Doug_Ewell@... wrote:

> How do other alphabets and abjads fare in terms of ease of learning?
> What is the potential impact on literacy? Peter noted that the
> Ethiopic script, with its many confusable letterforms, has existed in
> its current form for 1500 years, so it must not be badly broken; but I
> note that the literacy rate in Ethiopia is only 35 percent (less if
> Eritrea is included). Obviously there are many, many factors that
> influence literacy, but is the complexity of the script *a* factor?

NB The largest language in Ethiopia (and the language of the former
dictatorship), Oromo, is written in roman script (there was a brief
period of experimentation with Eth. script -- Gene Gragg had some
newspapers with a _very_ handsome typeface, but they disappeared before
I thought to ask for a sample -- but they may have wanted to cut all
ties with the hated Amhara administration, as Atatürk had done).
--
Peter T. Daniels grammatim@...