Fula Alpha bets

TheFula language(Fula:Fulfulde,Pulaar,orPular) is written primarily in theLatin script,but in some areas is still written in an olderArabic scriptcalled theAjami scriptor in the recently inventedAdlam script.

Latin-based Alpha bets

Background

TheLatin scriptwas introduced to Fula-speaking regions of West and Central Africa by Europeans during, and in some cases immediately before, invasion. Various people — missionaries, colonial administrators, and scholarly researchers — devised various ways of writing. One issue similar to other efforts by Europeans to use their Alpha bet and home orthographic conventions was how to write African languages with unfamiliar sounds. In the case of Fula, these included how to represent sounds such as the implosive b and d, the ejective y, thevelar n(the latter being present in European languages, but never in initial position), prenasalised consonants, andlong vowels,all of which can change meaning.

Major influences on the current forms used for writing Fula were decisions made by colonial administrators inNorthern Nigeriaand theAfrica Alphabet.Post independence African governments decided to retain the Latin Alpha bet as the basis for transcribing their languages. Various writers in Fula, such asAmadou Hampate BaandAlfa Ibrahim Sow,wrote and published in this script.

Major UNESCO-sponsored conferences on harmonising Latin-based African language orthographies in Bamako in 1966 and Niamey in 1978 confirmed standards for writing Fula. Nevertheless, orthographies for the language and its variants are determined at the country level. So while Fula writing uses basically the same character sets and rules across the region, there are some minor variations.

Orthography

Some general rules:

• Vowels
  • Long vowels are doubled
  • Two different vowels are never used together
• Consonants
  • To accentuate a consonant, double the consonant (or write ⟨'⟩ before the consonant; e.g., "temmeere" = "te'meere".)

Latin Alpha bet

Language and orthographic policies in Africa are determined at a national level. Each nation's goal has been to have an orthographic convention that would be applicable to all indigenous languages of each respective country. As Fula language is a language spoken over a vast area, in multiple countries, this has resulted in a variety of orthographic conventions in Latin Alphabet (and Arabic Script as well) in writing of Fula language.

Senegal, The Gambia, Mauritania

The dominant Fula accent in Senegal, Gambia, and Mauritania is referred to asPulaar Fuuta Tooro.Its Latin Alpha bet has been standardized in variousSenegalesegovernment decrees, the latest of which was issued in 2005.

Pulaar Latin Alpha bet

A a

Aa aa

B b

Mb mb

Ɓ ɓ

C c

D d

Nd nd

Ɗ ɗ

E e

Ee ee

F f

G g

Ng ng

H h

I i

Ii ii

J j

Nj nj

[a]

[aː]

[b]

[ᵐb]

[ɓ]

[t͡ʃ]‍~[c]‍

[d]

[ⁿd]

[ɗ]

[e]

[eː]

[f]

[ɡ]

[ᵑɡ]

[h]

[i]

[iː]

[d͡ʒ]~[ɟ]‍

[ᶮd͡ʒ]~[ᶮɟ]

K k

L l

M m

N n

Ñ ñ

Ŋ ŋ

O o

Oo oo

P p

R r

S s

T t

U u

Uu uu

W w

X x

Y y

Ƴ ƴ

’

[k]

[l]

[m]

[n]

[ɲ]

[ŋ]

[o]

[oː]

[p]

[r]

[s]

[t]

[u]

[uː]

[w]

[x]

[j]

[jˤ]

[ʔ]

Guinea

The dominant Fula accent in Mali is referred to asPular Fuuta Jalon.Following independence, the government ofGuineaadopted rules of transcription for thelanguages of Guineabased on the characters and diacritic combinations available on typewriters of that period. TheGuinean languages Alpha betwas used officially for indigenous languages of Guinea, including Pular until 1989.

In 1989, following a meeting on reform of the Alpha bet in 1988,it was decided to adopt an orthography similar to theAfrican reference Alpha betused elsewhere in the region.

