Letters of the All Nigeria Tafi Alphabet (ANTA) are built from 6 basic signs called digits, which stand as the primary vowels a, e, i, o, u and extra x . The 6 digits are joined together in twos, bottom to top, to form 36 consonants, including the numerals ( 1- 9), as shown below. Zero (0) is a combination of two digits – ‘u’ under ‘inverted u’. The six primary vowels and 36 consonants are sufficient for most of the Nigerian languages, including English. Some languages may require additional 2 or 3 symbols, as secondary vowels.
FIGURE 1: ALL NIGERIA TAFI ALPHABET (ANTA) OF 6 PRIMARY VOWELS AND 36 CONSONANTS INCLUDING NUMERALS 1 – 9
2. FONTS OF LETTERS OF THE TAFI ALPHABET
Tafi TrueType Fonts have been constructed from FontStruct.com, a free online font-building tool, devised and developed for Fontshop International by Bob Meek. The Tafi characters, because of their square shapes, are very amenable to font building using FontStruct. The reader is urged to try his hands on this powerful tool, after learning the shapes of the letters of the Tafi alphabet. He can easily construct the Tafi fonts and install them in his computer.
Square Tafi fonts may be obtained, from these links:
3. FONTS OF LETTERS OF THE ENGLISH TAFI ALPHABET AND OTHER SYMBOLS
Tafi fonts may be uploaded in a computer to give a QWERTY keyboard as shown in Figure 2 below. The Tafi letters are consonants as capitals, 6 long vowels and the respective 6 short vowels: a, e, i, o, u and x. The numerals, 26 letters of the English alphabet, punctuation marks and other symbols are shown in black and the corresponding Square Tafi Fonts in red.
FIGURE 2: A QWERTY KEYBOARD WITH THE LATIN FONTS (BLACK) AND TAFI FONTS (RED) SHOWING THE 26 LETTERS OF THE ENGLISH ALPHABET AND OTHER SYMBOLS
4. THE UNIVERSAL TAFI ALPHABET
The Universal Tafi Alphabet (UTA) of 100 (not all unique characters), formed by joining 10 digits, two at a time, is presented below, with the tentative Arabic and Latin equivalents. The six primary vowels a, e, i, o, u and x are shown on top. The additional vowels required to transcribe the Nigerian languages properly well in the Arabic script, are indicated for e, o and x. African languages call for more vowels and vowel intonations than the Asian and European languages.
FIGURE 3: THE UNIVERSAL TAFI ALPHABET (UTA) OF 6 PRIMARY VOWELS, MATHEMATICAL SYMBOLS, CONSONANTS AND NUMERALS 1 – 10
The UTA, shown above, includes the mathematical symbols and the numerals (1 – 9) and 0. There should be sufficient letters, with spare symbols in the last four columns, to cater for all the languages of the world. More work is required here, but the need for an International Tafi Alphabet cannot be overemphasized.
5. TAFI AS AN INTEGRATED SYSTEM OF WRITING
It should be mentioned that Tafi is an integrated system of writing for normal people as well as the challenged members of the community. There is a system of Tafi writing for the blind to ‘read’ by touch, as with Braille or Moon, and another one for the deaf and deaf-mute to communicate through signals, beats or flashes in a code of dots and dashes, as for sign language, touch language, tap language or semaphore.
6. STRUCTURE OF THE WEBSITE
The website is structured in four sections, A, B, C and D:
A. Letters and the fonts, as constructed and presented in this first section.
B. Introduction of the Tafi alphabet and Tafi writing for Hausa, Igbo, Yoruba and English.
C. Development of English Teaching Tafi Alphabet (ETTA) on the basis of the Initial Teaching Alphabet (ITA) used in England. (ETTA is designed to enable learning of English writing and speaking effectively, after a person might have learned Tafi writing in his or her mother tongue)
D. Use of English Keyboard for Tafi writing, to take advantage of an existing and popular Keyboard (loaded with Tafi fonts) without the need for an extended Keyboard for the Nigerian languages.
Please keep in touch. All comments and inquiries will be attended to promptly.
Writing has been defined as a symbolic representation of speech. A writing can be logographic, where a sign or symbol (logograph) stands for a word of the language, which may number in hundreds or thousands. A writing can be syllabic, where a sign (syllabogram) stands for a syllable of the language. It can be logo-syllabic. This definition excludes ideography (with ideograms) and pictography (with pictograms or pictorglyps).
Many writing systems (ancient and modern) started their respective developments as a syllabary (with about 50 or more syllabograms), perhaps because the syllable is the most distinct unit of speech.
A writing may be alphabetic (alphabetography), where a sign stands for a letter, consonant or vowel of the alphabet. The fewer number of vowels may be or not separated from the consonants. The number of signs may range from 24 to 48.
A writing may be an alphabetic syllabary, where a vowel is permanently attached to a consonant to form a syllabogram.
A writing may be consonantal, where no vowels are used or where the vowels are indicated by diacritics.
African languages, where length of a vowel (long or short) and tone of a vowel (high or low) are significant, should require more syllabograms (200 or more) than the European, Arabic or Asian languages.
The latest development of writing is the digital writing (digitography), where all the letters of the alphabet (consonants and vowels) including the numerals (1 – 9) are constructed from a few number of (5 or 6) signs called digits. The digits are separated and stand as vowels.In addition, there are marks for indicating length and tone of a vowel.
Where there is one-to-one correspondence between between writing and reading or between spelling and pronunciation, all the time, the script is said to be phonetic. The ultimate aim of phonologists, is the establishment of phonetic writings.
1.2 Systems of Writing
The oldest known system of writing was the Sumerian Cuneiform (3,500 BC). It was a logo-syllabic script which originated in Mesopotamia, between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers of modern Iraq. It was taken over and simplified by the brave Persians (ancestors of the modern Iranians) in the first millennium BC.
