Gadabuursi alphabet

The Gadabuursi alphabet, also known as the Borama alphabet (Borama: ),[1] is an alphabetic script for the Somali language. It was devised around 1933 by Sheikh Abdurahman Sheikh Nuur of the Gadabuursi clan.[2]

Borama
Script type
LanguagesSomali language

History
A qasida in the Borama script.

Though not as widely known as Osmanya, the other major orthography for transcribing Somali, Borama has produced a notable body of literature mainly consisting of qasidas.[3]

The Borama or Gadabuursi alphabet was devised in 1933 by Sheikh Abdurahman Sheikh Nuur, a Qur'anic teacher and son of Borama's qadi (judge), who devised the new orthography for transcribing the Afro-Asiatic Cushitic Somali language. A quite accurate phonetic writing system, it was principally used by Sheikh Nuur, his circle of associates in the city and some of the merchants in control of trade in Zeila and Borama. Students of Sheikh Nuur were also trained in the use of this alphabet.[2]

See also

References
  1. Somali alphabets, pronunciation and language at Omniglot
  2. Laitin, David D. (1 May 1977). Politics, Language, and Thought: The Somali Experience. University of Chicago Press. pp. 98–. ISBN 978-0-226-46791-7. Retrieved 2 July 2012.
  3. Lewis, I.M. (1958). "The Gadabuursi Somali Script". Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies. University of London. 21: 134–156. doi:10.1017/S0041977X00063278. S2CID 161856327.


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