[edit] See Also
[edit] External links
- Osmanya, Borama, Wadaad's writing and the Somali language
- Afkeenna iyo fartiisa - a book in Osmanya
- The Gadabuursi Somali Script - qasidas in Gadabuursi/Borama
- Unicode assignments for Osmanya characters
- Osmanya Unicode Fonts
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