Pular Latin Alpha bet (Guinea)

A a

B b

Ɓ ɓ

C c

D d

Ɗ ɗ

E e

F f

G g

Ɠ ɠ

H h

Ii

J j

K k

L l

M m

[a]

[b]

[ɓ]

[t͡ʃ]

[d]

[ɗ]

[e]

[f]

[g]

[q]

[h]

[i]

[d͡ʒ]

[k]

[l]

[m]

N n

Nb nb

Nd nd

Ng ng

Nj nj

Ñ ñ

Ŋ ŋ

O o

P p

R r

S s

T t

U u

W w

Y y

Ƴ ƴ

[n]

[ᵐb]

[ⁿd]

[ᵑɡ]

[ᶮd͡ʒ]

[ɲ]

[ŋ]

[o]

[p]

[r]

[s]

[t]

[u]

[w]

[j]

[ʔʲ]

The pre-1989 Alpha bet was based on the simple Latin Alpha bet withdigraphsfor the sounds particular to Pular as opposed to unique letters. This Alpha bet is still used by some Pular speakers (in part because it can be typed using commercial keyboards).

Pre-1989 Pular Latin Alpha bet (Guinea)

A a

B b

Bh bh

D d

Dh dh

Dy dy

E e

F f

G g

Gh gh

H h

Ii

J j

K k

L l

M m

Mb mb

[a]

[b]

[ɓ]

[d]

[ɗ]

[d͡ʒ]

[e]

[f]

[g]

[q]

[h]

[i]

[ʒ]

[k]

[l]

[m]

[ᵐb]

N n

Nd nd

Ndy ndy

Ng ng

Nh nh

Ny ny

O o

P p

R r

S s

T t

Ty ty

U u

W w

Y y

Yh yh

[n]

[ⁿd]

[ᶮd͡ʒ]

[ᵑɡ]

[ŋ]

[ɲ]

[o]

[p]

[r]

[s]

[t]

[t͡ʃ]

[u]

[w]

[j]

[ʔʲ]

Guinea-Bissau, Sierra Leone, Liberia

• a,b,ɓ,c,d,ɗ,e,f,g,h,i,j,k,l,m,mb,n,nd,ng,nj,ŋ,ñ,o,p,r,s,t,u,w,y,ƴ,ʼ

Mali, Burkina Faso

The dominant Fula accent in Mali is referred to asMaasina Fulfulde.Its Latin Alpha bet was standardized in 1967, and it consists of 32 letters.

Maasina Fulfulde Latin Alpha bet

’

A a

B b

Ɓ ɓ

C c

D d

Ɗ ɗ

E e

F f

G g

H h

I i

J j

K k

L l

M m

[ʔ]

[a]

[b]

[ɓ]

[t͡ʃ]

[d]

[ɗ]

[e]

[f]

[g]

[h]

[i]

[d͡ʒ]

[k]

[l]

[m]

Mb mb

N n

Nd nd

Ng ng

Nj nj

Ɲ ɲ

Ŋ ŋ

O o

P p

R r

S s

T t

U u

W w

Y y

Ƴ ƴ

[ᵐb]

[n]

[ⁿd]

[ᵑɡ]

[ᶮd͡ʒ]

[ɲ]

[ŋ]

[o]

[p]

[r]

[s]

[t]

[u]

[w]

[j]

[ʄ]

Niger, Nigeria, Cameroon, Burkina Faso

See also:Pan-Nigerian Alpha bet

A common Latin Alpha bet is used inNiger,Nigeria,Cameroon,andBurkina Fasois used for writing of Fulfulde dialects in this region. The dialect spoken in Cameroon andWestern NigeriaisAdamawa Fulfulde.The dialect spoken in much of Northern and Central Nigeria (Hausaland) isNigerian Fulfulde.The dialects spoken in NorthernHausalandinNigerareEastern (Lettugal)andWestern (Gorgal)Niger Fulfulde. The Latin Alpha bet consists of 39 letters, including digraphs and apostrophe.