The enchanting Egyptian Hieroglyphics (3,000BC), a logo-syllabic writing, was the progenitor of the Middle Eastern, North African and European scripts. The Latin (Roman) Alphabet (600 BC), which has so conquered the world, was evolved from the Egyptian Hieroglyphics through the Phoenician Alphabet (1,200 BC) and by way of the Greek Alphabet (900 BC). The Hebrew Alphabet (500 BC) and the Arabic Alphabet (500 AD) were evolved from the Phoenician Alphabet through the Aramaic Alphabet (800 BC). The elegant Ethiopic Alphabetic syllabary (300 AD), in which Amharic is now written, was evolved from the Phoenician Alphabet through the Sabaen Alphabet (400 BC). The Russian Alphabet (Azbuka – 1710 AD) was evolved from the Greek Alphabet through the Cyrillic Alphabet (900 AD), by the efforts of Peter The Great (1672 – 1725 ).
The magnificent Chinese logography (1,500 BC) is an important branch of writing which gave birth to many Asian scripts. It is the only one of the ancient writings still in use. The Japanese syllabary (500 AD) was an extreme simplification of the Chinese logography. It is not far fetched to conjecture that sooner than later, the industrious Chinese and the ingenious Japanese would come forth with a new and technically viable adaptation.
Many writings exist in the Indian Subcontinent. One of them is the beautiful Devanagari writing (700 AD), an alphabetic syllabary developed from the Brahmi script (100 BC ). The origin of the Brahmi script is still being debated, whether indigenous or through Aramaic.
1.3 Development of New Writings in North and South America
One of the best examples of writing, deliberately created for a people, is the Cherokee Syllabary of 85 signs. The script was invented in 1821 by a reportedly illiterate but intelligent Red Indian called Sequoya. The giant American coniferous tree (Sequoya) was named after him. The script brought almost instant and complete literacy to the tribe but it proved to be unadaptable to the modern technological age.
The Cree alphabetic syllabary was invented in in 1840 by J. Evans, an English missionary, for use of the Cree Indians in Canada. It consisted of 12 geometric signs from which 48 characters can be generated by 4 different orientations of the 12 signs. Vowels are indicated by orientation of 4 basic signs or by diacritics. The writing was beautiful, simple and easy to learn. It brought instant and complete literacy to the Cree people, but did not go further.
The Djuka syllabay of about 50 signs was created, under divine inspiration (apparently conveyed through Haley’s Comet of 1910), by Afaka Atumisi, a descendent of freed slaves of West African origin, who found freedom in the forested region of Southern Surinam, South America. Afaka’s effort is an example of a subject people, under the influence of a dominant foreign culture, asserting intellectual independence through a new writing. His syllabary is not an advancement over systems of writing, but it is an object of scientific curiosity.
1.4 Adapting the Latin Alphabet for the Turkish Language
The Ottoman Turkish (Perso-Arabic, 7th Century AD) alphabet was replaced in July 1928 by the Latin-based alphabet. This transition, known as the “Letter Revolution”, was seen by its framers, spearheaded by the Great Mustafa Kemal Ataturk (1881 – 1938), as a liberation, the casting off of an archaic and alien alphabet in favour of something vibrant, modern and more faithful to the true character of the Turkish language; something that should increase literacy and accelerate development of a modern Turkish language to unite the disparate and far-flung outreaches of the Turkish Peoples. Others saw the introduction of a new writing as a move that would separate future generations of Turkey from their written traditions and history. The new Turkish Latin alphabet is phonetic, consisting of 21 consonants and 8 vowels, each letter retaining its individual pronunciation at all times. The Turkish “Letter Revolution” was a huge success, with the Great Ataturk, as “Alphabet Mobiliser”, himself teaching the script to children in schools.
1.5 Adopting the Latin Alphabet for the Somali language
Soomaali, the beautiful language of the beautiful people of Somaliland, had been written in the Arabic script for hundreds of years. But, for over one hundred years the need of a new writing for the language has been felt and tried, in the course of which more than 11 scripts were invented by well-meaning scholars. The choice of Latin alphabet for the Democratic Republic of Somalia, of 18 letters (for 21 consonants) and 10 vowels (5 long and 5 short) was made in 1972, by President Siad Barre (1910 – 1995). He announced the establishment of an official Latin orthography (Far Soomaali) for the National Language and they followed it with a massive program of mass literacy and public enlightenment.Unfortunately, those who overthrew and took over from Siad Barre, in 1991, did not or could not continue with his laudable adventure.
1.6 Adopting the Latin Alphabet for the Swahili Language
Kiswahili, in Central and South Africa, is the second most widely spoken language in Africa, after Arabic in North Africa, followed by Hausa in West Africa. Under the guidance of the great African nationalist, President of Tanzania, Mwalimu Julius Kambarage Nyerere (1922 – 1999), Tanzania chose the Swahili language (Kiswahili), a mixture of Arabic and many other languages, as the official language for national unity. Kiswahili, language of the coastal people of East Africa, was originally (from the 17th Century) written in the Arabic script. The Latin alphabet, established before independence in 1961, consisting of 45 consonants and 5 vowels, was retained for the United Republic of Tanzania.
1.7 Absence of Writing in Black Africa
The question should be asked, why the peoples of Africa, south of the Sahara (except Ethiopia), did not develop a writing over the ages. Even though Africa was the home of Egyptian Hieroglyphics, the script did not extend further south beyond Nubia. Neither did Tifinagh, writing for the Tamasheq language of the Toureg, go further south across the Sahara. Has it something to do with a physical obstacle like the Nile Cataracts and the Sahara Desert? Was it because of some environmental pestilences, social impediments, cultural inhibitions, sectarianism or ignorance – the mother of all evils? Whatever the causes might have been, it made the Black African a tinker rather than a thinker and kept Black Africa as the Dark Continent, for there can be no civilisation without a writing.
There must have been some contacts between Ancient Egypt and the rest of Africa through trades and conquests. Many scholars believe that the Egyptian Hieroglyphics, being a consonantal writing with few syllables, did not lend itself to easy adoption for African languages, particularly West African’s, which require many vowels, lengths and tones of a vowel and hence many syllables. For example, Arabic may get away without using vowels but it is disastrous for Hausa and impossible for Igbo and Yoruba.The development of a new writing in Africa – syllabic or alphabetic – must take cognisance of the vocalic nature of the African languages.
