Somali script needs to be either updated (Latin script) or completely changed (indigenous)

[fardowsa]

You don't understand my point. It's not bootyclapping. Ge'ez is merely a wannabe script, why do somalis who advocate this wannabe script not use Ge'ez itself, the original ortography itself?
We either use Wadaad (radical), Kaddare (expand upon) or take influence from older inscriptions

The osmanya script is barely similar to geezespecially when compared to wadaad and arabic script

 

[SultanuuFicaan]

The best script is either Gadabuursi or Kaddarre.

@Araman here is what they thought of the borama script

Here is what the 1961 linguistic report held in regards to the Gadabuursi alphabet

5 Pros, 12 Cons


Also do remember there were also other indigenous script not generally listed on websites. This unesco report saw 11 Somali indegenous scripts including Cismaanya (ge'ez influenced, borama gadaabursi and kaddare included).

Such as this script by Abdulkadir Adde Munyeh in year 1961

4 Pros, 13 Cons

Here is the actual report, fascinating. Check it out.
Kaddare was held to be the best script but Latin was better due to economical reasons (type writers already available for example and now latin computer keyboards).

http://dspace-roma3.caspur.it/bitstream/2307/2620/1/Linguistic Report 1961.pdf - 1961 report

 

[fardowsa]

Osmanya is a conscript, not an indigenous one. Wadaad will not create confusion. Are people confused by the latin somali and latin english alphabets? It will be obvious to spot the difference to an arabic or somali speaker.

At least something indigenous gives us an identity
The latin letters we use confuses white people, they will pronounce something like cabdi as kabdi lol
Using something like the arabic script will give us no form of identity, we need something different or continue using the script we use now

 

[Prince Abubu]

Then we should use the Kaddarre script. It's an indigenous Somali script, it matches our language well and it's beautiful. I don't want to replace Latin, a foreign script, with arabic another foreign script. It's embarrassing seeing you language next to other languages and seeing all the different scripts yet ours is in latin.

 

[SultanuuFicaan]

I dislike the latin script, wadaad we've used for centuries but it has to be radically altered to suit our tones and dialects plus maay.

Here is the persian arabic script

Here is URDU

Uyghur alphabet

Jawi used in Malaysia/Brunei/Malay Indonesia


@fardowsa We have more history with arabic script than the Latin script. The italian/french colonialists didn't even think of Somali latin orography. Brits tried to introduce in the late 30's if i recall correctly but failed. Find any Somali text during the medieval up to Barre reform was used in Arabic to write Somali or the Somalis simply wrote in the Arabic language.

- Maay poem

- Somali 14th century hanafi scholar (Uthman al . DIN Zayla'i,) who wrote in Arabic in Cairo, during Mamluk era Egypt

- Jamal Al Din Zayla'i another 14th century hanafi scholar
[

 

[Arman]

Why does everyone completely dismiss the Borama script? You guys act like it doesn't even exist. I prefer it to all the other scripts.

 

[SOMALI GENERAL]

Osmanya is a conscript, not an indigenous one. Wadaad will not create confusion. Are people confused by the latin somali and latin english alphabets? It will be obvious to spot the difference to an arabic or somali speaker.

Doesn't matter. I don't want Somalis to be further culturally arabised & have to face the same problems the Iranians & pakis are facing.

 

[horumar]

At least something indigenous gives us an identity
The latin letters we use confuses white people, they will pronounce something like cabdi as kabdi lol
Using something like the arabic script will give us no form of identity, we need something different or continue using the script we use now

We can't use those "indigenous" alphabets because they were made by a certain clan and it would not be universal. Wadaad and Latin are similar as in they're both foreign, but wadaad is closer.

Besides, like the sultan said, we've had hundreds of years of history with the wadaad script, therefore it basically is our indigenous script.

 

[horumar]

Doesn't matter. I don't want Somalis to be further culturally arabised & have to face the same problems the Iranians & pakis are facing.

