Yaña imlâ alphabet

Yaña imlâ (Tatar: Яңа имля, pronounced [jʌˈŋɑ imˈlʲæ], lit. "New orthography") was a modified variant of Arabic script that was in use for the Tatar language between 1920–1927. The orthographical reform modified İske imlâ, abolishing excess Arabic letters, adding letters for short vowels e, ı, ö, o. Yaña imlâ made use of "Arabic Letter Low Alef" ⟨ࢭ⟩ to indicate vowel harmony. Arguably, Yaña imlâ had as its goal the accommodation of the alphabet to the actual Tatar pronunciation.

Yaña imlâ
Type	Alphabet with some elements of an abjad
Languages	Tatar, Bashkir
Time period	1920 to 1928
Parent systems	Arabic alphabet Persian alphabet Chagatay alphabet İske imlâ Yaña imlâ

Cover page of Tatar Yana imla book, printed with Separated Arabic script in 1924

Tatar book from 1925 written in the Yaña imlâ showing use of "Arabic Letter Low Alef" to designate vowel harmony

There were some projects that were to simplify Yaña imlâ too. The unique separated Arabic was invented (so as to use typewriters). Separated Arabic was even incorporated in the early flag of Tatar ASSR, though it was not in real use.

As early as in 1924 the first projects of Latin script were introduced and in 1928 alphabet was switched to the Latin Yañalif alphabet.

Zamanälif	Isolated	Final	Medial	Initial	Jaꞑalif	Modern Cyrillic Tatar alphabet	Notes
a	ئا‎	ـا‎	ا‎	ئا‎	a	а
ä	ئە‎	ـە‎	ـە‎	ئە‎	ə	ә
p	پ‎	ـپ‎	ـپـ‎	پـ‎	p	п
b	ب‎	ـب‎	ـبـ‎	بـ‎	ʙ	б
t	ت‎	ـت‎	ـتـ‎	تـ‎	t	т
c	ج ‎	ـج‎	ـجـ‎	جـ‎	ç	җ
ç	چ‎	ـچ‎	ـچـ‎	چـ‎	c	ч
x	ح‎	ـح‎	ـحـ‎	حـ‎	x	х
d	د‎	ـد‎	ـد‎	د‎	d	д
r	ر‎	ـر‎	ـر‎	ر‎	r	р
z	ز‎	ـز‎	ـز‎	ز‎	z	з
j	ژ‎	ـژ‎	ـژ‎	ژ‎	ƶ	ж
s	س‎	ـس‎	ـسـ‎	سـ‎	s	с
ş	ش‎	ـش‎	ـشـ‎	شـ‎	ş	ш
ğ	ع‎	ـع‎	ـعـ‎	عـ‎	ƣ	г(ъ)	Alternative Cyrillic transcription: ғ
f	ف‎	ـف‎	ـفـ‎	فـ‎	f	ф
q	ق‎	ـق‎	ـقـ‎	قـ‎	q	к(ъ)	Alternative Cyrillic transcription: қ
k	ک‎	ـک‎	ـکـ‎	کـ‎	k	к
g	گ‎	ـگ‎	ـگـ‎	گـ‎	g	г
ñ	ڭ‎	ـڭ‎	ـڭـ‎	–	ꞑ	ң	Initial form not used due to the absence of ⟨ŋ⟩ as an initial consonant
l	ل‎	ـل‎	ـلـ‎	لـ‎	l	л
m	م‎	ـم‎	ـمـ‎	مـ‎	m	м
n	ن‎	ـن‎	ـنـ‎	نـ‎	n	н
w	و‎	ـو‎	ـو‎	و‎	v	в	Alternative Cyrillic transcription: ў
y	ی‎	ـى‎	ـیـ‎	یـ‎	j	й
i, í	ئی‎	ـى‎	ـیـ‎	ئیـ‎	i, ьj	и, ый	ࢭئی‎ for í ئی‎ for i
u, ü	ئو‎	ـو‎	ـو‎	ئو‎	u, y	у, ү	ࢭئو‎ for u ئو‎ for ü
o, ö	ئۇ‎	ـۇ‎	ـۇ‎	ئۇ‎	o, ɵ	о, ө	ࢭئۇ‎ for o ئۇ‎ for ö
ı, e	ئ‎	ـئ‎	ـئـ‎	ئـ‎	ь, e	ы, е	ࢭئـ‎ for ı ئـ‎ for e
h	ه‎	ـه‎	ـهـ‎	هـ‎	h	һ

See also

• Tatar alphabet
• Tatar language

Sources

• "Arabic alphabet". Tatar Encyclopaedia (in Tatar). Kazan: The Republic of Tatarstan Academy of Sciences. Institution of the Tatar Encyclopaedia. 2002.