1.8 Development of New Writings in West Africa
There have been several recent attempts to develop new writings in Africa, mainly West Africa. Examples are the Vai Syllabary (1830 AD), created by Umaru Bukele in Sierraleone; the Bamun Syllabary (1918 AD), created by Sultan Njoya, King of the Bamun in Southern Cameroon; the Bassa Alphabet (1920 AD), created by Dr. Thomas Gbiandavoodeh Lewis in Liberia; the Osmaniya Alphabet (1922 AD), created by Osman Yusuf in Somalia; the Ositelu Alphabet (1927 AD), ‘holy writing’ revealed to Josiah O. Ositelu, founder of the Aladura Church of the Lord in Nigeria; the Toma Logo-syllabic Writing (1930 AD), ‘revealed by God’ to Wido Zobo in Liberia; the Gadabuursi Alphabet (1933 AD), created by Sheikh Nuur in Somalia; the Oberi-Okaime Alphabet (1934 AD) ‘revealed by the Holy Spirit’ to Michael Ukpan and Akpan Udofia of Itu in Nigeria; the Manenka Alphabet (1949 AD), created by Suleiman Kante of Kankan, Guinea; the Fula Alphabet (1958 AD) created by Umar Dambele of Bamako, Mali; the Wolof Alphabet (1961 AD), created by Hassan Faye of Dakar, Senegal; the Tafi Digital Alphabet (1970 AD) developed in Nigeria and the Adlam Alphabet (1980) created by two brothers, Ibrahim and Abdoulaye Barry, for the Fulani language in Guinea. Many more new writings have been or are being developed or created in Africa, particularly in Nigeria.
1.9 Development of Tafi Writing
The Hausa language of Nigeria is now written in the Ajami and Boko scripts. The Ajami Alphabet (1750 AD) was developed from the Arabic Alphabet. The Boko Alphabet (1910 AD) was developed from the Latin Alphabet. The Tafi Digital Alphabet (1970 AD) was developed from the Latin (Boko) Alphabet and the Arabic (Ajami) Alphabet. The Tafi alphabet retains the best features of the Ajami and Boko scripts.
Tafi (from the last two syllables of the Hausa word ‘lit-tafi‘ -book-), which also means ‘palm of the hand’ or ‘clapping of the hands’, but with different intonation, is a virile and more efficient cross-breed of Ajami and Boko. It is presented here as a new Nigerian writing, starting with Hausa, Igbo, Yoruba and English. It is quite extendable to the other languages of Nigeria, Africa and the World.
The Tafi Alphabet is amenable to processing by computers. As such, Tafi writing is well suited to the modern age of Information and Communication Technology. It is adaptable for use with special signs and symbols in communications with blind, deaf and dumb persons, the challenged members of the community.
Tafi writing should be made readily available, with teaching aids for home-teaching (self-teaching under the guidance of parents, Local Tutors or ‘Alphabet Mobilizers’), so as to be easily and quickly learned by children. Teaching materials should be produced and “Alphabet Mobilizers” recruited, and instructed for dissemination of Tafi Writing at schools in all the nooks and corners of Nigeria. In this regard, contributors and collaborators are respectfully invited with the objective of achieving 100% literacy, in Nigeria, within a few years.
2. DEVELOPMENT OF A DIGITAL WRITING
Since the evolution of the Greek Alphabet (900 BC), with its consonants and systematic use of short and long vowels, nothing significant has happened in the development of alphabetic writing (alphabetography), until the advent of Tafi. Tafi is a digital (of the fingers) writing (digitography) where the 36 letters of the alphabet are built from only 6 signs called digits. Tafi is a new and veritable advancement over the well-known alphabetic writings.
Tafi is an alphabetic digital writing (digitography) consisting of 36 Consonants formed by joining 6 digits in twos, bottom to top. The digits, representing fingers of the hand, stand as the vowels: a, e, i, o, u and x. Tafi includes signs for tones and lengths of vowels, punctuation marks and mathematical symbols, adequate for the Nigerian and other African and World languages.
Tafi alphabets have been produced for English, Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba. Extra vowels, consonants and signs are provided, in a Universal Tafi Alphabet, to cater for the other languages of the World. Tafi is an integrated system of writing for normal and challenged peoples. It is easy to learn by children and adults, with the objective of home teaching. It is adaptable for the blind to ‘read’ by touch, for the deaf and dumb to ‘feel’ through tapping and for sign-language, signal codes or musical beats.
3. TAFI: A NEW WRITING FOR THE NIGERIAN AND OTHER LANGUAGES
EVOLUTION OF TAFI……………………………………………………………………………………….35
1. TAFI DIGITS
Tafi is a new alphabetic writing created for the Nigerian languages, starting with Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba. The basic building blocks of the Tafi alphabet are six (6) symbols called digits. The six digits are formed by vertical and horizontal strokes (parts of a square), written like this:
FIGURE 1: 6 TAFI DIGITS
The 6 digits represent the fingers of the left and right hands, the thumb being the first finger, a vertical stroke |. There may be a sixth finger at the base of the small finger, to form the sixth digit as two horizontal strokes.
2. TAFI VOWELS
The 6 digits also stand for vowels (a, e, i, o, u, x) as shown in Figure 2 below, formed by vertical and horizontal strokes. Vowels are very important and significant in the Nigerian/African languages.
FIGURE 2: SIX TAFI DIGITS STANDING AS PRIMARY VOWELS
The 6 digits stand as the primary vowels: a, e, i, o, u and x. As a vowel, the first digit | is written with a ‘tail’ _ as |_ = a, to show that writing is from left to right. Each vowel is sounded by its name. Knowing the shape, name and sound value assigned to each vowel is the first stage for a child in learning to write and read in Tafi.