Niger / Nigeria / Cameroon Fulfulde Latin Alpha bet

A a

Aa aa

B b

Mb mb

Ɓ ɓ

C c

D d

Nd nd

Ɗ ɗ

E e

Ee ee

F f

G g

Ng ng

H h

I i

Ii ii

J j

Nj nj

[a]

[aː]

[b]

[ᵐb]

[ɓ]

[t͡ʃ]‍~[c]‍

[d]

[ⁿd]

[ɗ]

[e]

[eː]

[f]

[ɡ]

[ᵑɡ]

[h]

[i]

[iː]

[ɟ]‍

[ᶮɟ]

K k

L l

M m

N n

Ny ny

Ŋ ŋ

O o

Oo oo

P p

R r

S s

T t

U u

Uu uu

W w

X x

Y y

Ƴ ƴ

’

[k]

[l]

[m]

[n]

[ɲ]

[ŋ]

[o]

[oː]

[p]

[r]

[s]

[t]

[u]

[uː]

[w]

[x]

[j]

[jˤ]

[ʔ]

Chad, Central African Republic

The dominant Fulfulde dialect inChadandCentral African Republic,close toAdamawa Fulfulde,isBagirmi Fulfulde.In 2009, the Chadian government standardized both Latin and Ajami scripts for all indigenous languages of the country, including Bagirmi Fulfulde, in what is known asChadian National Alphabet.

Bagirmi Fulfulde Latin Alpha bet

A a

AA aa

B b

Ɓ ɓ

C c

D d

Ɗ ɗ

E e

EE ee

F f

G g

H h

I i

II ii

J j

K k

KH kh

L l

M m

[aː]

[a]

[b]

[ɓ]

[t͡ʃ]‍~[ʃ]‍

[d]

[ɗ]

[e]

[eː]

[f]

[g]

[h]

[i]

[iː]

[d͡ʒ]~[z]‍

[k]

[k]~[x]

[l]

[m]

MB mb

N n

ND nd

NG ng

NJ nj

N̰ n̰

Ŋ ŋ

O o

OO oo

P p

R r

S s

T t

U u

UU uu

W w

Y y

Ƴ ƴ

’

[ᵐb]

[n]

[ⁿd]

[ᵑɡ]

[ᶮd͡ʒ]

[ɲ]

[ŋ]

[o]

[oː]

[p]

[r]

[s]

[t]

[u]

[uː]

[w]

[j]

[jˤ]

[ʔ]

Arabic (Ajami) Alpha bet

TheArabic scriptwas introduced into theWest AfricanSahelwithIslamseveral centuries before European colonization. As was the case with other languages such asHausa,Muslim Fulas who went through Koranic education adapted the script to writing their language. This practice, followed some patterns of customary use and well-established traditions in various regions. These usages differ on some details, mainly on how to represent certain consonants and vowels not present in theArabic language.

In recent decades, albeit at a slower pace than Fula Latin orthography, there has been conferences, seminars, and attempts by linguists and literaturists in various countries to standardize the Arabic (Ajami) script. The defining feature of the tradition ofAjami scriptin Sub-Saharan Africa, is that whereas inArabic(and many other languages whose script has been derived from Arabic),vowel diacriticsare generally dropped unless an ambiguity needs to be clarified, vowel diacritics are always written.

Cameroon, Nigeria

The dominant Fula accent in Cameroon (Adamawa Region) and Nigeria (Adamawa State) is referred to asAdamawa Fulfulde.the writing conventions of writing in the Arabic script for Adamawa Fulfulde were generally agreed upon and standardized by the 1990s.

