The Belarusian Arabic alphabet [a] or the Belarusian Arabica [b] [1] was based on the Perso-Arabic script and was developed in the 15th or 16th century. It consisted of 28 graphemes, including several additions to represent Belarusian phonemes not found in the Arabic language.
The Belarusian Arabic alphabet was used by the Lipka Tatars, who had been invited to settle in the eastern territories of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania—a region that now comprises modern-day Belarus. During the 14th–16th centuries they gradually stopped using their own language and started using the Ruthenian language (modern Belarusian and Ukrainian) rendered in the Belarusian Arabic alphabet. Books of that literary tradition are known in Belarusian as Kitab (Belarusian : Кітаб), which is Arabic for 'book' or 'written material'.
Some Polish texts were also written in the Arabic script in the 17th century or later. [2]
/a/ is consistently written long (that is, with a mater lectionis), while /e/ is consistently written short.
/o/ is most commonly written long. [3]
Cyrillic | Latin | Arabic | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Contextual forms | Isolated | ||||
Final | Medial | Initial | |||
Ла ла, Ля ля | Ła ła, La la | ـلا | لا |
Below is a sample text, Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. [4]
Belarusian Cyrillic alphabet | Усе людзі нараджаюцца свабоднымі i роўнымі ў сваёй годнасці i правах. Яны надзелены розумам i сумленнем i павінны ставіцца адзін да аднаго ў духу брацтва. |
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Belarusian Latin alphabet | Usie ludzi naradžajucca svabodnymi i roŭnymi ŭ svajoj hodnaści i pravach. Jany nadzieleny rozumam i sumlenniem i pavinny stavicca adzin da adnaho ŭ duchu bractva. |
Belarusian Arabic alphabet | اُوسَ ليُوࢮِى نَارَاجَايُوࢯَّا صْوَابَودْنِمِى اِى رَووْنِمِى وصْوَايَويْ هَودْنَاسْتِى اِى پْرَاوَاحْ. يَانِ نَاࢮَلَنِ رَوضُومَامْ اِى صُومْلَنَّمْ اِى پَاوِىنِّ صْتَاوِىࢯَّا آࢮِىنْ دَا آدْنَاهَو ودُوحُو بْرٰاࢯْطْوَا. |
Belarusian IPA transcription | [u̯sʲeˈlʲud͡zʲɪnərɐˈd͡ʐajʊt͡sːəsvɐˈbodnɨmʲɪiˈrou̯nɨmʲɪu̯svɐˈjojˈɦodnəsʲt͡sʲɪiprɐˈvax‖jɐˈnɨnɐˈd͡zʲelʲɪnɨˈrozʊməmisʊˈmlʲenʲːɪmipɐˈvʲinːɨˈstavʲɪt͡sːəɐˈd͡zʲindaədnɐˈɦou̯ˈduxʊˈbrat͡stvə‖] |
English 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. |