Atʼákaz bee yádeiiltiʼí

The Atʼákaz bee yádeiiltiʼí abugida was invented in 2025 by Nicholas Fox, a non-Navajo from the US who loves to learn the phonology and grammar of the world's languages. In 1937, the Bureau of Indian Affairs chose a Latin alphabet based orthography for the Navajo language. This is an attempt to imagine an alternative history, where a native Navajo linguist develops an indigenous writing system from scratch.

The name "Atʼákaz bee yádeiiltiʼí" roughly means "thing we use to communicate with a quill" in Navajo. The goals of this script are:

a unique and beautiful look and feel
a pen-and-ink based writing system
to fit the phonology of the Navajo language
to be minimally influenced by the English language

The abugida is meant to use phonological spelling. Navajo has certain predictable phonological rules that might favor morphological spelling, but this author is not skilled enough in the language to encode those rules correctly and so did not attempt to.

Notable features

Type of writing system: alphabetic syllabary (abugida with a null default vowel)
Direction of writing: left to right
Used to write: Navajo (Diné Bizaad)
Consonants with a similar place of articulation have a similar shape.
Consonants indicate manner of articulation via a pattern of doubling and/or the adding of vertical strokes to the base shape.
Vowel tone and length is indicated by vertical placement and horizontal length of vowels above or below the consonant.

Atʼákaz bee yádeiiltiʼí

Atʼákaz bee yádeiiltiʼí consonants

Vowels

Atʼákaz bee yádeiiltiʼí vowels

Diphthongs

Atʼákaz bee yádeiiltiʼí diphthongs

Notes

The vowels in the chart are shown attached to the glyph for "n" to form ni, ne, na, ...
Vowels that stand alone at the start of a word must be appended to a glottal stop (') and form 'i, 'e, ...
Syllabic "n" and "ń" are written the same as "ni" and "ní" respectively.
Ligatures and compact, free spacing are encouraged.
Spaces may be placed between words or omitted.
Punctuation is as in English or is omitted.

Sample text

Sample text in Navajo in the Atʼákaz bee yádeiiltiʼí script

Transliteration

Bílaʼashdlaʼii tʼáá ałtsoh yiníkʼehgo bidizhchįh dóó aheełtʼeego ílį́į́go bee baahóchįʼ. Eíí háníʼ dóó hánítshakees hwiihdaasyaʼ eíí binahjį́ʼ ahidiníłnáhgo álíleekʼehgo kʼé bee ahił niidlį́.

Translation

All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.
(Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights)

Information about Navajo | Phrases | Numbers | Family words | Tower of Babel

Constructed and adapted scripts for Navajo

Atʼákaz bee yádeiiltiʼí, Cyrillic Navajo, Diné Arabíłígíí, Osage for Navajo

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