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

[Vanguard]

The only changes we need are to adopt the letter z and get rid of the double vowels in favour of single vowels with macrons -> ã ē ī ō ū. Most of us are familiar with the Arabic Al-mad from the Quran anyway.

 

[ሕጊ።።]

The long vowels are just the first 5 vowels but when spoken, has more emphasis placed on it

They are:

AA EE II OO UU

In addition to the first five:

A E I O U

By indicated, i think you mean in the script? Well the osmanya script doesn't indicate all the double vowels, and the ones it does, such as UU is also the constant letter W

When writing in somali, the double vowels are used, because in some context they mean a whole word

Such as: Farmaajo ee 55 jir ah

Which means, Farmaajo who is 55 years old
(hopefully i got that right lol)

Yeah I meant indicated in the script. If words are pronounced differently when talking and a long vowel matters in speech, then surely it doesn't have to be written as 2 a's for example?

Also i have a question about the fidel: Lets say a phrase such as Abuntasfayzo(heard it in the unhcr dangerous crossings music vid) Would you write it like this ኣቡንታስፋይዞ

what will the 'n' be? because it doesn't have a vowel after when spoken, so how should it be written?

Which song is that you heard it in? This?

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And just for what you wrote, yes it'd be written like that. And basically there are 7 vowels, 'n' can be ነ ኑ ኒ ና ኔ ን ኖ, these are all followed by vowels. And basically when a consonant isn't followed by a vowel, we use the 6th order, so ን. We don't indicate long consonants either.

But like what I said for Somali, if someone is competent in the spoken language, there should be no reason they would pronounce vowels when they shouldn't be pronounced. I'd just assume they are not fluent in the language.

 

[horumar]

Yeah I meant indicated in the script. If words are pronounced differently when talking and a long vowel matters in speech, then surely it doesn't have to be written as 2 a's for example?

Which song is that you heard it in? This?

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And just for what you wrote, yes it'd be written like that. And basically there are 7 vowels, 'n' can be ነ ኑ ኒ ና ኔ ን ኖ, these are all followed by vowels. And basically when a consonant isn't followed by a vowel, we use the 6th order, so ን. We don't indicate long consonants either.

But like what I said for Somali, if someone is competent in the spoken language, there should be no reason they would pronounce vowels when they shouldn't be pronounced. I'd just assume they are not fluent in the language.

Ahh, i see,

Also ሀ + ሃ sound very similar, is there a way to distinguish between them? Same goes for the other constants and this specific vowel

EDIT: And yes! i love that video

 

[ሕጊ።።]

Ahh, i see,

Also ሀ + ሃ sound very similar, is there a way to distinguish between them? Same goes for the other constants and this specific vowel

EDIT: And yes! i love that video

They are pronounced the same now, but Amharic uses both these letters, the first is not used in Tigrinya, for that specific letter you showed.

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And oh right, what you heard is agul tesfa yizo, not abuntasfayzo

 

[horumar]

They are pronounced the same now, but Amharic uses both these letters, the first is not used in Tigrinya, for that specific letter you showed.

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And oh right, what you heard is agul tesfa yizo, not abuntasfayzo

Oh, sorry about the mispronunciation, i was focused on the meaning.

And yeah, about the pronounciations, how come with lets say an song by Helen Pawlos such as this:

You can hear how she pronounces the ሓ

But when i hear amharic, it seems a bit faded, is that the same with ዔዛና how the first is not like the arabic ع?

 

[ሕጊ።።]

Oh, sorry about the mispronunciation, i was focused on the meaning.

And yeah, about the pronounciations, how come with lets say an song by Helen Pawlos such as this:

You can hear how she pronounces the ሓ

But when i hear amharic, it seems a bit faded, is that the same with ዔዛና how the first is not like the arabic ع?

Oh right, it means: having took/taking a troublesome expectation.

And yes, ሀሐኀኸ are all ه in Amharic. In Tigrigna, ሀ is ه, ሐ is ح and ኸ is خ. And yes it's like that word, different pronunciations in the two languages.

 

[horumar]

Oh right, it means: having took/taking a troublesome expectation.

And yes, ሀሐኀኸ are all ه in Amharic. In Tigrigna, ሀ is ه, ሐ is ح and ኸ is خ. And yes it's like that word, different pronunciations in the two languages.

Is this due to oromo influence or just movement from the red sea coast to the highlands?

 

[ሕጊ።።]

Is this due to oromo influence or just movement from the red sea coast to the highlands?

No, most of Amharic is influenced mainly by Agew anyways. I think Amharic lost these sounds when people moved south, I've never really read into it.

 

[horumar]

No, most of Amharic is influenced mainly by Agew anyways. I think Amharic lost these sounds when people moved south, I've never really read into it.

Also, what would be the difference in pronunciation for these:

ሲዴድ
ሲደድ

 

[ሕጊ።።]

Also, what would be the difference in pronunciation for these:

ሲዴድ
ሲደድ

Second letter has a different vowel sound, first is 'e' like the 'e' in dress or bed. Second is normally written in academic writings as ä, but when we write it we just use 'e', and that's the sound of the last 'e' in letter. 'letter' show's both these sounds actually, but it's best to watch a Youtube video .

 

[horumar]

Second letter has a different vowel sound, first is 'e' like the 'e' in dress or bed. Second is normally written in academic writings as ä, but when we write it we just use 'e', and that's the sound of the last 'e' letter. 'letter' show's both these sounds actually, but it's best to watch a Youtube video .

Oh ok, thanks for all the help

So the extra circle doesn't mean a longer vowel?

 

[ሕጊ።።]

Oh ok, thanks for all the help

So the extra circle doesn't mean a longer vowel?

Nah it doesn't work like that, but there are some common patterns and when an extra circle on the bottom right is added to the 1st order it most the time is an e sound.

 

[Thegoodshepherd]

Osmanya was the only indigenous script that people used en masse before Somali was standardized. It was easy to learn and to write. The only reason it was not chosen was becaue of clan reasons. The kaddare script was little used if at all.

I don't see why Maymay should be taken into account when talking about writing Somali, as Maymay is not a Somali language.

 

[government]

Osmanya was the only indigenous script that people used en masse before Somali was standardized. It was easy to learn and to write. The only reason it was not chosen was becaue of clan reasons. The kaddare script was little used if at all.

I don't see why Maymay should be taken into account when talking about writing Somali, as Maymay is not a Somali language.

Osmanya was not popular at all the wadaad script was more popular and it was used before it

 

[horumar]

Osmanya is a Ge'ez wannabe script, why advocate for this script when we can just use Ge'ez itself instead? @Prince Abubu in that case.

@SOMALI GENERAL ^

 

[SultanuuFicaan]

@SOMALI GENERAL ^

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

 

[Prince Abubu]

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?
I personally find the Ge'ez script to be 'chicken scratch'.

The best script is either Gadabuursi or Kaddarre.

 

[horumar]

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?
I personally find the Ge'ez script to be 'chicken scratch'.

No, i'm not on about bootyclappnig, @SOMALI GENERAL insisted we should use the "indigenous" osmanya script, on which i disagree with

 

[SOMALI GENERAL]

@SOMALI GENERAL ^

Osmanya is not the only indigenous script. You could say the exact same for the Wadaad script, since it looks pretty much exactly the same as the Arabic script & will create a lot of confusion.

 

[horumar]

Osmanya is not the only indigenous script. You could say the exact same for the Wadaad script, since it looks pretty much exactly the same as the Arabic script & will create a lot of confusion.

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.