Adamawa Fulfulde Arabic Alpha bet (Cameroon, Nigeria)

ا‎ [aː]/[∅]/[ʔ]

ب‎ [b]

ࢡ‎ [ɓ]

ت‎ [t]

ث‎ [s]

ج‎ [d͡ʒ]

ح‎ [h]

خ‎ [x]

د‎ [d]

ذ‎ [d͡ʒ]

ر‎ [ɾ]/[r]

ز‎ [d͡ʒ]

س‎ [s]

ش‎ [s]

ص‎ [s]

ض‎ [d]

ط‎ [ɗ]

ظ‎ [d͡ʒ]

ع‎ [ʔ]

غ‎ [ɡ]

ڢ‎ [f]

ݠ‎ [p]

ق‎ [k]

ک‎ [k]

ل‎ [l]

م‎ [m]

ن‎ [n]

ه‎ [h]

و‎ [w]

ي‎ [j]

ىٰ‎ [eː]

ࢨ‎ [jˤ]

ࢩ‎ [ɲ]

ء‎ [ʔ]

Vowel at the beginning of a word A E I O U Short Vowels عَـ / عَ‎ عٜـ / عٜ‎ عِـ / عِ‎ عٛـ / عٛ‎ عُـ / عُ‎ Long Vowels Aa Ee Ii Oo Uu عَا‎ عٜىٰـ / عٜىٰ‎ عِيـ / عِي‎ عٛو‎ عُو‎

Vowel at the middle or end of a word a e i o u ∅ Short Vowels ◌َ‎ ◌ٜ‎ ◌ِ‎ ◌ٛ‎ ◌ُ‎ ◌ْ‎ Long Vowels aa ee ii oo uu ◌َا / ـَا‎ ◌ٜىٰـ / ـٜىٰـ‎ ◌ٜىٰ / ـٜىٰ‎ ◌ِيـ / ـِيـ‎ ◌ِي / ـِي‎ ◌ٛو / ـٛو‎ ◌ُو / ـُو‎

Chad, Central African Republic

The dominant Fulfulde dialect inChadandCentral African Republic,close toAdamawa Fulfulde,isBagirmi Fulfulde.In 2009, the Chadian government standardized both Latin and Ajami scripts for all indigenous languages of the country, including Bagirmi Fulfulde, in what is known asChadian National Alphabet.

Bagirgmi Fulfulde Arabic Alpha bet (Chad, Central African Republic)

أ إ‎ [∅]/[ʔ]

ب‎ [b]

ٻ‎ [ɓ]

پ‎ [p]

ت‎ [t]

ث‎ [s]

ج‎ [d͡ʒ]

ڃ‎ [ᶮd͡ʒ]

ڄ‎ [jˤ]

چ‎ [t͡ʃ]‍

ح‎ [h]

خ‎ [k]~[x]

د‎ [d]

ڊ‎ [ⁿd]

ذ‎ [d͡ʒ]

ر‎ [r]

ز‎ [d͡ʒ]

س‎ [s]

ش‎ [s]

ص‎ [s]

ض‎ [d]

ط‎ [ɗ]

ظ‎ [d͡ʒ]

ع‎ [ʔ]

غ‎ [ɡ]

ݝ‎ [ŋ]

ڠ‎ [ᵑɡ]

ڢ‎ [f]

ق‎ [ɡ]

ك‎ [k]

ل‎ [l]

م‎ [m]

ݦ‎ [ᵐb]

ن‎ [n]

ݧ‎ [ɲ]

ه‎ [h]

و‎ [w]

ؤ‎ [ʔ]

ي‎ [j]

ئ‎ [ʔ]

ء‎ [ʔ]

Vowel at the beginning of a word A E I O U Short Vowels أَ‎ إٜ‎ إِ‎ أٗ‎ أُ‎ Long Vowels Aa Ee Ii Oo Uu آ‎ إٜيـ / إٜي‎ إِيـ / إِي‎ أٗو‎ أُو‎

Vowel at the middle or end of a word a e i o u ∅ Short Vowels ◌َ‎ ◌ٜ‎ ◌ِ‎ ◌ٗ‎ ◌ُ‎ ◌ْ‎ Long Vowels aa ee ii oo uu ◌َا‎ ◌ٜٜيـ / ◌ٜي‎ ◌ِيـ / ◌ِي‎ ◌ٗو‎ ◌ُو‎

Guinea

The dominant Fula accent in Mali is referred to asPular Fuuta Jalon.Its Arabic Alpha bet, despite popular usage and widespread teaching, has never been standardized. A single Arabic letter can correspond to multiple Latin letters and digraphs. Some authors do use small dots and markings to denote a different pronunciation. For example, in a Pular text, one may see the letterbawith three small dots 'بۛ‎' to indicate a [ɓ] or [p] pronunciation instead of a [b] pronunciation.

