View source for Social:Osmanya script

{{Short description|Script created in the 1920s for Somali}}
{{Infobox Writing system
|name=Osmanya<br>{{lang|so|𐒍𐒖𐒇𐒂𐒖 𐒋𐒘𐒈𐒑𐒛𐒒𐒕𐒖}}
|sample=
|imagesize=220px
|caption=The Osmanya alphabet.
|languages=[[Social:Somali language|Somali language]]
|type=[[Social:Alphabet|Alphabet]]
|unicode=[https://www.unicode.org/charts/PDF/U10480.pdf U+10480&ndash;U+184AF]
|iso15924=Osma
|note=none
}}
[[File:Typewriter of British Somaliland.jpg|thumb|Typewriter with Osmanya letters, from British Somaliland]]
The '''Osmanya script''' ({{lang|so|Farta Cismaanya}}, {{lang|so|𐒍𐒖𐒇𐒂𐒖 𐒋𐒘𐒈𐒑𐒛𐒒𐒕𐒖}}), also known as '''Far Soomaali''' ({{lang|so|𐒍𐒖𐒇 𐒘𐒝𐒈𐒑𐒛𐒘}}, "Somali writing") and, in Arabic, as '''''al-kitābah al-ʿuthmānīyah''''' ({{lang|ar|الكتابة العثمانية}}; "Osman writing"), is a [[Social:Writing system|writing script]] created to transcribe the [[Social:Somali language|Somali language]]. It was invented between 1920 and 1922 by Osman Yusuf Kenadid, the son of Sultan Yusuf Ali Kenadid and brother of Sultan Ali Yusuf Kenadid of the Sultanate of Hobyo.

==History==
[[Image:Osman Yuusuf Keenadiid.gif|thumb|Osman Yusuf Kenadid|alt=]]
While Osmanya gained reasonably wide acceptance in Somalia and quickly produced a considerable body of literature, it proved difficult to spread among the population mainly due to stiff competition from the long-established Arabic script as well as the emerging Somali Latin alphabet developed by a number of leading scholars of [[Social:Somali language|Somali]], including Musa Haji Ismail Galal, B. W. Andrzejewski and Shire Jama Ahmed.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|last=Abdullahi|first=Mohamed Diriye|url=https://archive.org/details/culturecustomsof00diri|url-access=registration|page=[https://archive.org/details/culturecustomsof00diri/page/n98 73]|title=Culture and Customs of Somalia|date=2001|publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group|isbn=978-0-313-31333-2|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last=Lewis|first=I. M.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eK6SBJIckIsC&pg=PR17|title=A Pastoral Democracy: A Study of Pastoralism and Politics Among the Northern Somali of the Horn of Africa|date=1999|publisher=James Currey Publishers|isbn=978-0-85255-280-3|language=en}}</ref> 

As nationalist sentiments grew and since the Somali language had long lost its ancient script,<ref>Ministry of Information and National Guidance, Somalia, ''The writing of the Somali language'', (Ministry of Information and National Guidance: 1974), p.5</ref> the adoption of a universally recognized writing script for the Somali language became an important point of discussion. After independence, little progress was made on the issue, as opinion was divided over whether the Arabic or Latin scripts should be used instead.

In October 1972, because of the Latin script's simplicity, its ability to cope with all of the sounds in the language, and the widespread existence of machines and typewriters designed for its use,<ref>Andrew Simpson, ''Language and National Identity in Africa'', (Oxford University Press: 2008), p.288</ref><ref>Economist Intelligence Unit (Great Britain), ''Middle East annual review'', (1975), p.229</ref> made President Mohamed Siad Barre require it for writing Somali instead of the Arabic or Osmanya scripts.<ref name=Abdullahi>Mohamed Diriye Abdullahi, ''Culture and Customs of Somalia'', (Greenwood Press: 2001), p.73</ref> Barre's administration subsequently launched a massive literacy campaign designed to ensure its sole adoption, which led to a sharp decline in use of Osmanya.
[[File:Ciismaniya.jpg|thumb|The [[Social:Osmanya alphabet|Osmanya]] writing script for Somali]]

==Description==
The direction of reading and writing in Osmanya is from left to right. Letter names are based on the names of letters in Arabic, and the long vowels ''uu'' and ''ii'' are represented by the letters ''waaw'' and ''yaa'', respectively.

