Shavian an alternative alphabet for English
Shavian Character set:
𐑐 𐑑 𐑒 𐑓 𐑔 𐑕 𐑖 𐑗 𐑘 𐑙 𐑚 𐑛 𐑜 𐑝 𐑞 𐑟
𐑠 𐑡 𐑢 𐑣 𐑤 𐑥 𐑦 𐑧 𐑨 𐑩 𐑪 𐑫 𐑬 𐑭 𐑮 𐑯
𐑰 𐑱 𐑲 𐑳 𐑴 𐑵 𐑶 𐑷 𐑸 𐑹 𐑺 𐑻 𐑼 𐑽 𐑾 𐑿
English writing system is inconsistent, complex, fossilised and full of traps even for the best spellers. Reading and writing in Shavian, a purpose-built alphabet for modern English, sets the language free from the hide-bound and often arbitrary rules set by grammarians and lexicographers of centuries past.
Much has been written about English language spelling reform over the centuries. The debates have been mostly fruitless. Like Shaw himself, I do not think the Shavian alphabet will replace traditional English orthography within the foreseeable future. Even the inestimable hangul script, perfectly designed for the Korean language, took over 450 years from its creation to its first use in an official document.
The design of the Shavian alphabet is too wonderful to be allowed to fall into obscurity. It had a fascinating origin story and was a thing of beauty. Additionally, a lot of work had been done by people like Michael Everson in the late 1990s and early 2000s to have Shavian added to the Unicode standard.
𐑦𐑙𐑜𐑤𐑦𐑖 𐑮𐑲𐑑𐑦𐑙 𐑕𐑦𐑕𐑑𐑩𐑥 𐑦𐑟 𐑦𐑯𐑒𐑩𐑯𐑕𐑦𐑕𐑑𐑩𐑯𐑑, 𐑒𐑭𐑥𐑐𐑤𐑧𐑒𐑕, 𐑓𐑭𐑕𐑩𐑤𐑲𐑟𐑑 𐑯 𐑓𐑫𐑤 𐑝 𐑑𐑮𐑨𐑐𐑕 𐑰𐑝𐑦𐑯 𐑓𐑸 𐑞 𐑚𐑧𐑕𐑑 𐑕𐑐𐑧𐑤𐑼𐑟. 𐑮𐑰𐑛𐑦𐑙 𐑯 𐑮𐑲𐑑𐑦𐑙 𐑦𐑯 𐑖𐑱𐑝𐑰𐑩𐑯, 𐑱 𐑐𐑻𐑐𐑩𐑕 - 𐑚𐑦𐑤𐑑 𐑨𐑤𐑓𐑩𐑚𐑧𐑑 𐑓𐑸 𐑥𐑭𐑛𐑼𐑯 𐑦𐑙𐑜𐑤𐑦𐑖, 𐑕𐑧𐑑𐑕 𐑞 𐑤𐑨𐑙𐑜𐑢𐑦𐑡 𐑓𐑮𐑰 𐑓𐑼𐑥 𐑞 𐑣𐑲𐑛 - 𐑚𐑬𐑯𐑛 𐑯 𐑭𐑓𐑩𐑯 𐑸𐑚𐑦𐑑𐑮𐑧𐑮𐑰 𐑮𐑵𐑤𐑟 𐑕𐑧𐑑 𐑚𐑲 𐑜𐑮𐑩𐑥𐑧𐑮𐑰𐑩𐑯𐑟 𐑯 𐑤𐑧𐑒𐑕𐑩𐑒𐑭𐑜𐑮𐑩𐑓𐑼𐑟 𐑝 𐑕𐑧𐑯𐑗𐑼𐑰𐑟 𐑐𐑨𐑕𐑑.