 

[fardowsa]

@fardowsa We have more history with arabic script than the Latin script. The italian/french colonialists didn't even think of Somali latin orography. Brits tried to introduce in the late 30's if i recall correctly but failed. Find any Somali text during the medieval up to Barre reform was used in Arabic to write Somali or the Somalis simply wrote in the Arabic language.

Well we should use our own indigenous script then for identity's sake. Going from latin to arabic script will make no difference identity wise

 

[fardowsa]

We can't use those "indigenous" alphabets because they were made by a certain clan and it would not be universal. Wadaad and Latin are similar as in they're both foreign, but wadaad is closer.

Besides, like the sultan said, we've had hundreds of years of history with the wadaad script, therefore it basically is our indigenous script.

Qabil problems

 

[Simodi]

The Gadabuursi script which is simpler should be updated and modified.

"In contrast to 'Ismaaniya the consonants y and w are not used as vowels except in diphthongs. Short o is normally written as u (C) and there is no differentiation between a and aa, and e and ee. These failings could very easily be remedied with only slight modifications in the script. As with 'Ismaaniya the script is written from left to right and the article suffixes are sometimes separated from their nouns. But the other etymological features of 'Ismaaniya are lacking and in this respect the script is potentially phonetically more accurate than 'Ismaaniya. None of these Somali orthographies take account of tone (which is not always important) 1 but they could easily be written with tone marks where necessary. Six texts written by Sh. 'Abdurahmaan are published here with transliterations (in italics) and phonetically more accurate transcriptions (in roman type)." - The Gadabuursi Somali Script, I. M. Lewis.

 

[government]

Well we should use our own indigenous script then for identity's sake. Going from latin to arabic script will make no difference identity wise

Why does everything has to be identified it's just a script relax and wadaad is the easiest one for Somalis to use. Oh let's not use Celsius because it's not indigenous

 

[SultanuuFicaan]

Obviously I'd choose Kaddare hands down, for being the most beautiful indigenous ortograph, which was held to be the best in the 1961 report.

Read this @fardowsa @Araman @SOMALI GENERAL

http://dspace-roma3.caspur.it/bitstream/2307/2620/1/Linguistic Report 1961.pdf

We'd have to add tones to which every script lacks plus adding in Maay consonants (P, Jh, GH, NG and NY) plus the Semi Y' vowel.

- letters are not joined in this case

- add double vowels instead of writing the same vowels twice. Plus it lacks numerals

 

[horumar]

Obviously I'd choose Kaddare hands down, for being the most beautiful indigenous ortograph, which was held to be the best in the 1961 report.

Read this @horumar @fardowsa @Araman @SOMALI GENERAL

http://dspace-roma3.caspur.it/bitstream/2307/2620/1/Linguistic Report 1961.pdf

We'd have to add tones to which every script lacks plus adding in Maay consonants (P, Jh, GH, NG and NY) plus the Semi Y' vowel.

- add double vowels instead of writing the same vowels twice. Plus it lacks numerals

Sorry but my eyes hurt looking at that, it seems utterly difficult to write by hand.

 

[fardowsa]

Why does everything has to be identified it's just a script relax and wadaad is the easiest one for Somalis to use. Oh let's not use Celsius because it's not indigenous

Move along, this is a script that portrays the language, not a unit of measurement .

 

[Simodi]

Why does everyone completely dismiss the Borama script? You guys act like it doesn't even exist. I prefer it to all the other scripts.

Agreed, it's the easiest to learn and certainly looks better than the osmaniya. With a few modifications for tone, it could definitely be used nationally.

 

[government]

Agreed, it's the easiest to learn and certainly looks better than the osmaniya. With a few modifications for tone, it could definitely be used nationally.

Can you give us a sample of the borma script

 

[Arman]

Can you give us a sample of the borma script

 

[Simodi]

Can you give us a sample of the borma script

there are some examples in this thread https://www.somalispot.com/threads/ughaz-nur-ii-the-king-of-the-gadabursis.24560/#post-612689