Re: ISO 6438, the Niamey keyboard, and ISO/TC46/SC4/WG1

Don Osborn wrote:

>
> Peter, Replies in text:
>
> --- In qalam@yahoogroups.com, "Peter T. Daniels" <grammatim@...>
> wrote:
> > Don Osborn wrote:
> > >
> > > Peter, Do you have a reference for the "Africa Alphabet"? The only
> > > mention I have for it is in the proceedings of the Niamey conference
> > > at http://www.bisharat.net/Documents/Niamey78en.htm (in reference to
> > > Ugandan languages).
> >
> > There's at least two Peters in this thread ...
>
> Thanks, I did realize that, but so far I've been able to keep track...

But if you go into a room and say "Peter!" and three or four people look
up, _they'd like to know which one you were addressing.

> > I happen to have two pamphlets published by the folks who came up with
> > the Africa Alphabet in the 1930s (two editions), but I don't remember
> > where else I've seen it. I was annoyed that Bendor-Samuel didn't put a
> > table for it in WWS.
>
> Is there a table in those? Would it be possible to scan & post? (or
> send to me to post?

Here are the 36 letters of the alphabet, including the "most important"
"special letters." I don't know what it might consider "less important"
ones, though in the "sound chart" it adds the two fricative laterals and
elsewhere the four click symbols.

a
b
B (hook b)
c
d
D (hook d)
e
E (epsilon)
f
F (hook f)
g
G (gamma)
h
x
i
j
k
l
m
n
N (engma)
o
O (open o)
p
r
s
S (integral sign)
t
u
v
V (upsilon)
w
y
z
Z (curly z)

The letters do _not_ have consistent readings across all languages; this
is a set of symbols to be used as appropriate for each language. There
are also suggestions for what to do in case there aren't enough symbols
for any particular place etc. of articulation.

Source: International Institute of African Languages and Cultures,
Memorandum 1, revised edition, *Practical Orthography of African
Languages* (1930).

(The first edition, 1927, had sold out 3500 copies, 500 of them in
German.)
--
Peter T. Daniels grammatim@...