𐑥𐑳𐑗 𐑣𐑨𐑟 𐑚𐑦𐑯 𐑮𐑦𐑑𐑩𐑯 𐑚𐑬𐑑 𐑦𐑙𐑜𐑤𐑦𐑖 𐑤𐑨𐑙𐑜𐑢𐑦𐑡 𐑕𐑐𐑧𐑤𐑰𐑙 𐑮𐑦𐑓𐑸𐑥 𐑴𐑝𐑼 𐑞 𐑕𐑧𐑯𐑗𐑼𐑰𐑟. 𐑞 𐑛𐑩𐑚𐑱𐑑𐑕 𐑣𐑨𐑝 𐑚𐑦𐑯 𐑥𐑴𐑕𐑤𐑰 𐑓𐑮𐑵𐑑𐑤𐑩𐑕. 𐑤𐑲𐑒 𐑖𐑭 𐑣𐑦𐑥𐑕𐑧𐑤𐑓, 𐑲 𐑛𐑵 𐑯𐑭𐑑 𐑔𐑦𐑙𐑒 𐑞 𐑖𐑱𐑝𐑰𐑩𐑯 𐑨𐑤𐑓𐑩𐑚𐑧𐑑 𐑢𐑦𐑤 𐑼𐑐𐑤𐑱𐑕 𐑑𐑮𐑩𐑛𐑦𐑖𐑩𐑯𐑩𐑤 𐑦𐑙𐑜𐑤𐑦𐑖 𐑸𐑔𐑭𐑜𐑮𐑩𐑓𐑰 𐑢𐑦𐑞𐑦𐑯 𐑞 𐑓𐑹𐑕𐑰𐑩𐑚𐑩𐑤 𐑓𐑿𐑗𐑼. 𐑰𐑝𐑦𐑯 𐑞 𐑦𐑯𐑧𐑕𐑑𐑩𐑥𐑩𐑚𐑩𐑤 hangul 𐑕𐑒𐑮𐑦𐑐𐑑, 𐑐𐑻𐑓𐑩𐑒𐑤𐑰 𐑛𐑦𐑟𐑲𐑯𐑛 𐑓𐑸 𐑞 𐑒𐑷𐑮𐑰𐑩𐑯 𐑤𐑨𐑙𐑜𐑢𐑦𐑡, 𐑑𐑫𐑒 𐑴𐑝𐑼 450 𐑘𐑼𐑟 𐑓𐑼𐑥 𐑦𐑑𐑕 𐑒𐑮𐑰𐑱𐑖𐑩𐑯 𐑑 𐑦𐑑𐑕 𐑓𐑼𐑮𐑕𐑑 𐑿𐑕 𐑦𐑯 𐑭𐑯 𐑩𐑓𐑦𐑖𐑩𐑤 𐑛𐑭𐑒𐑘𐑩𐑥𐑧𐑯𐑑.
𐑞 𐑛𐑦𐑟𐑲𐑯 𐑝 𐑞 𐑖𐑱𐑝𐑰𐑩𐑯 𐑨𐑤𐑓𐑩𐑚𐑧𐑑 𐑦𐑟 𐑑𐑵 𐑢𐑳𐑯𐑛𐑼𐑓𐑩𐑤 𐑑 𐑚𐑰 𐑩𐑤𐑬𐑛 𐑑 𐑓𐑭𐑤 𐑦𐑯𐑑𐑩 𐑩𐑚𐑕𐑒𐑘𐑫𐑮𐑦𐑑𐑰. 𐑦𐑑 𐑣𐑨𐑛 𐑱 𐑓𐑨𐑕𐑩𐑯𐑱𐑑𐑦𐑙 𐑭𐑮𐑦𐑡𐑦𐑯 𐑕𐑑𐑷𐑮𐑰 𐑯 𐑢𐑭𐑟 𐑱 𐑔𐑦𐑙 𐑝 𐑚𐑿𐑑𐑰. 𐑩𐑛𐑦𐑖𐑩𐑯𐑩𐑤𐑰, 𐑱 𐑤𐑭𐑑 𐑝 𐑢𐑼𐑮𐑒 𐑣𐑨𐑛 𐑚𐑦𐑯 𐑛𐑩𐑯 𐑚𐑲 𐑐𐑰𐑐𐑩𐑤 𐑤𐑲𐑒 ·𐑥𐑲𐑒𐑩𐑤 ·𐑧𐑝𐑼𐑕𐑩𐑯 𐑦𐑯 𐑞 𐑤𐑱𐑑 1990 ·𐑧𐑕 𐑯 𐑻𐑤𐑰 2000 ·𐑧𐑕 𐑑 𐑣𐑨𐑝 𐑖𐑱𐑝𐑰𐑩𐑯 𐑨𐑛𐑦𐑛 𐑑 𐑞 Unicode 𐑕𐑑𐑨𐑯𐑛𐑼𐑛.