===Letters===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|-
! Osmanya || Name || Latin || [[International Phonetic Alphabet|IPA]]
! Osmanya || Name || Latin || [[International Phonetic Alphabet|IPA]]
! Osmanya || Name || Latin || [[International Phonetic Alphabet|IPA]]
|-
| style="font-size:1.5em;" | {{script|Osma|𐒀}} || alef || ʼ || {{IPAblink|ʔ}}
| style="font-size:1.5em;" | {{script|Osma|𐒁}} || ba || b || {{IPAblink|b}}
| style="font-size:1.5em;" | {{script|Osma|𐒂}} || ta || t || {{IPAblink|t}}
|-
| style="font-size:1.5em;" | {{script|Osma|𐒃}} || ja || j || {{IPAblink|d͡ʒ}}
| style="font-size:1.5em;" | {{script|Osma|𐒄}} || xa || x || {{IPAblink|ħ}}
| style="font-size:1.5em;" | {{script|Osma|𐒅}} || kha || kh || {{IPAblink|χ}}
|-
| style="font-size:1.5em;" | {{script|Osma|𐒆}} || deel || d || {{IPAblink|d}}
| style="font-size:1.5em;" | {{script|Osma|𐒇}} || ra || r || {{IPAblink|r}}
| style="font-size:1.5em;" | {{script|Osma|𐒈}} || sa || s || {{IPAblink|s}}
|-
| style="font-size:1.5em;" | {{script|Osma|𐒉}} || shiin || sh || {{IPAblink|ʃ}}
| style="font-size:1.5em;" | {{script|Osma|𐒊}} || dha || dh || {{IPAblink|ɖ}}
| style="font-size:1.5em;" | {{script|Osma|𐒋}} || cayn || c || {{IPAblink|ʕ}}
|-
| style="font-size:1.5em;" | {{script|Osma|𐒌}} || ga || g || {{IPAblink|ɡ}}
| style="font-size:1.5em;" | {{script|Osma|𐒍}} || fa || f || {{IPAblink|f}}
| style="font-size:1.5em;" | {{script|Osma|𐒎}} || qaaf || q || {{IPAblink|q}}
|-
| style="font-size:1.5em;" | {{script|Osma|𐒏}} || kaaf || k || {{IPAblink|k}}
| style="font-size:1.5em;" | {{script|Osma|𐒐}} || laan || l || {{IPAblink|l}}
| style="font-size:1.5em;" | {{script|Osma|𐒑}} || miin || m || {{IPAblink|m}}
|-
| style="font-size:1.5em;" | {{script|Osma|𐒒}} || nuun || n || {{IPAblink|n}}
| style="font-size:1.5em;" | {{script|Osma|𐒓}} || waw, uu || w, uu || {{IPA|[{{IPAlink|w}}, {{IPAlink|ʉː}}, {{IPAlink|uː}}]}}
| style="font-size:1.5em;" | {{script|Osma|𐒔}} || ha || h || {{IPAblink|h}}
|-
| style="font-size:1.5em;" | {{script|Osma|𐒕}} || ya, ii || y, ii || {{IPA|[{{IPAlink|j}}, {{IPAlink|iː}}, {{IPAlink|ɪː}}]}}
| style="font-size:1.5em;" | {{script|Osma|𐒖}} || a || a || {{IPA|[{{IPAlink|æ}}, {{IPAlink|ɑ}}]}}
| style="font-size:1.5em;" | {{script|Osma|𐒗}} || e || e || {{IPA|[{{IPAlink|e}}, {{IPAlink|ɛ}}]}}
|-
| style="font-size:1.5em;" | {{script|Osma|𐒘}} || i || i || {{IPA|[{{IPAlink|i}}, {{IPAlink|ɪ}}]}}
| style="font-size:1.5em;" | {{script|Osma|𐒙}} || o || o || {{IPA|[{{IPAlink|ɞ}}, {{IPAlink|ɔ}}]}}
| style="font-size:1.5em;" | {{script|Osma|𐒚}} || u || u || {{IPA|[{{IPAlink|ʉ}}, {{IPAlink|u}}]}}
|-
| style="font-size:1.5em;" | {{script|Osma|𐒛}} || aa || aa || {{IPA|[{{IPAlink|æː}}, {{IPAlink|ɑː}}]}}
| style="font-size:1.5em;" | {{script|Osma|𐒜}} || ee || ee || {{IPA|[{{IPAlink|eː}}, {{IPAlink|ɛː}}]}}
| style="font-size:1.5em;" | {{script|Osma|𐒝}} || oo || oo || {{IPA|[{{IPAlink|ɞː}}, {{IPAlink|ɔː}}]}}
|}

===Numbers===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
|-
!Digit
|0||1||2||3||4||5||6||7||8||9
|-
!Osmanya
|style="font-size:1.5em;"| {{script|Osma|𐒠}}
|style="font-size:1.5em;"| {{script|Osma|𐒡}}
|style="font-size:1.5em;"| {{script|Osma|𐒢}}
|style="font-size:1.5em;"| {{script|Osma|𐒣}}
|style="font-size:1.5em;"| {{script|Osma|𐒤}}
|style="font-size:1.5em;"| {{script|Osma|𐒥}}
|style="font-size:1.5em;"| {{script|Osma|𐒦}}
|style="font-size:1.5em;"| {{script|Osma|𐒧}}
|style="font-size:1.5em;"| {{script|Osma|𐒨}}
|style="font-size:1.5em;"| {{script|Osma|𐒩}}
|}

==Unicode==
{{Main|Osmanya (Unicode block)}}

Osmanya script was added to the [[Unicode]] Standard in April 2003 with the release of version 4.0.

The Unicode block for Osmanya is U+10480&ndash;U+104AF:


==See also== 
* Kaddare script
* Somali alphabets

==Notes==
{{reflist}}

==References==
* I.M. Lewis (1958) ''Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies'', University of London, Vol. 21 pp 134–156.

==External links==
* [http://www.omniglot.com/writing/somali.htm Osmanya, Borama, Wadaad's writing and the Somali language]
* [http://www.evertype.com/standards/iso10646/pdf/afkeenna-iyo-fartiisa.pdf ''Afkeenna iyo fartiisa''] - a book in Osmanya
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20100326133510/http://www.somalinativealphabet.com/ Somali Native Alphabet]
* [https://archive.org/details/LinguisticReport1961 The report of the Somali Language Committee]
* [http://www.alanwood.net/unicode/osmanya.html Unicode assignments for Osmanya characters]
* [http://www.wazu.jp/gallery/Fonts_Osmanya.html Osmanya Unicode Fonts]
* [https://www.lexilogos.com/keyboard/osmanya.htm Osmanya online keyboard] - Lexilogos


[[Category:Obsolete writing systems]]

{{Sourceattribution|Osmanya script|1}}