iŋliʃ fidæl is an adaptation of the Gəʿəz abugida for English devised by Isaac Mayer. To adapt the Gəʿəz script several modifications had to be made. English has several consonants without an equivalent in Gəʿəz. In some cases, these sounds were applied to letters that made non-native sounds in English. These were selected based on phonological relationships or sound shifts found in other languages.
In other cases, specifically for /v/, /ʃ/, /t͡ʃ/, /ʒ/, and /d͡ʒ/, certain languages using the Gəʿəz script have altered letters that signify those sounds, so iŋliʃ fidæl uses those letters.
One of the greatest challenges in adapting Gəʿəz for iŋliʃ fidæl is that the English vowel system is insanely complex compared to the Gəʿəz seven-vowel system. So iŋliʃ fidæl doesn’t distinguish between the short and long vowels in English. The seven marked vowels in iŋliʃ fidæl are thus:
This can sometimes lead to ambiguities, but in context, this is quite rare. And as a matter of fact, most English dialects don’t distinguish between the two in a standard manner, which makes iŋliʃ fidæl usable for any English dialect! As in Gəʿəz, the shwa vowel is used to mark the lack of a vowel. Unlike in Gəʿəz, though, diphthongs are marked with the addition of another letter - a /j/ for /aɪ/ and /ɔɪ/, and a /w/ for /aʊ/.
Download an alphabet chart for iŋliʃ fidæl (Excel)
ኡል፡ህዩምን፡ቢዪዕዝ፡ኡር፡ብርን፡ፍሪ፡አንድ፡ኢክውል፡ኢን፡ዲግንቲ፡አንድ፡ረይትስ።ፄ፡እቭ፡እንደውድ፡ዊጥ፡ሪዝን፡አንድ፡ካንሽንስ፡አንድ፡ሹድ፡አክት፡ትዎርድዝ፡ውን፡እንፅር፡ኢን፡ኤ፡ስፒሪት፡እቭ፡ብርፅርሁድ።፨
(ዩኒቬርስል፡ዴክልሬሽን፡እቭ፡ህዩምን፡ረይትስ፦ኡርቲክል፡፩፨)
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)
Ajalaptlajkuilolistli, Čveneburuli / Judeo-Georgian, Grekoiberieraren Alfabeto Berria, Hágrít Nyelv, Inglith, iŋliʃ fidæl, nā hōʻailona ʻōlelo, Pikchukunap Qillqa, Ṣəḥəfätä Ǝsəraelawi, Tianjinjiao, Yahudi Türkçesi, Yūdu lipi
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