Aromanian alphabet
The Aromanian alphabet (Aromanian: Alfabetu armãnescu) is a variant of the Latin script used for writing the Aromanian language. The current version of the alphabet was suggested in 1997 at the Symposium for Standardisation of the Aromanian Writing System in Bitola, Republic of North Macedonia. It was then adopted by most Aromanian writers in North Macedonia, Serbia, Albania, Bulgaria and Romania.[1]
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Alphabet
The alphabet consists of 32 letters, 7 of which are digraphs.[2]
| Letter | Name [3] | Pronunciation (IPA) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| A, a | a | /a/ | - |
| Ã, ã | ã | /ə/ | - |
| B, b | bã | /b/ | – |
| C, c | cã | /k/, /tʃ/, /x/ | /k/ when followed by "a", "o", "u" or a consonant; (/x/ in some dialects), /tʃ/ when followed by "e" or "i" |
| D, d | dã | /d/ | – |
| Dh, dh | dhã | /ð/ | Used only for notation in particular accents where this phoneme is present, otherwise "d" is used |
| Dz, dz | dzã | /dz/ | - |
| E, e | e | /ɛ/ | – |
| F, f | fã | /f/ | – |
| G, g | gã | /ɡ/, /dʒ/, /ɣ/ | /ɡ/ before "a", "o", "u" or a consonant (/ɣ/ in some dialects), /dʒ/ before "e" and "i" |
| H, h | hã | /h/ | – |
| I, i | i | /i/ | |
| J, j | jã | /ʒ/ | |
| K, k | ca | /c/ | |
| L, l | lã | /l/ | - |
| Lj, lj | lj | /ʎ/ | Found in Macedonian Latin alphabet |
| M, m | mã | /m/ | - |
| N, n | nã | /n/ | - |
| Nj, nj | nj | /ɲ/ | Found in Macedonian Latin alphabet |
| O, o | o | /o/ | - |
| P, p | pã | /p/ | – |
| Q, q | kiu | /k/ | Used only in foreign words – "c" is normally used |
| R, r | rã | /r/ | – |
| S, s | sã | /s/ | – |
| Sh, sh | shã | /ʃ/ | – |
| T, t | tã | /t/ | – |
| Th, th | thã | /θ/ | Used only for notation in particular accents where this phoneme is present, otherwise "t" is used |
| Ts, ts | tsã | /ts/ | – |
| U, u | u | /u/ | – |
| V, v | vã | /v/ | - |
| W, w | dublã vã | /w/ | Used only in foreign words |
| X, x | csã/gzã | /ks/, /ɡz/ | Same pronunciation as found in English |
| Y, y | i greacã | /j/, /ɣ/ | /j/ before "e" and "i", /ɣ/ elsewhere |
| Z, z | zã | /z/ | – |
In addition, the digraphs "ch" (/k/ before "e" and "i") and "gh" (/ɡ/ before "e" and "i", /ɣ/ otherwise) are used.
History
Prior to adoption of the current writing system, Aromanian had been written using a wide variety of scripts, including Greek and Cyrillic.
With the standardisation of Romanian, a language closely related to Aromanian, and the opening of Romanian schools in the southern Balkans, the Romanian alphabet was used to write Aromanian.
In the 1980s and 1990s, there was a renewed push for creating a standard writing system. Aromanian began being taught in schools in the Republic of Macedonia, Albania, and Romania. Members of various Aromanian societies around the world held conferences every few years, all with the main goal of promoting a standard Aromanian alphabet.
Besides the standardized alphabet, there still exist other variants. Those based on the Latin alphabet often use the letters â, ă, î, ș, ț (as does Romanian) and also ḑ, ľ, ń. In Greece, Aromanian is usually written using the Greek script.
References
- Cunia, T. On the Standardisation of the Aromanian System of Writing Archived February 21, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
- Aromanian alphabet at Omniglot
- Bana Armâneascâ