3. FORMING THE TAFI CONSONANTS
The digits are designed such that they can be joined together, in twos, bottom to top, to form 36 letters as consonants. The first set of consonants is formed by joining the first digit | underneath each of the 6 digits or vowels to form 6 consonants as shown in Figure 3 below: The first digit may be attached under at the beginning, middle or end of the other digits, but attaching at the beginning is preferred.
FIGURE 3: FIRST SET OF 6 CONSONANTS
The second set of consonants is formed by joining the second digit underneath each of the 6 digits to form 6 consonants as shown in Figure 4 below:
FIGURE 4: SECOND SET OF 6 CONSONANTS
Similarly, the 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th set of 6 consonants are formed by attaching the 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th digit , respectively beneath each of the 6 digits. So the Tafi alphabet consists of 6 vowels and 36 consonants, sufficient for putting most of the Nigerian and other African languages into Tafi writing.
4. CONSONANTS OF THE TAFI ALPHABET
The Tafi alphabet, of 36 consonants, is shown in Figure 5 below with the respective Latin equivalents for English, Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba.
FIGURE 5: 36 CONSONANTS OF THE TAFI ALPHABET
The sixth vowel and the last five consonants are reserved as extras to be used for other languages, including English. The name of each Tafi consonant is as it takes the first vowel | = ‘a’. So each letter will be called simply as spelt out in the first five consonants shown in Figure 6 below:
FIGURE 6: NAMES OF THE CONSONANTS
The first three consonants, each with the first vowel | = ‘a’, spell out the name of the alphabet: Abaca or ‘abaca. Knowing the shapes and reciting the names of the consonants and their variations as they respectively carry different vowels, to form open syllables, is the second stage for a child learning to read and write.
An example of Tafi Writing, which can be executed with pencil and ruler, is given in Figure 7 below, with some words in Hausa, Igbo, Yoruba and English.
FIGURE 7: HAUSA, IGBO, YORUBA AND ENGLISH WORDS IN TAFI WRITING
This is just for the reader to see how Square Tefi Writing looks. The corners may be rounded to produce Rounded Tafi Writing. Note the space above a vowel, left for indication of tone and length of the vowel. Indication of tone and length of a vowel may be required for Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba.
English need not always be written in capital form. In Figure 7, the consonant-vowel style, shown red, may be employed where it is required to show tone and length of a vowel as in the ENGLISH TEACHING TAFI ALPHABET (ETTA).
5. THE NUMERALS
The Tafi numerals, 1 – 9 and 0, combinations of two digits, as contained in the sets of consonants, are shown in Figure 8 below.
FIGURE 8: THE NUMERALS 1 – 9 AND ZERO
The Tafi consonants with closest resemblance to the Latin numerals are chosen as the Tafi numerals. Zero is a combination of two digits, |U| and inverted |U| to make | 0 | = 0.
6. TAFI FONTS
Tafi, with its regular geometric signs, is amenable to font creation with FontStruct, a free online font-building tool. Tafi square fonts have been created and provided here (Link) for downloading.
7. TAFI WRITING
A writing or script where the letters of the alphabet themselves are formed from a few number of symbols or signs is called digitography. A digitographic writing is a definite advancement over the well known alphabetic writings such as Latin and Arabic. In Tafi writing for Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba there is a separation of vowels from consonants. A vowel follows a consonant to form a syllable. All the letters are of the same width. A consonant is twice the height of a vowel, thereby giving a space above a vowel for indication of tone and length of the vowel. Intonation is very important in the Nigerian and other African languages. For English there is usually no need for showing the tone of a vowel, but vowel length is required.
The vowels may be regarded as the lowercase and the consonants as the uppercase (capital letters). Where there is no need for intonation of a vowel all the letters may be printed as uppercase of the same height. If required, further capitalization may be shown by a dot or circumflex over a consonant, or by enlarging the consonantal letter.
The Pan-Nigerian (All Nigeria) Tafi Alphabet of 10 vowels and 36 consonants, is shown in Figure 9 below, with the corresponding Latin (Boko) characters:
FIGURE 9: PAN-NIGERIAN (ALL NIGERIAN) TAFI ALPHABET WITH THE CORRESPONDING LATIN CHARACTERS
8. PAN-NIGERIAN (ALL NIGERIA) TAFI ALPHABET
This is a common alphabet of ten vowels (six primary vowels and four secondary vowels) and thirty six consonants from which all the Nigerian languages can draw. Note the first consonant: ‘glottal stop‘, or ‘Alif’ denoted by ‘A’ or the apostrophe (‘).
The numerals (1 – 9) are contained in the letters (consonants) of the alphabet.
There is need for the Nigerian languages to co-opt ‘Alif’ the first letter of the alphabet, into their orthography. This lanky visitor from the East would consummate the marriage between the North and the South of Nigeria and Africa.
9. ENGLISH TAFI ALPHABET
Figure 10 below shows the English Tafi alphabet of 6 vowels and 26 consonants with the respective Latin equivalents.
FIGURE 10: SIX VOWELS AND 26 CONSONANTS OF THE ENGLISH ALPHABET
English orthography shows no difference between consonants and vowels as it does not bother about showing tone and length of a vowel. In English Tafi writing, tone and length of a vowel may be shown, if needed. This may be required as in the initial teaching alphabet (ITA) of English language for Primary School children.
An example of Tafi Writing (red), in English, IN BLACK CAPITAL LETTERS, is given in Figure 11 below with the numerals (1 – 10) and three sentences each one containing the 26 letters of the Latin alphabet.
FIGURE 11: AN EXAMPLE OF TAFI WRITING IN ENGLISH OR ENGLISH IN TAFI WRITING
10. HAUSA TAFI ALPHABET
Figure below shows the Hausa Tafi alphabet of 5 vowels and 25 consonants, as taken from the Pan-Nigerian Tafi alphabet, with the respective Boko equivalents. Note the first consonant: glottal stop often represented by apostrophe (‘).