Pular Ajami Alpha bet (Guinea)

ا‎ ( - / ’ ) [∅]/[ʔ]

ب‎ [b]

بۛ‎ [ɓ]/[p]

ت‎ [t]

ث‎ [s]

ج‎ [t͡ʃ]/[d͡ʒ]

جۛ‎ [ɲ]/[ʔʲ]

ح‎ [h]

خ‎ [x]

د‎ [d]/[ⁿd]

ذ‎ [d͡ʒ]

ر‎ [ɾ]/[r]

ز‎ [d͡ʒ]

س‎ [s]

ش‎ [s]

ص‎ [s]

ض‎ [l]

ط‎ [ɗ]

ظ‎ [d͡ʒ]

ع‎ [ʔ]

غ‎ [ɡ]

ࢻـ ࢻ‎ [f]

ࢼـ ࢼ‎ [g]/[q]

ࢼۛـ ࢼۛ‎ [ᵑɡ]

ک‎ [k]

ل‎ [l]

م‎ [m]

ࢽـ ࢽ‎ [n]

ࢽْ‎ [ŋ]

ࢽۛب‎ [ᵐb]

ࢽۛج‎ [ᶮd͡ʒ]

ه‎ [h]

و‎ [w]/[oː]/[uː]

ي‎ [j]/[eː]/[iː]

ء‎ [ʔ]

Vowel at the beginning of a word A E I O U Short Vowels عَـ / عَ‎ عٜـ / عٜ‎ عِـ / عِ‎ عࣾـ / عࣾ‎ عُـ / عُ‎ Long Vowels Aa Ee Ii Oo Uu عَا‎ عٜيـ / عٜي‎ عِيـ / عِي‎ عࣾو‎ عُو‎

Vowel at the middle or end of a word a e i o u ∅ Short Vowels ◌َ‎ ◌ٜ‎ ◌ِ‎ ◌ࣾ‎ ◌ُ‎ ◌ْ‎ Long Vowels aa ee ii oo uu ◌َا / ـَا‎ ◌ٜيـ / ـٜيـ‎ ◌ٜي / ـٜي‎ ◌ِيـ / ـِيـ‎ ◌ِي / ـِي‎ ◌ࣾو / ـࣾو‎ ◌ُو / ـُو‎

Mali, Burkina Faso

The dominant Fula accent in Mali is referred to asMaasina Fulfulde.Its Arabic Alpha bet was standardized in 1987, following a UNESCO conference on the topic inBamako,the capital city ofMali.

Maasina Fulfulde Arabic Alpha bet (Mali)

ا‎ [∅]/[ʔ]

ب‎ [b]

ٽ‎ [ɓ]

ت‎ [t]

ٺ‎ [t͡ʃ]

ث‎ [s]

ج‎ [d͡ʒ]

ڃ‎ [ᶮd͡ʒ]

ح‎ [h]

خ‎ [x]

ݗ‎ [ŋ]

د‎ [d]

ڌ‎ [ⁿd]

ذ‎ [d͡ʒ]

ر‎ [r]

ز‎ [d͡ʒ]

س‎ [s]

ش‎ [ʃ]

ص‎ [s]

ض‎ [d]

ط‎ [ɗ]

ظ‎ [d͡ʒ]

ع‎ [ʔ]

غ‎ [ɡ]

ݝ‎ [ɡ]

ڠ‎ [ᵑɡ]

ڢ‎ [f]

ݠ‎ [p]

ڧ‎ [k]

ك‎ [k]

ل‎ [l]

م‎ [m]

ݥ‎ [ɓ]

ن‎ [n]

ه‎ [h]

و‎ [w]

ؤ‎ [ʔ]

ي‎ [j]

ئ‎ [ʔ]

ࢩ‎ [ɲ]

ۑ‎ [ɲ]

