# Elifba alphabet

The Elifba alphabet (Elifba Albanian: ئەلیفبایا ئارابۋ-شكېپ, Albanian: Elifbaja, from Ottoman Turkish: الفبا, romanized: Elifbâ) was one of the proposed writing systems for the Albanian language during the time of the Ottoman Empire. This Albanian variant of the Abjad Ottoman was used to write the Albanian language. The last version of the Elifbaja shqip was invented by the rilindas, Rexhep Voka (1847-1917).

## History

The Ottoman Turkish alphabet was mainly favored by Albanian Muslims, but also used by some Christians. After being especially used during the Bejte poetry, a primer for the Albanian language in Arabic script was published in 1861 in Constantinople by Mullah Daut Boriçi, a prominent member of the League of Prizren.
During 1909 and 1910 there were movements by Albanian Young Turks supporters to adopt the Arabic alphabet, as they considered the Latin script to be un-Islamic. In Elbasan, Muslim clerics led a demonstration for the Arabic script, telling their congregations that using the Latin script would make them infidels. In 1911, the Young Turks dropped their opposition to the Latin alphabet, and the current Latin alphabet for Albanian was adopted. In order to eliminate ambiguity in the pronunciation of the Arabic script, Rexhep Voka developed a customized Arabic alphabet consisting of 44 consonants and vowels, which he published in 1911. However, it was hardly used anymore due to the Congress of Manastir. Tiranli Fazli then used this script to publish a thirty-two page grammar. Only one Albanian newspaper at the time ever appeared in Arabic script, and it lasted a brief period. Regardless of what script appeared, such material raised Albanian national consciousness: There were Albanian Arabic alphabet and reading books published in Constantinople in 1912, and also the Albanian Zemér newspaper published in Constantinople in 1911-12.

## Alphabet

Here ىٕ is an approximation of the glyph used to represent ë.
| Albanian | Arabic | Final | Medial | Initial | IPA |
| A | ا | ـا | ـا | ا | [a] |
| B | ب | ـب | ـبـ | بـ | [b] |
| C | څ | ـڅ | ـڅـ | څـ | [ts] |
| Ç | چ | ـچ | ـچـ | چـ | [tʃ] |
| D | د | ـد | ـد | د | [d] |
| Dh | ذ | ـذ | ـذ | ذ | [ð] |
| E | ‫ە‬ | ‫ـە‬ | ـە‬ | ئە | [ɛ] |
| Ë | ىٕ | ـىٕ | ـىٕـ | ئىٕـ | [ə] |
| F | ف | ـف | ـفـ | فـ | [f] |
| G | غ | ـغ | ـغـ | غـ | [g] |
| Gj | گ | ـگ | ـگـ | گـ | [ɟ] |
| H | ھ | ـھ | ـھـ | ھـ | [h] |
| I | ې | ـېـ | ـې | اېـ | [i] |
| J | ی | ـیـ | ـیـ | یـ | [j] |
| K | ق | ـق | ـقـ | قـ | [k] |
| L | ل | ـل | ـلـ | لـ | [l] |
| Ll | ݪ | ـݪ | ـݪـ | ݪـ | [ɫ] |
| M | م | ـم | ـمـ | مـ | [m] |
| N | ن | ـن | ـنـ | نـ | [n] |
| Ng | ݿ | ـݿ | ـݿـ | ݿـ | [ŋ] |
| Nj | ‍ڬ | ‍ـڬ | ـڬـ | ‍ڬـ | [ɲ] |
| O | ۋ | ـۋ | ـۋ | اۋ | [o] |
| P | پ | ـپ | ـپـ | پـ | [p] |
| Q | ك | ـك | ـكـ | كـ | [c] |
| R | ر | ـر | ـر | ر | [ɾ] |
| Rr | ݛ | ـݛ | ـݛ | ݛ | [ɾ] |
| S | س | ـس | ـسـ | سـ | [s] |
| Sh | ش | ـش | ـشـ | شـ | [ʃ] |
| T | ت | ـت | ـتـ | تـ | [t] |
| Th | ث | ـث | ـثـ | ثـ | [θ] |
| U | و | ـو | ـو | او | [u] |
| V | و | ـو | ـو | و | [v] |
| X | ڗ | ـڗ | ـڗ | ڗ | [dz] |
| Xh | ج | ـج | ـجـ | جـ | [dʒ] |
| Y | ۏ | ـۏ | ـۏ | اۏ | [y] |
| Z | ز | ـز | ـز | ز | [z] |
| Zh | ژ | ـژ | ـژ | ژ | [ʒ] |

## Sample text

Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in Albanian:
| In Latin | In Arabic | Translation |
| Të gjithë njerëzit lindin të lirë dhe të barabartë në dinjitet dhe në të drejta. Ata kanë arsye dhe ndërgjegje dhe duhet të sillen ndaj njëri tjetrit me frymë vëllazërimi. | تىٕ گېثىٕ ڬ‫ەرىٕزېت لېندېن تىٕ لېرىٕ ذە تىٕ بارابارتىٕ نىٕ دېڬېتەت ذە نىٕ تىٕ درەیتا. اتا قانىٕ ارسۏئە ذە ندىٕرگەگە ذە دوھەت تىٕ سېللەن ندای ڬىٕرې تیەترېت مە فرۏمىٕ وىٕللازىٕرېمې.‎ | 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. |