Talk:Wadaad's writing

nomenclature

Hello Gailtb, re the reverted edit from "orthography" back to "nomenclature", could you please explain the meaning of "nomenclature" in linguistics? I've searched, and can't find anything specific to the field. I'm trying to disambiguate this article's link to "nomenclature", so if there's a specific linguistic meaning, I'd be grateful if you could explain it, so I can create a new article. Thanks, Clicketyclack 19:46, 4 February 2007 (UTC)

Hmm. The term nomenclature is the one used in the source article by Lewis. Since it's about writing the Arabic language with the normal Arabic script, I guess it just means that the Arabic vowels were given some kind of Somali-ized name, ie a nomenclature, rather than a new orthography being devised. So I believe it's just the usual meaning of nomenclature rather than a specific linguistic one. Hope I made the correct interpretation of what Lewis was saying. Gailtb 20:12, 4 February 2007 (UTC)

An apparently illegal copy of the article is here:

http://gess.wordpress.com/files/2006/10/the-gadabuursi-somali-script.pdf Gailtb 23:03, 4 February 2007 (UTC)

You're right, that's a new nomenclature, not a new orthography. This is just one of several examples of a more generalized (but entirely legitimate) usage of the term in WP articles. Maybe I should just add words to that effect on Nomenclature, which currently only lists WP articles describing de jure standards for scientific nomenclature. Anyway, thanks for clearing that up. Clicketyclack 05:14, 5 February 2007 (UTC)

alphabet

Checked Lewis, and the sample alphabet doesn't correspond to anything that I can see, so I deleted it. If I made a mistake, please restore with a ref including a page number. — kwami (talk) 04:38, 28 October 2013 (UTC)

The sample Galaal alphabet was slightly different from that provided by Omniglot [1]. Middayexpress (talk) 17:13, 28 October 2013 (UTC)

Slightly? It was radically different. Omniglot, BTW, is not a RS. Lewis looks to be, but he gives three Galal alphabets, all different from the one here, all apparently personal language projects rather than anything in regular use, and some requiring special letters we don't support. — kwami (talk) 21:40, 28 October 2013 (UTC)

Commonname

The much more common name for the script appears to be "Wadaad's writing" [2] as opposed to "Wadaad writing" [3]. "Wadaad's writing" is also what Omniglot indicates [4]. Per WP:COMMONNAME, the page should therefore be moved back to "Wadaad's writing". Middayexpress (talk) 17:13, 28 October 2013 (UTC)

Those are all mirrors of Wikipedia, and the name is ungrammatical. — kwami (talk) 21:38, 28 October 2013 (UTC)

"Wadaad's writing" indicates possession i.e. the writing of the wadaad (clergyman). As I.M. Lewis puts it, the script is "a type of writing which is known, not inappropriately, as 'wadaad's writing'" [5]. "Wadaad's writing" is thus the commonname per Lewis and the overwhelming majority of the non-Wikipedia mirrors. Middayexpress (talk) 16:18, 29 October 2013 (UTC)

I can confirm that quote. Here's a fuller citation: Lewis, I.M. (1958). "The Gadabursi Somali Script". Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London. 21 (1/3). Cambridge University Press. pp. 135–137 [PDF pp. 2–4]. JSTOR 610496. Retrieved 2023-04-05. [p.135] Anyone who devotes his life to religion is a wadaad, however slight his acquaintance with Arabic. ... [p.136] With respect to knowledge of Arabic the population may be divided into three classes, those who know a little, those who can read and write a little, and those who are expert in both reading and writing. The middle group have given rise in religion and trade to a type of writing which is known, not inappropriately, as 'wadaad's writing' (or 'wadaad's Arabic'). This is an ungrammatical Arabic containing some Somali words, the proportion of Somali naturally varying with the context. The calligraphy is usually also inexpert and often obscure. 'Wadaad's writing' is used by merchants in business, in letter-writing, in the writing of petitions, [p.137] and in the writing of qasidas by wadaads whence its name is derived. — I think this trumps kwami's feeling that "the name is ungrammatical."  I'm moving the page back. – _•Raven  ^.talk 01:13, 6 April 2023 (UTC)

Lewis

Lewis explains that Wadaad's writing refers to both the "local Somali version" of Arabic [6], as well as the use of the "Arabic script for writing Somali". This is why he also discusses Mahammad 'Abdi Makaahiil's attempts to standardize Wadaad's writing in Mayal's book The Institution of Modern Correspondence in the Somali language (p. 139 [7]). Middayexpress (talk) 16:18, 29 October 2013 (UTC)

Was Arabic itself used by clergymen and traders prior to the establishment of Wadaad's writing?

A bit off topic but I'm merely curious as to whether or not Arabic and the Arabic script itself was used prior to the 13th Century by clergymen and merchants. I imagine it was given when Islam arrived in Somalia (shortly after the Hijra- the clans and sultanates began to arise soon after)? If so, could you share an adequate source, Midday? Good day, Awale-Abdi (talk) 13:48, 11 October 2014 (UTC)

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