The creator of the Somali Latin script is Shire Jama Ahmed a Somali scholar of linguistics that completed his studies in many varying countries including Egypt, Russia, United States, and England. The latin script he created was chosen by a wide ranging committee of Somali scholars in linguistics and language in 1972.
Shire Jama Ahmed was among 8 other linguistic scholars in 1960 that headed the language commission for Somalia. Many of these scholars represented different viewpoints in terms of what direction Somalia should take in their script and the latin based script was argued as the most economically sound by Shire due to its versatility and ease of integration to the wider populace.
This excerpt below is from the UNESCO (United Nations Education, Science, Cultural Organization) recommendation to the Somali linguistic commission in 1966 to make a decision on which Somali Orthography would be chosen for the country. And many scholars submitted their works amongst them was Kenadiid that advocated for the Osmaniya script as well as Galaal and Shire Jama Ahmed that had differing variants of the Latin based Somali script. This commission was headed by many scholars that taught at prestigious schools around the world and their final verdict was to recommend Shire Jama Ahmed Somali Latin script for use as the official Orthography for Somalia.
This process of standardization was outlined by, Morgan Nilsson, at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden
Many of Shire's contemporaries in the 1960s also felt that his latin based Somali script would be the most efficient orthography.
Shire wrote many books and was hailed by the scholars that came after him as an inspiration in the field of linguistics and langauge.
Shire was also the first President of the Somali National Academy of Culture and also founded the first Somali literary journal titled 'Iftiinta Aqoonta"
Shire Jama Ahmed was among 8 other linguistic scholars in 1960 that headed the language commission for Somalia. Many of these scholars represented different viewpoints in terms of what direction Somalia should take in their script and the latin based script was argued as the most economically sound by Shire due to its versatility and ease of integration to the wider populace.
This excerpt below is from the UNESCO (United Nations Education, Science, Cultural Organization) recommendation to the Somali linguistic commission in 1966 to make a decision on which Somali Orthography would be chosen for the country. And many scholars submitted their works amongst them was Kenadiid that advocated for the Osmaniya script as well as Galaal and Shire Jama Ahmed that had differing variants of the Latin based Somali script. This commission was headed by many scholars that taught at prestigious schools around the world and their final verdict was to recommend Shire Jama Ahmed Somali Latin script for use as the official Orthography for Somalia.
This process of standardization was outlined by, Morgan Nilsson, at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden
Many of Shire's contemporaries in the 1960s also felt that his latin based Somali script would be the most efficient orthography.
Shire wrote many books and was hailed by the scholars that came after him as an inspiration in the field of linguistics and langauge.
Shire was also the first President of the Somali National Academy of Culture and also founded the first Somali literary journal titled 'Iftiinta Aqoonta"
