Why aren't we using this alphabet?

[saacJabshee]

nice topic mate

My problem the with kadare is its confusing, it seems to have too many letters. The majeertaan one reminds me of what they write in Ethiopia, laakin I have look on google images and there is a difference. Plus its name "osmanya" not very somali like. The boroma one has thcj and y in it, so its not very unique.

Id say osmanya

[Lillaahiya]

Latin alphabet

[Arabman]

Arabman you still here? Give a fck about your Arabic script, like I said we're Somali.

Duh. Everyone (including you) knows Somalis aren't the sole proprietorship of Somalia. Even the Somali government is owned by foreign entities. So is Somali offshore oil and other assets.

[James Dahl]

The funny thing is that Latin and Arabic are both based on the same script, Phoenician



And Phoenician evolved out of ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics



There are only 4 peoples who independently invented writing. The ancient Babylonians, Egyptians, Chinese and Olmecs in Mexico. Everyone else just copied them

[BuuloXubeey]

James Dahl,

Thanks for that. These dumb Somalis don't know that civilization does not belong to one group but evolves around us. And there is nothing wrong with accepting that. Heck the Somali language itself is not unique and has countless similarities with different languages likewise other languages are not unique too. Just like we share the world we share the essence of human intellectual development.

[James Dahl]

I think what could be fun if Somalis really want to create a new alphabet is dig up the old Myrrh trading cities like Avalites and Malao and see if they had an alphabet, then create a modern alphabet out of that, like the Amazigh have done with Tifinagh. Tifinagh hasn't been used by non-Tuareg Amazigh for almost two thousand years, it was replaced by Latin when they were conquered by the Romans and then Arabic 700 years later, but they have created Neo-Tifinagh to go "back to their roots". Tifinagh btw is also derived from Phoenician.

The problem is that if that WAS done, the resulting language would probably end up looking a lot like Ge'ez, because it would be probably based on South Arabian, which is what Ge'ez is based on. If Somalia got the alphabet from anywhere, it would have been Himyar.

Ge'ez is VERY similar to South Arabian, in fact you could almost call it a variant of it, rather than a derived script. It is similar enough that Ethiopian academics can read South Arabian monuments without difficulty.





It is a bit funny how the alphabet has done this big circle. The ancient Egyptians develop Hieroglyphics, which develops into an alphabet (Hieratic), which spreads to Sinai developing into the earliest alphabet, which spreads to the Levant where the Phoenicians derived their alphabet from it. The Phoenicians then introduce civilization to the Greeks, who derive their alphabet from Phoenician. The Greeks then introduce the savage Italians to civilization, and the Latins derive a new alphabet from Greek. The Latins then conquer most of Europe, collapse 500 years later but leave their alphabet as their legacy. 1400 years later Britain and Italy, two successors to Rome then take over Somalia and introduce Latin to a country just down the coast from where the whole business started.

[BuuloXubeey]

To be honest, it is not so challenging for one to create their own unique script. But imagine if every language in the world had their own unique script, it would be so challenging to exchange written information. Learning the language is one thing but learning a script whilst trying to understand it's alphabet is another riddle to solve! It might be a national treasure to have a unique script but other than that I don't see any benefit from it. When I want to learn a language like Mandarin and Russian I get put off from their writing system.

[Estarix]

Ihad thought that ancient greece independently developed (isolate) as a civilization beginning with the Mycenean civilization where they had their own native alphabet (and that was subsequently lost during their dark ages).

[BuuloXubeey]

I congratulate the Kacaan government and the hard work of Shire Jama Ahmed for using the Latin script for the Somali language writing system. It has saved us alot of time for increasing the literacy rate of Somalia. It has also saved us the money for technological engineering for a different script let it be type writing (at that time), printers or computer software's etc. We were a young nation and we should not miss-place our priorities.

I salute you Shire Jama Ahmed

God bless the revolutionary government

[James Dahl]

Ihad thought that ancient greece independently developed (isolate) as a civilization beginning with the Mycenean civilization where they had their own native alphabet (and that was subsequently lost during their dark ages).

No the first civilization in Greece were destroyed by the Mycenaeans. Today, almost all European languages are Indo-Europeans and almost all Y-DNA lineages are Indo-European (the gigantic R lineage), but this was not always the case. The Indo-Europeans invaded Europe from the southern Caucasus and destroyed or enslaved most of the original inhabitants of Europe. The original Greeks were the Pelasgians, who survived only on Crete as the Minoans.







The only pre-Indo European language that survives today is Basque. There is a lot of stuff left from before the Indo-Europeans invaded Europe. Stonehenge for instance was built by the original inhabitants of Britain.

Check out Minoan civilization (and other Pelasgian remains) and ancient Tartessos, both were civilizations that pre-date the Indo-European invasion. Another remnant is me, my Y-DNA is from the pre-Indo Europeans as well haha.

[Estarix]

The originators of the relatively advanced civilization which the world credits the greeks with was indo european right? In the previous comments you had asserted that the phoenicians had bought civilization to the greeks.
Im sure the civilizations the indo europeans destroyed were pretty basic and behind perhaps went no further than farming.

[Estarix]

The north Indians and Iranians origin is Indo europeans from the caucuses right? as are the Europeans. So its like one big family. Where do the semtic fit in all this?

[James Dahl]

The originators of the relatively advanced civilization which the world credits the greeks with was indo european right? In the previous comments you had asserted that the phoenicians had bought civilization to the greeks.
Im sure the civilizations the indo europeans destroyed were pretty basic and behind perhaps went no further than farming.

The north Indians and Iranians origin is Indo europeans from the caucuses right? as are the Europeans. So its like one big family. Where do the semtic fit in all this?

No the Indo Europeans were not civilized at all, they were rampaging barbarians riding war chariots, which they invented. Semitic people were the ones who invented agriculture and writing (Sumerians first with Cuniform, then Egyptians with Hieroglyphics). The previous civilization in Greece was from the middle east, probably modern Syria, and were relatives of the Phoenicians, as were the Minoans, but their civilization was wiped out by the Indo-Europeans. You can see this in the remnants of E1b1b and J1 lineages in Europe, they were the ones who introduced agriculture to Europe.

The only thing Indo-Europeans have really excelled at is killing people, a trait they continue to this day

[ASMtimacade]

wow james copying my points none de less good points pinky

[Cherine]

The most beautiful thing I've ever seen.

Its called Kaddare.

This whole script is full of L and B and Y and 8. too many lb ...I also see a few 6s, lots of Ws, Qs. Who came up with this