View source for Aromanian alphabet

{{Short description|Variant of the Latin script used for writing the Aromanian language}}
{{Aromanians sidebar}}
The '''Aromanian alphabet''' ({{langx|rup|Alfabetu armãnescu/rrãmãnescu}}) is a variant of the [[Latin script]] used for writing the [[Aromanian language]]. The current version of the alphabet was suggested in 1997 at the ''Symposium for Standardisation of the Aromanian Writing System'' in [[Bitola]], [[Republic of North Macedonia]] and revised in 1999. It was then adopted by most Aromanian writers in [[North Macedonia]], [[Serbia]], [[Albania]], [[Bulgaria]] and [[Romania]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Cunia |first=Tiberius |author-link=Tiberius Cunia |date=2000–2001 |title=On the Standardization of the Aromanian System of Writing: The Bituli-Macedonia Symposium of August 1997 |url=http://www.farsarotul.org/nl23_3.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080221090634/http://www.farsarotul.org/nl23_3.htm |archive-date=February 21, 2008 |access-date=2008-03-01 |website=Society Farsarotu}}</ref>

==Alphabet==
The alphabet consists of several letters and [[digraph (orthography)|digraphs]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Aromanian (Armâneaşti) |url=https://omniglot.com/writing/aromanian.htm |access-date=2022-04-01 |website=Omniglot}}</ref> The Aromanian alphabet is since 1997 standardized.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Letter
! Name<ref>{{Cite magazine |date=2014 |title=Alfabetul a limbâljei armâneascâ |url=https://issuu.com/leogjata/docs/rev_55_soni |magazine=Bana Armâneascâ |volume=1 |issue=55 |pages=3–5 |via=Issuu}}</ref>
! Pronunciation ([[International Phonetic Alphabet|IPA]])
! Notes
|-
| [[A]], a 
| a 
| {{IPAslink|a}}
| –
|-
| [[Ã]], ã
| ã 
| {{IPAslink|ə}}, {{IPAslink|ɨ}} (sometimes)
| –
|-
| [[B]], b
| bã 
| {{IPAslink|b}}
| – 
|-
| [[C]], c 
| cã
| {{IPAslink|k}}, {{IPAslink|tʃ}}, {{IPAslink|x}}
| {{IPA|/k/}} when followed by "a", "o", "u" or a consonant; ({{IPA|/x/}} in some dialects), {{IPA|/tʃ/}} when followed by "e" or "i"
|-
| [[D]], d
| dã
| {{IPAslink|d}}
| – 
|-
| [[Dh (digraph)|Dh]], dh 
| | dhã 
| {{IPAslink|ð}}
| Used only for notation in particular accents where this phoneme is present, otherwise "d" is used
|-
| [[Dz (digraph)|Dz]], dz
| dzã
| {{IPAslink|dz}}
| –
|-
| [[E]], e 
| e 
| {{IPAslink|ɛ}}
| – 
|-
| [[F]], f 
| fã 
| {{IPAslink|f}}
| – 
|-
| [[G]], g 
| gã
| {{IPAslink|ɡ}}, {{IPAslink|dʒ}}, {{IPAslink|ɣ}}
| {{IPA|/ɡ/}} before "a", "o", "u" or a consonant ({{IPA|/ɣ/}} in some dialects), {{IPA|/dʒ/}} before "e" and "i"
|-
| [[Gh (digraph)|Gh]], gh 
| ghã
| {{IPAslink|ɟ}}
| before "e" and "i"
|-
| [[H]], h 
| hã 
| {{IPAslink|h}}
| – 
|-
| [[I]], i 
| i 
| {{IPAslink|i}}
| – 
|-
| [[J]], j 
| jã
| {{IPAslink|ʒ}}
|
|-
| [[K]], k 
| ca 
| {{IPAslink|c}}
| before "e" or "i" only
|-
| [[L]], l 
| lã 
| {{IPAslink|l}}
| –
|-
| [[Lj (digraph)|Lj]], lj 
| ljã
| {{IPAslink|ʎ}}
| Found in [[Romanization of Macedonian|Macedonian Latin alphabet]]
|-
| [[M]], m
| mã 
| {{IPAslink|m}}
| –
|-
| [[N]], n 
| nã 
| {{IPAslink|n}}
| –
|-
| [[Nj (digraph)|Nj]], nj
| njã
| {{IPAslink|ɲ}}
| Found in [[Romanization of Macedonian|Macedonian Latin alphabet]]
|-
| [[O]], o 
| o 
| {{IPAslink|o}}
| –
|-
| [[P]], p 
| pã
| {{IPAslink|p}}
| – 
|-
| [[Q]], q 
| kiu 
| {{IPAslink|k}}
| Used only in foreign words – "c" is normally used instead
|-
| [[R]], r 
| rã
| {{IPAslink|r}}
| – 
|-
| [[Rr (digraph)|Rr]], rr 
| rrã
| {{IPAslink|r}}
| Used only for notation in particular accents where this phoneme is present, otherwise "r" is used 
|-
| [[S]], s 
| sã
| {{IPAslink|s}}
| – 
|-
| [[Sh (digraph)|Sh]], sh
| shã
| {{IPAslink|ʃ}}
| – 
|-
| [[T]], t 
| tã
| {{IPAslink|t}}
| – 
|-
| [[Th (digraph)|Th]], th 
| thã 
| {{IPAslink|θ}}
| Used only for notation in particular accents where this phoneme is present, otherwise "t" is used
|-
| [[Ts (digraph)|Ts]], ts 
| tsã
| {{IPAslink|ts}}
| – 
|-
| [[U]], u 
| u 
| {{IPAslink|u}}, {{IPAslink|ʷ}}
| For {{IPAslink|ʷ}}, "ù" may be used
|-
| [[V]], v 
| vã
| {{IPAslink|v}}
| –
|-
| [[W]], w 
| dublã vã
| {{IPAslink|w}}
| Used only in foreign words
|-
| [[X]], x 
| csã/gzã 
| {{IPA|/ks/}}, {{IPA|/ɡz/}}
| Same pronunciation as found in [[English language|English]]
|-
| [[Y]], y
| i greacã
| {{IPAslink|j}}, {{IPAslink|ɣ}}
| {{IPA|/j/}} before "e" and "i", {{IPA|/ɣ/}} elsewhere
|-
| [[Z]], z 
| zã
| {{IPAslink|z}}
| –
|-
|}

