Intended for use with the NimbleText program. The README was created for supposed althist inclusion.

0.Somali new alphabet.js

<% $row
   .replace(/yc/g,'nh')
   .replace(/ch/g,'c')
   .replace(/yc/gi,'Nh')
   .replace(/ch/gi,'C')

   .replace(/x/g,'ħ')
   .replace(/c/g,'x')
   .replace(/dh/g,'đ')

   .replace(/aa/g,'â')
   .replace(/([aâeo])y(?![aâeiou])/gi,
            function(_, p1){ return (/a/gi.test(p1) ? ({a: 'e', A: 'E'})[p1] : p1) + 'i' })
   .replace(/ee/g,'ê')
   .replace(/ii/g,'î')
   .replace(/oo/g,'ô')
   .replace(/uu/g,'û')

   .replace(/X/g,'Ħ')
   .replace(/C/g,'X')
   .replace(/dh/gi,'Đ')

   .replace(/aa/gi,'Â')
   .replace(/ee/gi,'Ê')
   .replace(/ii/gi,'Î')
   .replace(/oo/gi,'Ô')
   .replace(/uu/gi,'Û')
/*
Ex: Waa muhiim in gacmaha la dhaqo ka hor inta aan cunto la cunin.

Diphthongs source: https://morgannilsson.se/BeginnersSomaliGrammar.2024.pdf §3.1.3 Diphthongs [pg. 15]

"aay" != "ay" [no resemblance]
https://youtu.be/bQCVKHs-r2E?t=87 "ay", "aay"
https://youtu.be/z_GQdNav5Rg?t=120 "ay"
https://youtu.be/z_GQdNav5Rg?t=43 "aay"
*/
%>

README.md

Alphabet

' x a b c d đ f g (gh) h ħ i j k kh l m n (ng) (nh) o (p) q r s sh t (th) u v w y

Origins: The sound values of the letters primarily come from Italian, with a few borrowed from Maltese, such as ⟨c⟩ [< Maltese ⟨ċ⟩], ⟨w⟩, ⟨ħ⟩, ⟨k⟩, and ⟨q⟩. The letter ⟨đ⟩ is included since it resembles ⟨ħ⟩. The digraphs ⟨kh⟩ and ⟨sh⟩ were adapted from English. The letter ⟨x⟩ was created specifically for this alphabet.

To support the Maay dialect, digraphs ⟨gh⟩, ⟨ng⟩, ⟨nh⟩ (< Portuguese), ⟨p⟩, ⟨th⟩ are added to represent its special sound constructs. The letter ⟨y⟩ took on a second role as a vowel (< English) representing the "ieh" diphthong. (Inspired by “Alif-Maay”)

Spelling conventions

alif xain a bâ câ dâ đâ fâ gâ (ghain) hâ ħâ i jâ kâ khâ lâ mâ nâ (ghaing) (nhâ) o (pâ) qâf râ sâ shâ tâ (thâ) u vâ waw yâ

Origins: Chiefly derived from Wadaad's script.

Inspirations

Every link here is accessed on 22 August 2025.

• “Maltese alphabet” under “Maltese (Malti)”, in Omniglot.
• “Somali Latin alphabet”, in Wikipedia, revised 17 February 2025.
• “Wadaad's writing”, in Wikipedia, revised 10 August 2025.
• “D with stroke”, in Wikipedia, revised 22 August 2025.
• Abullahi Haji Hassan and Ahmed Mohamed Ali (1994), Draft outline of the Maay Alphabet: "Alif-Maay", Toronto: Inter-riverine Studies Association.
• Preference for 'alif' over 'alef'
  • Search results for soomaali alifbeet (Startpage)
  • Search results for alifbeetada soomaaliga (Startpage)