View source for Social:Osage alphabet

{{Infobox writing system
|name=Osage
|type=[[Social:Alphabet|Alphabet]]
|languages=Osage
|time=2006–present
|fam1=(Proto-writing)
|fam2=[[Social:Egyptian hieroglyphs|Egyptian hieroglyphs]] 
|fam3= Proto-Sinaitic alphabet 
|fam4= [[Phoenician alphabet]]  
|fam5=Greek alphabet 
|fam6=[[Social:Old Italic script|Old Italic script]]
|fam7=Latin alphabet
|fam8=[[Social:English alphabet|English logography]]
|sample=Wazhazhe_ie.png
|imagesize=150px
|unicode=[https://www.unicode.org/charts/PDF/U104B0.pdf U+104B0&ndash;U+104FF]
|iso15924=Osge
|notice=
|note=none
}}
The '''Osage alphabet''' is a new script promulgated in 2006 for the Osage language. Unlike previous orthographies for Osage, which used the Latin script, the new Osage script has distinct letter shapes, though its derivation from Latin is apparent. It is used on the website of the language department of the Osage Nation.<ref>[http://www.osagetribe.com/language/about_us.aspx Osage Nation Language Department] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111120021201/http://www.osagetribe.com/language/about_us.aspx |date=2011-11-20 }}</ref>

In its original form, Osage was a non-phonemic alphabet, which from a technical perspective is called a defective alphabet, because it did not distinguish the stop series, which are central to Osage phonology.

In February 2014, a conference was held by the script's creator, Herman Mongrain Lookout, and the staff at the Osage Nation Language Department, along with UCS expert Michael Everson. They settled on a more detailed representation of the sounds in Osage and accounted for and documented changes in the Osage language. The result of the conference was a script reform; this included introduction of lower case, abolition of two ligatures and the addition of at least one new character. The reformed alphabet is phonemic.<ref name="N4619">{{cite web|url=https://www.unicode.org/L2/L2014/14214-n4619-osage.pdf|title=Final proposal to encode the Osage script in the UCS|date=2014-09-21|publisher=ISO/IEC JTC1/SC2/WG2, Document N4619|language=en|format=PDF|access-date=2015-01-10|author1=Michael Everson |author2=Herman Mongrain Lookout |author3=Cameron Pratt }}</ref>

The Osage alphabet was included in Unicode version 9.0 in June 2016 in the [[Osage (Unicode block)|Osage block]].<ref>[http://unicode.org/versions/9.0.0.html Unicode version 9.0.0]{{dead link|date=March 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

==Letters==

For the pronunciation of the letters of the alphabet, see Osage language#Phonology or the links below.

=== Vowels ===
The 2006 vowels are as follows:

[[File:Osage vowels.png|303x303px]]

It is not clear which vowel the "ə" is, as it is not phonemic in Osage, but it may appear nasalised (not shown). The ''a'' comes from Latin {{angle bracket|A}} (without the crossbar, as in the [[Organization:NASA|NΛSΛ]] logo), ''e'' from Latin {{angle bracket|''a''}} (cursive; the English letter ''a'' is pronounced rather like Osage ''e''). The source for ''i'' is obscure, though Latin {{angle bracket|I}} does appear in the diphthong ''ai''.

=== Consonants ===
The 2006 consonants are as follows:

[[File:Osage consonants.png|668x668px]]

The alphabet does not distinguish the ejective, fortis and lenis series of obstruents. The aspirate series are written as sequences such as ''tx'' and ''kš''. The use of ''ky'' and ''hy'' is unclear.

The source of ''p'' is Latin {{angle bracket|P}}, that of ''t'' is Latin {{angle bracket|D}} (an alternative transcription of Osage ''t''), ''č'' is from {{angle bracket|Ch}}, ''k'' from {{angle bracket|K}}. ''C'' is from {{angle bracket|T}} and the Osage ''s''. ''S'' and ''z'' are the top halves of {{angle bracket|S}} and {{angle bracket|Z}}; ''š'' and ''ž'' are derived from adding a tail to the full letters, much like Latin {{angle bracket|ʒ}}. ''Br, st, sk'' are ligatures of those letters, ''m, n'' and ''l'' appear to be from cursive, and ''ð'' is a ligature of {{angle bracket|Th}}, which is how it is often transcribed. ''W'' is a partial {{angle bracket|w}}. ''X'' might be from cursive {{angle bracket|''x''}}; ''h'' is obscure.

==Punctuation==
Words are separated by a space, syllables by a full stop.

==Unicode==
{{Main|Osage (Unicode block)}}
The Osage alphabet was added to the [[Unicode]] Standard in June, 2016 with the release of version 9.0.

The Unicode block for Osage is U+104B0&ndash;U+104FF:


== References ==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://www.osagetribe.com/language/info_sub_page.aspx?subpage_id=8 2014 Language Presentation at Osage Nation], includes non-native sound files for some letters
*[http://www.native-languages.org/osage_guide.htm Presentation at Native-languages.org], along with various romanizations
*[http://discover.umn.edu/news/design-architecture/typeface-adapts-osage-language-unicode Typeface adapts Osage language for Unicode]


[[Category:Alphabets]]

{{Sourceattribution|Osage alphabet|1}}