FIGURE 12: HAUSA TAFI ALPHABET OF 5 VOWELS AND 25 CONSONANTS
Note that in Boko writing the Hausa consonants: sh, dt or dh, bh and ts are represented by digraphs of the English letters. This is done in order to take advantage of the English typewriter keyboard. It is recommended that the Hausa language and orthography should adopt the lettres ‘p’ distinct from ‘f’ and ‘v’ distinct from ‘b’, which exist in some of the other languages, to improve English pronunciation and speaking by the Hausas.
An example of Tafi writing (red), in Hausa, is given in Figure 13 with the numerals (1 – 10).
FIGURE 13: THE NUMERALS WRITTEN IN HAUSA
Hausa should differentiate between the sounds of consonants ‘f’ from ‘p’ and ‘bh’ from ‘v’, if only to improve English pronunciation.
11. IGBO TAFI ALPHABET
The Igbo Tafi alphabet has 8 vowels and 25 consonants including ‘alif’ (glottal stop ‘), taken from the Pan-Nigeria Tafi alphabet, as shown in Figure 14 below: In Boko writing the consonants ch, gb, gh, kp and sh are represented by digraphs.
FIGURE 14: IGBO TAFI ALPHABET OF 8 VOWELS AND 25 CONSONANT FIGURE 15: AN EXAMPLE OF TAFI WRITING IN IGBO
Example of Tafi Writing (red) in Igbo, is given in Figure 15 above with the numerals (1-10).
12. YORUBA TAFI ALPHABET
The Yoruba Tafi alphabet has 7 vowels and 19 consonants, taken from the Pan-Nigerian Tafi alphabet, as shown in Figure 16 below:
FIGURE 16: YORUBA TAFI ALPHABET OF 7 VOWELS AND 19 CONSONANTS
An example of Tafi Writing (red), in Yoruba, is given in Figure 17 below below with the numerals (1 – 10).
FIGURE 17: AN EXAMPLE OF TAFI WRITING IN YORUBA
It is also recommended that Yoruba should adopt the consonants ‘c’ or.”ch’ and ‘z’ to enrich the language and improve English pronunciation.
It goes without saying that Yoruba is a beutiful and musical language.
13.LEARNING TAFI
Tafi, with its few number of regular and geometric signs will prove easy for a child, who can speak, to learn. As it is a phonemic writing – read as written, what the child needs to know is the sound assigned to each vowel and the sound given to each consonant. He or she can then compose syllables, words and sentences. It would be like playing with building blocks, whereby the child could virtually teach himself or herself to write and read, under any roof or shade. Tafi, being a phonemic and consistent writing, is easy to learn by any speaker of Hausa, Igbo and/or Yoruba. The aim is to achieve 100% literacy, in Nigeria, in the shortest possible time. The English sentence written in Figure 18 below: “We will go to school to learn farming, writing and reading”. is translated into Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba (green) and transcribed in the Tafi script (red). It shows the beauty and simplicity of Tafi writing.
FIGURE 18: ENGLISH SENTENCE TRANSLATED AND WRITTEN IN HAUSA, IGBO AND YORUBA
The author cannot vouch for the correctness of the Igbo and Yoruba translations. It is left for informed and learned speakers of these languages to make the necessary corrections.
We the older generation cannot be called upon to learn a new writing, unless we wish to. Tafi is for the younger generation of Nigeria. The younger Nigerians are in a better position to overcome inferiority complex, jettison prejudice, become creative and break new grounds for the unity, peace and development of our country, languages and cultures.
14. NUMBER OF DIGITS
There is a total of 16 digits, numbered 1 – 16, as shown in Figure 19 below in the ‘analogue’ and ‘digital’ forms. The 15th digit is the mark for ‘full-stop’ and for forming the other punctuation marks and for indication of high tone of a short vowel. The low tone of a short vowel is left blank.
FIGURE 19: SIXTEEN DIGITS OF THE TAFI ALPHABET INCLUDING THE FULL STOP (15)
The 16th digit is for forming extra marks and symbols (not shown here) as may be required.
A vowel has one (right-hand) number and a consonant has two numbers, a top (left-hand) number and a bottom (right-hand) number. Zero (0) indicates ‘no digit’.
Note that if a stroke (-) appears over another stroke, in forming a letter or symbol, only one stroke is shown. Where a dot (.) appears in a stroke, the dot is not shown. Where a dot appears over another dot, only one dot is shown.
15. PUNCTUATION MARKS AND OTHER SYMBOLS
The symbols used as punctuation marks are shown in Figure 20 below:
FIGURE 20: PUNCTUATION MARKS AND OTHER SYMBOLS
*Each mark or symbol has two numbers, top and bottom number. For the tone of a vowel, it is a number (0, 7, 8, or 15) above ‘x’ for the tone.
16. SOME TAFI CHARACTERS USED AS PUNCTUATION MARKS AND OTHER SYMBOLS
Figure 21 below shows the Tafi characters used as punctuation and other marks.
FIGURE 21: TAFI CHARACTERS USED AS PUNCTUATION MARKS
Note that marks for semicolon [15, 15} and colon [15, 15} in Tafi, as taken from the Universal Tafi Characters (Figure 38), are the same. Marks used as new symbols for ‘smile‘, ‘pause’, ‘open’, ‘close’ , ’emphasis’ and HASH (14, 14) FOR ‘THINK’ or ‘THINKING’ and ‘help‘ should be noted.
17. MATHEMATICAL SYMBOLS
Figure 22 shows the Tafi characters used as mathematical symbols.
FIGURE 22: MATHEMATICAL SYMBOLS
Again, each symbol or mark has a number (1 – 16), top (left-hand) and bottom (right-hand) number.
18A. TAFI PLAIN STICKS
This is an arrangement of four equal rigid sticks or stalks, each 10 cm to 15 cm long, as shown in Figure 23A.
FIGURE 23A: STICKS, STALKS, RODS AS ONE-DIMENSIONAL FRAME, 10 CM to 15 CM LONG
Four sticks, 10 cm to 15 cm long, are laid flat on the ground, floor or desk. The learner uses the sticks to construct the six vowels: a, e, i, o, u and x. This may be followed by tracing the vowels in sand on the ground or writing them on a board or paper.