Sources:
Shavian alphabet info | 𐑖𐑱𐑝𐑾𐑯 𐑨𐑤𐑓𐑩𐑚𐑧𐑑 𐑦𐑯𐑓𐑴
Shavian Converter
Shavian Range: 10450–1047F
Tall and deep letters (consonants)
Shavian tall letters mostly represent voiceless obstruents,
whereas the deep letters represent the voiced counterparts.
10450 𐑐 SHAVIAN LETTER PEEP
10451 𐑑 SHAVIAN LETTER TOT
10452 𐑒 SHAVIAN LETTER KICK
10453 𐑓 SHAVIAN LETTER FEE
10454 𐑔 SHAVIAN LETTER THIGH
10455 𐑕 SHAVIAN LETTER SO
10456 𐑖 SHAVIAN LETTER SURE
10457 𐑗 SHAVIAN LETTER CHURCH
10458 𐑘 SHAVIAN LETTER YEA
• voiced palatal approximant
10459 𐑙 SHAVIAN LETTER HUNG
• voiced velar nasal
1045A 𐑚 SHAVIAN LETTER BIB
1045B 𐑛 SHAVIAN LETTER DEAD
1045C 𐑜 SHAVIAN LETTER GAG
1045D 𐑝 SHAVIAN LETTER VOW
1045E 𐑞 SHAVIAN LETTER THEY
1045F 𐑟 SHAVIAN LETTER ZOO
10460 𐑠 SHAVIAN LETTER MEASURE
10461 𐑡 SHAVIAN LETTER JUDGE
10462 𐑢 SHAVIAN LETTER WOE
• voiced labiovelar approximant
10463 𐑣 SHAVIAN LETTER HA-HA
• voiceless glottal fricative
Short letters
Shavian short letters mostly represent vowels, but also
include some nasals and liquids.
10464 𐑤 SHAVIAN LETTER LOLL
10465 𐑥 SHAVIAN LETTER MIME
10466 𐑦 SHAVIAN LETTER IF
10467 𐑧 SHAVIAN LETTER EGG
10468 𐑨 SHAVIAN LETTER ASH
10469 𐑩 SHAVIAN LETTER ADO
1046A 𐑪 SHAVIAN LETTER ON
1046B 𐑫 SHAVIAN LETTER WOOL
1046C 𐑬 SHAVIAN LETTER OUT
1046D 𐑭 SHAVIAN LETTER AH
1046E 𐑮 SHAVIAN LETTER ROAR
1046F 𐑯 SHAVIAN LETTER NUN
10470 𐑰 SHAVIAN LETTER EAT
10471 𐑱 SHAVIAN LETTER AGE
10472 𐑲 SHAVIAN LETTER ICE
10473 𐑳 SHAVIAN LETTER UP
10474 𐑴 SHAVIAN LETTER OAK
10475 𐑵 SHAVIAN LETTER OOZE
10476 𐑶 SHAVIAN LETTER OIL
10477 𐑷 SHAVIAN LETTER AWE
Ligatures
Shavian ligatures represent r-colored vowels or diphthongs.
10478 𐑸 SHAVIAN LETTER ARE
10479 𐑹 SHAVIAN LETTER OR
1047A 𐑺 SHAVIAN LETTER AIR
1047B 𐑻 SHAVIAN LETTER ERR
1047C 𐑼 SHAVIAN LETTER ARRAY
1047D 𐑽 SHAVIAN LETTER EAR
1047E 𐑾 SHAVIAN LETTER IAN
1047F 𐑿 SHAVIAN LETTER YEW