Aromanian alphabet
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The Aromanian alphabet is a variant of the Latin alphabet used for writing the Aromanian language . The current version of the alphabet was suggested at the in 1997 at the Symposium for Standardisation of the Aromanian Writing System in Bitola, Republic of Macedonia. It was then adopted by most Aromanian writers in the Republic of Macedonia, Serbia, Albania, Bulgaria and Romania [1].
[edit] Alphabet
The alphabet consists of 34 letters, 7 of which are digraphs. [2]
| Letter | IPA | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| A a | /a/ | - |
| Ã ã | /ə/ | In some publications the letter "Â â" is used |
| B b | /b/ | - |
| C c | /k/, /tʃ/ | /k/ when followed by "a", "o", "u" or a consonant; /tʃ/ when followed by "e" or "i" |
| D d | /d/ | - |
| Dh dh | /ð/ | Used only for notation in particular accents where this phoneme is present, otherwise "d" is used |
| Dz dz | /dz/ | - |
| E e | /ɛ/ | - |
| F f | /f/ | - |
| G g | /g/, /dʒ/, /ɣ/ | /g/ before "a", "o", "u" or a consonant (/ɣ/ in some dialects), /dʒ/ before "e" and "i" |
| H h | /h/ | - |
| I i | /i/ | |
| J j | /ʒ/ | |
| K k | /k/ | Used mainly for foreign words - "c" is normally used |
| L l | /l/ | - |
| Lj lj | /ʎ/ | Found in Macedonian Latin alphabet |
| M m | /m/ | - |
| N n | /n/ | - |
| Nj nj | /ɲ/ | Found in Macedonian Latin alphabet |
| O o | /o/ | - |
| P p | /p/ | - |
| Q q | /k/ | Mainly used for foreign words - "c" is normally used |
| R r | /r/ | - |
| S s | /s/ | - |
| Sh sh | /ʃ/ | - |
| T t | /t/ | - |
| Th th | /θ/ | Used only for notation in particular accents where this phoneme is present, otherwise "t" is used |
| Ts ts | /ts/ | - |
| U u | /u/ | - |
| V v | /v/ | - |
| W w | /w/ | Only used in foreign words |
| X x | /ks/, /gz/ | Same pronunciation as found in English |
| Y y | /ɣ/, /j/ | /ɣ/ before "e" and "i", /j/ in foreign words |
| Z z | /z/ | - |
[edit] History
Prior to adoption of the current writing system, Aromanian had been written using a wide variety of scripts, including the Greek and Cyrillic alphabets.
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.