18B. TAFI PLATES
These are plates of metal, plastic or wood, 1.5 cm wide and 15 cm long for forming the vowels. Each plate has an ear or slitfor fixing, one into another to form the vowels.
18 B
FIGURE 23B: TAFI PLATES
19. TAFI FRAME
These are flat plates or sheets of metal, plastic or wood, two long ones each measuring 1.5 cm by 30 cm and three short ones (males) each measuring 1.5 cm cm by 15 cm, as shown in Figure 24. The two long plates have (vertical) slots (slits) at the ends and in the middle. Each of the three short plates (males) have a peg (ear) at the ends for fitting into the (vertical) slits of the longer plates (females), to construct the consonants and numerals. Working with the four Tafi sticks (Figure 24), the long and short plates can be joined, one to another, at right angles, to form the Tafi consonants, and numerals, close syllables and some open syllables, in a two-dimensional frame.
*The learner should construct the four Tafi sticks and the Tafi plates in a Primary Workshop and should continue building and using the close and open syllables, until he or she is qualified and proficent enough to be awarded the Tafi Writing ProficiencyFirst Testimonial (Alphabets and Symbols).
FIGURE 24: TAFI FRAME
21 TAFI TEMPLATE
This is a rectangular sheet of metal, plastic or wood in which the symbol for “figure 8” (the template symbol) is cut, as shown in Figure 25 below.
FIGURE 25. TAFI TEMPLATE
It provides a two-dimensional teaching aid and working tool for painting the Tafi vowels, consonants and numerals as well as indicating punctuation marks, mathematical symbols and tones. It is a useful tool to hang in every home.
21. TAFI CUBOID
The Tafi cuboid is a three-dimensional handy device made to facilitate learning the Tafi alphabet and writing by children. It is a hollow or solid body with 6 square faces, each one carrying a different symbol, as shown in Figure 26 below:
FIGURE 26: A CUBOID CARRYING BEARING A TAFI SYMBOL IN EACH OF THE 6 FACES
If the small squares containing the digits are folded (backwards) at the borders, a hollow cuboid is formed with a digit on each face. The bottom cuboid, held with the right hand, is used by an operator to project the 6 vowels. Two cuboids are needed, top cuboid held with left hand and the bottom cuboid in the right hand, for the operator to project a consonant towards a reader, observer or receiver.
A dot on top of a vowel, for indication of high tone of a short vowel, is indicated by covering a face symbol with the left fingers or left thumb. Two dots under a vowel, for punctuation marks, are indicated by covering a face symbol with the right fingers or right thumb. The reverse solidus in the top cuboid is used to indicate tones and lengths of long vowels.
*After this stage the student is tested for the award of Tafi Writing ProficiencySecond Testimonial (Template and Cuboid).
22. THE TAFI HAND AND THE FINGER SIGN-LANGUAGE
The digits and vowels are designated by fingers of the left and right hands, as depicted in Figure 27 below.
FIGURE 27: FINGERS OF THE HANDS INDICATING THE DIGITS
The thumb is the first finger and the sixth finger is at the base of the small (5th) finger. A right hand finger indicates one of the primary vowels. Junction of the left-hand finger on top of a right-hand finger indicates a hand-consonant. Another finger of the right hand under a hand-consonant give an open syllable. This may be followed by another hand-consonant to form a closed syllable. In this way a finger-sign language is created for communication with the deaf and dumb.
Tafi sign language or finger language is called Yatsunci in Hausa. The Yatsunci vowels, consonants and numerals are shown in Figure 28 below. Two numbers, top and bottom (1 – 6), signal a consonant or numeral and one bottom number (1 – 6) signals a vowel.
FIGURE 28: VOWELS AND CONSONANTS OF FINGER LANGUAGE
23. TAFI WRITING FOR THE BLIND
The Tafi vowels and consonants can be constructed from an arrangement of 7 horizontal and vertical bars (segments), a combination of 13 dots or a combination of 6 dots and 7 horizontal and vertical strokes, as shown in Figure 29 below.
FIGURE 29: DASHES AND DOTS OF TAFI WRITING FOR THE BLIND IN A 7-SEGMENT DISPLAY
The bars (segments), dots or strokes or dashes are raised in relief to become palpable. This gives a system of writing and printing, similar to Moon, which the blind can read by touch with the fingers. The strokes or dots are embossed in paper or raised over a surface to give a system of writing and printing similar to Braille for the blind to ‘read’ by touch with the fingers. Tafi Moon and Tafi Braille are readable by the sighted and the blind. This, with the finger sign-language, make Tafi an integrated system of writing for the physically fit as well as the physically challenged members of the society.
Tafi writing for the blind is called Shafta or Tabhanci in Hausa. The Shafta vowels, consonants and numerals are shown in Figure 30 below as embossed or cut on paper to form a kind of ‘Moon’, analogues of the Tafi letters:
FIGURE 30: EMBOSSED TAFI LETTERS AS ‘MOON’ FOR THE BLIND
The ‘Braille’ form consists of letters (vowels, consonants and numerals) in the form of dots shown in Figure 31 below, as the “dot-dot” braille:
FIGURE 31: TAFI DOT-DOT BRAILLE
A person who knows how to read Tafi with the eyes would find it easy read “Tafi Moon” and “Tafi Braille” with the fingers. This should enhance the teaching of these special methods of communication.
Another style of ‘Moon’ or ‘Braille’ consisting of dots and strokes or dashes, for the blind to ‘read’ by touch and the sighted to read by seeing, is shown in Figure 32 below, as the “dot-dash” braille: This is a remarkable development.
FIGURE 32: TAFI DOT-DASH BRAILLE
A stroke or dash is two or three times the length or width of a dot. A letter or numeral is identified by the combination or orientation of the 7 horizontal and vertical strokes, with the dots standing as guiding points.
