Osmanya script

Osmanya (Farta Cismaanya, 𐒍𐒖𐒇𐒂𐒖 𐒋𐒘𐒈𐒑𐒛𐒒𐒕𐒖) is an alphabetic script designed for the Somali language. In Somali it is called Far Soomaali (𐒍𐒖𐒇 𐒈𐒝𐒑𐒛𐒐𐒘, meaning "Somali writing"), and in Arabic it is known as al-kitābah al-ʿuthmānīyah (الكتابة العثمانية, "Osman writing"). The script was created by Osman Yusuf Kenadid, son of Sultan Yusuf Ali Kenadid and brother of Sultan Ali Yusuf Kenadid of the Sultanate of Hobyo. Contrary to some claims, significant materials written in Osmanya—including books, correspondence, and manuscripts—do survive, and its usage is well-documented, allowing for a clear understanding of how it was actually used.

Osmanya gained some local acceptance for correspondence and bookkeeping, but faced strong opposition as a national script. It was associated with the Majeerteen clan, who backed the Italian colonial government, rather than with all Somalis—though this view softened in the 21st century. There was also resistance to making Somali, instead of Arabic, the country’s official language, and to adopting any indigenous script over the established Arabic or Latin scripts. After independence, a government commission (the Somali Language Committee, formed in 1960) tasked with choosing an official writing system considered multiple scripts including Osmanya, but ultimately recommended the Latin alphabet in 1972 due to its simplicity, its ability to handle all Somali sounds, and the widespread availability of Latin-script typewriters and machines. President Mohamed Siad Barre’s administration then launched a major literacy campaign to promote it, which sharply reduced the use of Osmanya.

Osmanya is written from left to right, like Latin script. Capitalization is inconsistent. Long vowels were originally written double or with consonants, following Arabic practice, but later ligatures were developed from the double vowels. Tones and the ATR/RTR distinction are not marked in vowels, except occasionally in the 21st century, when a diaeresis is used for ATR vowels—similar to occasional practice in Latin script. The article and determiner suffixes are written separately from the noun, which keeps its underlying form; assimilation is shown on the article or determiner itself (feminine -ta, masculine -ka). For example, *hooyada* ("the mother") is written as ⟨hooyo da⟩, and *hasha* ("the she-camel") as ⟨hal sha⟩.