I change my mind on the Arabic based Far Wadaad script. It's very cool

[Som]

I recently got some more information on the Arabic far wadaad script and it's very interesting. I think that with some adjustments it's very adaptable to af somali. What we need is E and O sounds. The E can be used as in Arabic ي and the O as a و. Many Arabic dialects which have different sounds from standard Arabic still use the Arabic script. Indo-European languages such as farsi and Urdu use an Arabic script and theye language is way more distant from Arabic compared to Somali. One problem is that far wadaad used diacritics marks but I've experimented and you can easily read far wadaad without diacritics if you know af somali.
Example : سومال بان اهي
Tell me if you can read this without haraka diacritic marks. It's not hard if you know the Arabic script even at a basic level.
This tool can allow you to change af soomaali latin to wadaad script. https://www.haadka.com/far-wadaad/
It still has some issues because it doesn't distinguish some sounds. For example Beel and Biil are both written بيلْ but this can be solved with some minor adjustment. Also Arabic has many words that are written in the same way but with different meaning and you need context.
I'm not advocating to change our script to far wadaad but it's an interesting experiment.
وا مَهَدْسَنْتِهينْ

 

[𐒋𐒖𐒆𐒔𐒖𐒕𐒈]

There was a sizeable draft document by Galaal & Co., presented at the time of exploring which writing system to adopt for Somali; his grandson brought it to a Somali grammer session a group of us had with Hadraawi in London many moons ago. You might want to look for that document, add build on previous works.

 

[Som]

There was a sizeable draft document by Galaal & Co., presented at the time of exploring which writing system to adopt for Somali; his grandson brought it to a Somali grammer session a group of us had with Hadraawi in London many moons ago. You might want to look for that document, add build on previous works.

I read a few things on the debate back in the 60s and the committee was against far wadaad because of diacritics and sounds not present in af Somali. They were correct but still it wasn't an impossible problem to solve since the same issue exists in Arabic dialects and Urdu, Farsi etc. I look into Galaal writings. I still think the latin script is the best to write Somali but the far wadaad is also good . I also like osmaniya but the only issue i have with it is that it's entirely invented recently (begining of last century) so it lacks an historical attachment to Somalia.

 

[𐒋𐒖𐒆𐒔𐒖𐒕𐒈]

Valid points. From where does your interest in writing systems originate? A student of what?

 

[Som]

Valid points. From where does your interest in writing systems originate? A student of what?

I started researching this after seeing a post about this some time ago. I just stumbled on a few wadaad script examples and was surprised at how easy it was go read

 

[𐒋𐒖𐒆𐒔𐒖𐒕𐒈]

I am afraid, for now, we are stuck with the Latin, which is incomplete with many discernible gaps, and perhaps we should focus on advancing that rather than exploring alternatives.

You see, our generation is burdened with so many afflictions, is almost decamped, if atrophied.

 

[al-Mu'tamid المعتمد]

I am afraid, for now, we are stuck with the Latin, which is incomplete with many discernible gaps, and perhaps we should focus on advancing that rather than exploring alternatives.

You see, our generation is burdened with so many afflictions, is almost decamped, if atrophied.

With the increasing number of people using mobile phones, the vast majority of them are socialising with the Latin script and have become accustomed to its usage. It would be a challenging to change the entire writing system. In the past, it was easier to do so, because a limited number of people knew how to read and write, and Siad was able to take advantage of that.

 

[𐒋𐒖𐒆𐒔𐒖𐒕𐒈]

With the increasing number of people using mobile phones, the vast majority of them are socialising with the Latin script and have become accustomed to its usage. It would be a challenging to change the entire writing system. In the past, it was easier to do so, because a limited number of people knew how to read and write, and Siad was able to take advantage of that.

I would concur, and why even attempt, unless it is for chauvinistic reasons by men of short stature.

 

[Africanus]

With the increasing number of people using mobile phones, the vast majority of them are socialising with the Latin script and have become accustomed to its usage. It would be a challenging to change the entire writing system. In the past, it was easier to do so, because a limited number of people knew how to read and write, and Siad was able to take advantage of that.

but if we use Somali Arabic script with harakat wouldn’t we be able to increase our literacy rate fast since religious studies is so important in our culture? Latin script does have its uses, but should we exchange that for a extremely high literacy rate?

 

[hinters]

how would you represent long vowels like ee and oo, and how about the distinction between ay and ey?

 

[𐒋𐒖𐒆𐒔𐒖𐒕𐒈]

how would you represent long vowels like ee and oo, and how about the distinction between ay and ey?

That is easy in Arabic 'cost those are represented with [ آ ٱ أ إ ّ ]

 

[hinters]

That is easy in Arabic 'cost those are represented with [ آ ٱ أ إ ّ ]

yeah but that's just a i u

if ay could be represented by alif and ya how about ey?

 

[𐒋𐒖𐒆𐒔𐒖𐒕𐒈]

yeah but that's just a i u

if ay could be represented by alif and ya how about ey?

Elongation with 'madd', as in 'aa', and double letters with 'shadd'. I am thinking 'Ay' with 'fatha', and with ' Ey' with 'kasra'. To be explored.

To better understand, could you offer an example?

 

[hinters]

Elongation with 'madd', as in 'aa', and double letters with 'shadd'. I am thinking 'Ay' with 'fatha', and with ' Ey' with 'kasra'. To be explored.

To better understand, could you offer an example?

How baout "waan sameeyey"

 

[al-Mu'tamid المعتمد]

but if we use Somali Arabic script with harakat wouldn’t we be able to increase our literacy rate fast since religious studies is so important in our culture? Latin script does have its uses, but should we exchange that for a extremely high literacy rate?

True, it would be easier to transition to the far-wadaad script then the osmanya script. As most of us in our youth are tought to read the Qur'an.

 

[𐒋𐒖𐒆𐒔𐒖𐒕𐒈]

I think it would be:
وآن سمئيَي

 

[𐒋𐒖𐒆𐒔𐒖𐒕𐒈]

True, it would be easier to transition to the far-wadaad script then the osmanya script. As most of us in our youth are tought to read the Qur'an.

The Arabic script was, and would have been the natural script, but unfortunately it was sold out by the pro-colonialist crowd, and with the an educated class, and right leadership, it can be remedied at a small cost. However, with scientific and engineering research & bodies of work predominantly being drafted in English (albeit trend is shifting with highest research documents, for the first time, being in Mandarin, as Japanese research institute* published recently), I would suggest we are better off staying the course with Latin.

but if we use Somali Arabic script with harakat wouldn’t we be able to increase our literacy rate fast since religious studies is so important in our culture? Latin script does have its uses, but should we exchange that for a extremely high literacy rate?

With respect to the literacy argument, and with the advent of mobile devices along with increased urbanisation (nomadic life is technically waning away), I think the net gain might be equal, if not greater with Latin.