24. TAFI HARMONY CODE
Tafi can be composed in a code of dots and dashes (like telegraphy), called Harmony Code. The Harmony Code, for the digits/vowels and mathematical symbols, is shown in Figure 33 below:
FIGURE 33: TAFI HARMONY CODE FOR VOWELS, PUNCTUATION MARKS AND MATHEMATICAL SYMBOLS
A dot ( . ) has a time duration of one ‘tap’ or ‘dit’, short a. A short line or stroke ( – ), da or dash, called half-note has a duration of two dots or two dits plus a separation, long a. A note has a time duration of four dots plus separations. A rest as the absence of a touch, tap or sound is indicated by two short lines ( = ) a long o.
The Harmony Code, also called ‘Life Code’, for the vowels, consonants and the numerals of Tafi writing, is shown in Figure 34 below, with the codes put vertically.
FIGURE 34: TAFI HARMONY CODE FOR VOWELS AND CONSONANTS
One great advantage of the Harmony Code (called Bugutu in Hausa) is that the signals can be rendered for seeing, hearing (by taps) and feeling (by touch). So the Code can be used for communicating with the blind deaf-mute through the sense of touch.
The Harmony Code gives out the ‘sound’ of writing, for a call to enlightenment.
A rhythmic rendition of the Harmony Codes makes music.
25. TAFI ARM SIGNALLING
In Tafi arm signalling the transmitter stands facing the receiver. Each of the six different positions of the stretched arm, alone or holding a flag or bat, in relation to the vertically erect human body, represents a digit or vowel, The five directions of the stretched arm at angles of 0o, 45o, 90o, 135o and 180o (in a vertical plane) with respect to the upward vertical, stand for the 5 digits. The stretched arm pointing directly in front (in a horizontal plane) indicates the 6th digit. The blank or neutral position is indicated with the left arm across the chest.
Figure 35 below shows the positions of the stretched arms depicting the 6 digits or vowels. The stretched left and right arms, in six different (radial) positions, indicate the consonants. The top digit is indicated by the left arm and the bottom digit by the right arm. The vowels are indicated by the positions of the right arm. Letters and words are signalled with the receiver in sight.
FIGURE 35: POSITIONS OF STRETCHED ARMS INDICATING 6 TAFI DIGITS
Conversion of the Tafi letters into arm signalling, like semaphore (visual telegraphy) provides a good exercise for the brain and the body. Tafi arm signalling can be used, like finger language or harmony code, to communicate with the deaf and/or dumb. Tafi arm signalling may even be employed to communicate with domestic animals and birds.
26. BINARY CODE FOR TAFI
Five-unit binary numbers are required to represent the 16 digits of Tafi writing. These can then be combined in twos to give the 36 consonants as ten-unit binary numbers. The five-unit binary numbers representing the vowels and the ten-unit numbers representing the consonants of Tafi writing are shown in Figure 36 below:
FIGURE 36: BINARY CODE FOR TAFI VOWELS AND CONSONANTS
Tafi writing can be executed as a sequence of ten-unit binary numbers. So, Tafi writing is amenable to processing by digital computers. It is difficult but not impossible for humans to communicate in writing with binary numbers greater than five digits, but computers can easily and quickly deal with binary numbers of hundreds of digits. Binary numbers afford a means for humans to communicate with machines.
*At this stage the student is tested for the award of Tafi Writing ProficiencyThird Testimonial (Finger Language, Special Writing and Codes ).
27. COMPATIBILITY WITH THE ENGLISH TYPEWRITER KEYBOARD
A few Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba consonants are not found in English and not available in the English typewriter or computer keyboard. These are replaced by digraphs as bh, dt, gb, gh, kp, nh, sh and ts. The English letter q is used in Hausa for the ‘hooked’ k. There is great advantage in using the familiar and world-wide English typewriter/computer keyboard for Hausa, Igbo, Yoruba and other Nigerian languages, without the need for additional keys. It is hoped to construct a Tafi keyboard where each vowel is represented by one key pressed by one finger of the hands and each consonant is represented by two keys pressed by two fingers of the hands.
28. AN IMPRESSION OF TAFI TYPEWRITER
The symmetrical keyboard of proposed Tafi typewriter is shown in Figure 37 below.
FIGURE 37: AN IMPRESSION OF TAFI TYPEWRITER
The typewriter consists of 4 rows of 17 keys operated by the left hand and another 4 rows of 17 keys operated by the right hand. Depressing a key with the left-hand finger, types the apostrophe, quotation mark or mark to indicate tone and length of a vowel. Depressing a key with the right-hand finger types a vowel, mathematical symbol, a comma or full stop. Depressing two keys with a left-hand finger and a right-hand finger simultaneously, types a consonantal letter, a numeral or a vowel with its tone mark. The space bar is in the middle and the shift keys are for some other functions. Typing will involve only slight up and down movements of the hands.
The challenge now is for the mechanical, electrical and electronics engineers, technologists, technicians and craftsmen to design, re-design, draw and fabricate a practical Tafi typewriter.
29. UNIVERSAL TAFI CHARACTERS
With the 16 digits of Tafi Writing a total of 256 (not all unique) characters can be formed as shown in Figure 38 below.
FIGURE 38: 256 UNIVERSAL TAFI CHARACTERS
This gives the Universal Tafi Characters (UTC). The Universal Tafi Alphabet (UTA) of 81 letters is contained in the box. Characters with one or two dots below a digit are used as punctuation marks and other symbols. One dot above a digit indicates the high tone of a short vowel.
30. UNIVERSAL TAFI ALPHABET
The vowels and consonants of Universal Tafi Alphabet (UTA) of 100 (not all unique) characters is shown in Figure 39 below with the tentative Ajami (Arabic) and Latin equivalents.
FIGURE 39: THE UNIVERSAL TAFI ALPHABET (UTA)
The UTA is sufficient for the languages of the World to be put in Tafi writing. There are provisions for extra consonants to cater for the other languages of Nigeria, Africa and the World.
Additional Arabic vowels (diacritical marks) are required.