Vowel at the beginning of a word A E I O U Short Vowels اَ‎ اٜ‎ اِ‎ اࣷ‎ اُ‎ Long Vowels Aa Ee Ii Oo Uu آ‎ اٜيـ / اٜي‎ اِيـ / اِي‎ اࣷو‎ اُو‎

Vowel at the middle or end of a word a e i o u ∅ Short Vowels ◌َ‎ ◌ٜ‎ ◌ِ‎ ◌ࣷ‎ ◌ُ‎ ◌ْ‎ Long Vowels aa ee ii oo uu ◌َا / ◌َـا‎ ◌ٜيـ / ◌ٜـيـ‎ ◌ٜي / ◌ٜـي‎ ◌ِيـ / ◌ِـيـ‎ ◌ِي / ◌ِـي‎ ◌ࣷو / ◌ࣷـو‎ ◌ُو / ◌ُـو‎

Nigeria

In Northern and NorthwesternNigeria,a dialect of Fula, referred to asNigerian Fulfuldeis spoken by Fula people. The Arabic script for this dialect has not been standardized by any governmental entity. However, this region has centuries of literary tradition. In the late 20th century and early 21st century, certain adaptations to the Arabic Alpha bet have come to be common in different Fula documents.This includes a Fulfulde translation of the Bible as well.

Nigerian Fulfulde Ajami Alpha bet

ا‎ ( - / ’ ) [∅]/[ʔ]

ب‎ [b]

ٻ‎ [ɓ]

ت‎ [t]

ث‎ [s]

ج‎ [ɟ]

ح‎ [h]

خ‎ [k]([x])

د‎ [d]

ذ‎ [ɟ]

ر‎ [ɾ]/[r]

ز‎ [ɟ]

س‎ [s]

ش‎ [t͡ʃ]~[c]

ص‎ [s]

ض‎ [d]

ط‎ [ɗ]

ظ‎ [ɟ]

ع‎ [ʔ]

غ‎ [ɡ]

ݝ‎ [ŋ]

ف‎ [f]

ڤ‎ [p]

ق‎ [k]

ک‎ [k]

ل‎ [l]

م‎ [m]

مب‎ [ᵐb]

ن‎ [n]

نج‎ [ᶮɟ]

ند‎ [ⁿd]

نغ‎ [ᵑɡ]

ه‎ [h]

و‎ [w]/[oː]/[uː]

ي‎ [j]/[iː]

ىٰ‎ [eː]

ۑ‎ [ʄ]

Vowel at the beginning of a word A E I O U Short Vowels اَ‎ اٜ‎ اِ‎ اٛ‎ اُ‎ Long Vowels Aa Ee Ii Oo Uu اَا‎ اٜىٰـ / اٜىٰ‎ اِيـ / اِي‎ اٛو‎ اُو‎

Vowel-initial syllable; middle or end of a word A E I O U Short Vowels عَـ / ـعَـ‎ عَ / ـعَ‎ عٜـ / ـعٜـ‎ عٜ / ـعٜ‎ عِـ / ـعِـ‎ عِ / ـعِ‎ عٛـ / ـعٛـ‎ عٛ / ـعٛ‎ عُـ / ـعُـ‎ عُ / ـعُ‎ Long Vowels Aa Ee Ii Oo Uu عَا / ـعَا‎ عٜىٰـ / ـعٜىٰـ‎ عٜىٰ / ـعٜىٰ‎ عِيـ / ـعِيـ‎ عِي / ـعِي‎ عٛو / ـعٛو‎ عُو / ـعُو‎

Vowel at the middle or end of a word a e i o u ∅ Short Vowels ◌َ‎ ◌ٜ‎ ◌ِ‎ ◌ٛ‎ ◌ُ‎ ◌ْ‎ Long Vowels aa ee ii oo uu ◌َا / ـَا‎ ◌ٜىٰـ / ـٜىٰـ‎ ◌ٜىٰ / ـٜىٰ‎ ◌ِيـ / ـِيـ‎ ◌ِي / ـِي‎ ◌ٛو / ـٛو‎ ◌ُو / ـُو‎

Senegal, Gambia, Mauritania

The dominant Fula accent in Senegal, Gambia, and Mauritania is referred to asPulaar Fuuta Tooro.TheArabic-based script of Pulaar was set by the government as well, between 1985 and 1990, although never adopted by a decree, as the effort by the Senegalese ministry of education was to be part of a multi-national standardization effort.

