Official Latin orthography of Somali
Ortografía latina oficial del somalí
- Date
- 21 de octubre de 1972 · confidence high
- Place
- Mogadishu, Banaadir, Somalia
- Credited to
- Supreme Revolutionary Council and a language committee (drawing on Shire Jama Ahmed)
- Field
- Knowledge & symbols
What it is
The first official script for Somali, adopted after decades of dispute among the Arabic, Osmanya and Latin alphabets. It was applied in the rural literacy campaigns of 1973-75.
The orthography drew on earlier proposals (Shire Jama Ahmed, 1961) and a national committee; it was declared official on 21 October 1972. It complements the Osmanya alphabet of the 1920s.
What it led to
- mass literacy campaigns (1973-75)
- literature, press and administration in Somali
- the language's alphabet in the Horn of Africa