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The big point here isn't that these two brothers invented an alphabet — that alone isn't that remarkable — but that it had gained so much acceptance so quickly,
by JasonFruit 7y ago
The big point here isn't that these two brothers invented an alphabet — that alone isn't that remarkable — but that it had gained so much acceptance so quickly, and that they are still here to talk to. It sounds like writing in their language in Arabic script is still in a chaotic state where orthographic conventions have not been established, so it's the perfect time for a natively-suited alphabet to come on the scene and take over.
- sanxiyn 7y agoThe primary problem with Arabic script is that it is an abjad, not an alphabet. It is less suitable for writing a vowel rich language like Fula.
- gumby 7y agoYeah, I consider the arabic alphabet remarkably well adapted for the structure of Arabic but less appropriate for many of its other adapted uses (e.g. Urdu, Farsi). But almost any alphabet could be made adequate. The politics of writing are complex.