==History==
Prior to adoption of the current writing system, Aromanian had been written using a wide variety of scripts, including [[Greek alphabet|Greek]] and [[Cyrillic script|Cyrillic]].

With the standardisation of [[Romanian language|Romanian]], a language closely related to Aromanian, and the opening of Romanian schools in the southern [[Balkans]], the [[Romanian alphabet]] was used to write Aromanian.

In the 1980s and 1990s, there was a renewed push for creating a standard writing system. Aromanian began being taught in schools in North Macedonia, Albania, and Romania. Members of various Aromanian societies around the world held conferences every few years, all with the main goal of promoting a standard Aromanian alphabet.

Besides the standardized alphabet, there still exist other variants. Those based on the Latin alphabet often use the letters â, ă, î, ș, ț (as does Romanian) and also ḑ, ľ, ń. In [[Greece]], Aromanian is usually written using the Greek script.

==See also==
* [[Cyrillic alphabet]]
* [[Greek alphabet]]
* [[Istro-Romanian alphabet]]
* [[Megleno-Romanian alphabet]]
* [[Romanian alphabet]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{Language orthographies}}
{{Aromanians}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Aromanian Alphabet}}
[[Category:Aromanian language|alphabet]]
[[Category:Latin alphabets]]
[[Category:Writing systems introduced in 1997]]