Hausa belongs to the Chadic branch of the Afroasiatic family (see the chapter on Origins). It has two writing traditions. Ajami is Hausa written in Arabic letters with a few extra signs; it was used for poetry, letters, chronicles and religious teaching long before European contact (see the chapter on Islam). Boko is the Latin-letter orthography introduced under British rule in the early twentieth century, later revised and now the standard in schools, newspapers and the internet.
The Latin alphabet has about thirty letters, once digraphs are counted. Most are familiar, but a few need explanation. Three are written with a hook: ɓ and ɗ are “implosives”, made by drawing air in as the lips or tongue close, and ƙ is a “glottalised” k, a sharp k with a pop in the throat. The letter ƴ is a glottalised y and appears in words such as ƴa (daughter). Spelling c is pronounced as English “ch” and j as in “jam”. The digraph ts is a sharp, ejective sound, and sh is as in English.
Because the hooked letters are missing from many keyboards, Hausa is often typed without them (d for ɗ, k for ƙ). Readers cope, but the hooks change words: kudi (money) and ƙudi (a fly) are different words. Proper fonts and keyboards now support the hooks.
- Ajami
- Hausa written in Arabic-based letters.
- Boko
- The Latin-letter Hausa orthography, also a word for Western-style education.
- Ɓ, ɗ, ƙ, ƴ
- The four hooked letters, each a separate sound.
Sources for this article
- Newman 2000, chapters on sounds and writing
- Jaggar 2001, chapters on phonology and orthography
- Unsigned overview (n.d.), section “Prosody, Ajami, and Literary Evolution” (outline)