| Kaddare | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Script type | |
| Languages | Somali language |
| This article containsphonetic transcriptions in theInternational Phonetic Alphabet (IPA). For an introductory guide on IPA symbols, seeHelp:IPA. For the distinction between[ ],/ / and ⟨ ⟩, seeIPA § Brackets and transcription delimiters. | |
TheKaddare alphabet is analphabetic script created to transcribeSomali, aCushitic language in theAfroasiatic language family. The Somali Language Committee, tasked with deciding the script for the nation, officially recommended the Kaddare alphabet, but had to settle for the Latin alphabet due to economic constraints. They stated in their 1961 report “it will be seen in this report that preference was made to one script which had no printing machines against another which had. For instance we recommended the Somali script No 1, by Husein Sh. Ahmed Kaddareh which was not yet printed and rejected the Osmania and the Arabic scripts which had.”
The orthography was invented in 1952 by a Sufi Sheikh, namedHussein Sheikh Ahmed Kaddare.
A phonetically robust writing system, the technical commissions that appraised the Kaddare alphabet concurred that it was the most accurate indigenous script and orthography for transcribing the Somali language.[1]
Kaddare uses both upper and lower case letters, with the lower case represented incursive. Many characters are transcribed without having to lift the pen.[2]
Several of Kaddare's letters are similar to those in theOsmanya alphabet, while others bear a resemblance toBrahmi.[2]
As there are no dedicated characters for longvowels, a vowel is made long by simply writing it twice.[2]