31. TONE AND LENGTH OF A VOWEL
Nigerian languages, like most of the other African languages, are vocalic and tonal in nature. This is what makes them musical .They need vowels and indication of tone and length of a vowel. The space above a vowel, after a consonant, is left for indication of tone or length of the vowel. Figure 40 below shows the signs used above a vowel to indicate the tone (low or high) and length (short or long) of the vowel. The low/short vowel is left blank, the high/short vowel is indicated by a dot, the low/long tone is indicated by a reverse solidus and the high/long vowel by a solidus.
Figure 40 also gives a sentence in Hausa (translation: We will go to school to learn writing and reading), written in Tafi with the tones and lengths of vowels indicated.It is not always necessary to indicate the tones and lengths of vowel as the context usually give away the respective tones and and lengths of the vowels.
FIGURE 40: TONE AND LENGTH OF A VOWEL
With the addition of tones and lengths of vowels, a written passage could be raad with the same intonation by all readers. So there would be fuli correlation between writing and reading, which is the aim of phonologists.
32. DESIGNATION OF THE IGBO AND YORUBA SECONDARY (DOTTED) VOWELS.
Special signs have been created for the Igbo and Yoruba secondary vowels. In the Latin (Boko) alphabet. These vowels are e, i, o and u with a dot underneath. The secondary vowels also carry marks for tone (low or high) and length (short or long) of a vowel as shown in Figure 41 below:
FIGURE 41: IGBO AND YORUBA SECONDARY VOWELS WITH INDICATION OF TONE AND LENGTH
33. HAUSA, IGBO AND YORUBA IN THE AJAMI (ARABIC) SCRIPT
The Universal Tafi Alphabet, in Figure 39, contains the Arabic Characters for the 36 consonants of the Pan-Nigerian Tafi Alphabet. What remains is to create additional marks as vowels so that Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba can be written phonemically in the Arabic letters.
The Hausa language has been written in the Arabic script, called Ajami, for over 300 years. This may also be the case for Fulfulde and Kanuri. It is possible, with additional (primary and secondary) vowels to put Igbo and Yoruba in the Ajami writing. Hausa needs two additional primary vowels (e and o). Igbo and Yoruba require the additional primary vowels and four secondary (dotted) vowels. The complete set of 6 primary vowels and 4 secondary vowels, for Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba, is shown in Figure 42 below:
FIGURE 42: SIX PRIMARY VOWELS AND FOUR SECONDARY VOWELS FOR HAUSA, IGBO AND YORUBA IN THE ARABIC SCRIPT
Putting the Igbo and Yoruba languages into the Arabic Alphabet should be a worthwhile intellectual exercise. It would remove the ignorance and social stigma between Nigerians, thereby engendering mutual respect and love. It would be of great advantage, socially, economically and politically, to have the exuberant Igbo language, the vibrant Yoruba language and the tolerant Hausa language, in three writings, Ajami (Arabic), Boko (Latin) and Tafi. For the foreseeable future, the fittest should survive in a strong, progressive, peaceful and united Nigeria.
34. TAFI QUICK WRITING (SHORTHAND)
The vowel following a consonant may be joined under the consonant, to give the two-joint method of writing, as shown below. This may be further simplified and developed into Tafi quick writing or shorthand or quickhand as (printed and handwritten) in Figure 43 below.
FIGURE 43: DEVELOPMENT OF TAFI “QUICKHAND”
35. EVOLUTION OF TAFI
Tafi was evolved, intermittently, over a long time spanning many years. It has taken the best from the existing systems of alphabetic writings, particularly Latin and Arabic and many writings, developed during the 20th century, in West Africa. The effort culminated in the publication of a book titled: A STUDY OF WRITING AND DEVELOPMENT OF TAFI – A New Nigerian Writing – in 1978. The front cover of the book is reproduced in Figure 44 below.
All glory is to the Almighty God for sparing our lives to this day and giving us the power to evolve the Tafi Writing. May Tafi be the instrument for revitalizing education and invigorating and uniting the people for peaceful coexistence and sustainable development not only in Nigeria and Africa but throughout the World.
1. VOWELS, CONSONANTS AND NUMERALS OF ENGLISH TEACHING TAFI ALPHABET (ETTA)
The vowels and consonants of English Teaching Tafi Alphabet (ETTA), based on the Initial Teaching Alphabet (ITA), are shown in Figure 1. The ITA was designed in 1960 for use in some schools in England, to teach children how to write and read English quickly and effectively.
FIGURE 1: VOWELS AND CONSONANTS OF ENGLISH TEACHING TAFI ALPHABET
2. WRITE-UP ON ENGLISH TEACHING TAFI ALPHABET (ETTA)
There is no reason why Tafi writing in English must follow the orthodox English orthography. Many attempts made in the past by well-meaning individuals (American Statesman Benjamin Franklin, English educationist Sir Isaac Pittman and others) to reform the English orthography met a brick-wall. The recent program in the United States of America to rationalize English orthography, was not honored. It is found that reform of orthography is virtually impossible within the same alphabet. With Tafi, a new alphabet, there is no accepted orthography to stick to and change is possible without bruising any habit.
The greatest obstacle to learning English as a second language or national language, is the inconsistent orthography. Since English in Nigeria has come to stay, we should have a say on any way it may be delivered and taught. A book on English Teaching Tafi Alphabet (ETTA) is hereby presented, the front cover is shown in Figure 2.
FIGURE 2: FRONT COVER OF BOOK ON ENGLISH TEACHING TAFI ALPHABET
The idea is to use the popular English Keyboard, without new letters or additional keys, for composing Hausa, Igbo or Yoruba manuscripts. This is to a great advantage as an extended Keyboard would not be necessary. Figure 1 shows the QWERTY Keyboard with the Tafi fonts (red) installed.
FIGURE 1: COMPUTER QWERTY KEYBOARD WITH THE TAFI FONTS (RED) INSTALLED
Click the link below to view/read/download the BOOK ON ENGLISH KEYBOARD FOR TAFI WRITING:
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