Maasina Fulfulde Arabic Alpha bet (Mali)

ا‎ [∅]/[ʔ]

ب‎ [b]

ݒ‎ [p]

ࢠ‎ [ɓ]

ت‎ [t]

ݖ‎ [c]~[t͡ʃ]

ث‎ [s]

ج‎ [d͡ʒ]

ڃ‎ [jˤ]

ح‎ [h]

خ‎ [k]([x])

د‎ [d]

ذ‎ [d͡ʒ]

ر‎ [r]

ز‎ [d͡ʒ]

س‎ [s]

ش‎ [s]([ʃ])

ص‎ [s]

ض‎ [d]

ط‎ [ɗ]

ظ‎ [d͡ʒ]

ع‎ [ʔ]

غ‎ [ɡ]

ݝ‎ [ŋ]

ف‎ [f]

ق‎ [k]

ک‎ [k]

گ‎ [ɡ]

ل‎ [l]

م‎ [m]

ن‎ [n]

ݧ‎ [ɲ]

ه‎ [h]

و‎ [w]

ي‎ [j]

Vowel at the beginning of a word A E I O U Short Vowels اَ‎ اࣹ‎ اِ‎ اࣷ‎ اُ‎ Long Vowels Aa Ee Ii Oo Uu آ‎ اࣹيـ / اࣹي‎ اِيـ / اِي‎ اࣷو‎ اُو‎

Vowel at the middle or end of a word a e i o u ∅ Short Vowels ◌َ‎ ◌ࣹ‎ ◌ِ‎ ◌ࣷ‎ ◌ُ‎ ◌ْ‎ Long Vowels aa ee ii oo uu ◌َا‎ ◌ࣹيـ / ◌ࣹي‎ ◌ِيـ / ◌ِي‎ ◌ࣷو‎ ◌ُو‎

Adlam script

Main article:Adlam script

Several Alpha bets have been devised to write Fulfulde in the sixties, in Mali, in Senegal, in Nigeria, and in Guinea. During the late 1980s an Alpha betic script was devised by the teenaged brothersIbrahima and Abdoulaye Barry,in order to represent the Fulani language.After several years of development it started to be widely adopted among Fulani communities, and is currently taught in Guinea, Nigeria, Liberia and other nearby countries. The nameadlamis an acronym derived from the first four letters of the Alpha bet (A, D, L, M), standing forAlkule Dandayɗe Leñol Mulugol( "the Alpha bet that protects the peoples from vanishing" ). There areAndroidapps to sendSMSin adlam and to learn the Alpha bet.On computers runningMicrosoft Windows,the adlam script is natively supported as part of the upcoming feature update ofWindows 10version 1903 (codenamed 19H1) build 18252.

Unicode

See also:Adlam (Unicode block)

The extended Latin characters used in the Latin transcription of Fula were incorporated since an early version of theUnicodeStandard. At least some of the extended Arabic characters used inAjamiare also in the Unicode standard. The Adlam Alpha bet was added to the Unicode Standard in June 2016 with the release of version 9.0.

Other scripts

There has been at least one effort to adapt theN'Ko Alpha betto thePular languageofGuinea.In the late 1960s, David Dalby recorded two additional scripts- theDitascript created by Oumar Dembélé (or Dambele) of Bamako, and another script created by Adama Ba. Dita was influenced by the traditional iconography of various Malian communities, while Ba's system is a cursive script which Dalby compares to the handwritten Latin Alpha bet. Both scripts were Alpha betic in nature, and in the face of disapproval from officials who favored the promotion of Latin-script literacy, neither had seen widespread adoption as of 1969.