Alphabet
As with Arabic and Persian, texts in the Ottoman Turkish alphabet are written right-to-left. The appearance of a letter changes depending on its position in a word: isolated (in a one-letter word); final (in which case it is joined on the right to the preceding letter); medial (joined on both sides); and initial (joined on the left to the following letter). Some letters cannot be joined to the left and do therefore not possess separate medial and initial forms; in medial position the final form is used, and in initial position the isolated form is used.
| Isolated | Final | Medial | Initial | Name | Modern Turkish | ALA-LC | IPA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ا | ـا | — | elif | a, e | —, ā | a, e | |
| ء | — | hemze | — | ||||
| ب | ـب | ـبـ | بـ | be | b | b | b |
| پ | ـپ | ـپـ | پـ | pe | p | p | p |
| ت | ـت | ـتـ | تـ | te | t | t | t |
| ث | ـث | ـثـ | ثـ | se | s | s | s |
| ج | ـج | ـجـ | جـ | cim | c | c | d͡ʒ |
| چ | ـچ | ـچـ | چـ | çim | ç | ç | t͡ʃ |
| ح | ـح | ـحـ | حـ | ha | h | ḥ | h |
| خ | ـخ | ـخـ | خـ | hı | h | ḫ | h |
| د | ـد | — | dal | d | d | d | |
| ذ | ـذ | — | zel | z | z | z | |
| ر | ـر | — | re | r | r | ɾ | |
| ز | ـز | — | ze | z | z | z | |
| ژ | ـژ | — | je | j | j | ʒ | |
| س | ـس | ـسـ | سـ | sin | s | s | s |
| ش | ـش | ـشـ | شـ | şın | ş | ș | ʃ |
| ص | ـص | ـصـ | صـ | sad | s | ṣ | s |
| ض | ـض | ـضـ | ضـ | dad | d, z | ż | d |
| ط | ـط | ـطـ | طـ | tı | t | ṭ | t |
| ظ | ـظ | ـظـ | ظـ | zı | z | ẓ | z |
| ع | ـع | ـعـ | عـ | ayn | ', h (or omitted) | ‘ | ʔ |
| غ | ـغ | ـغـ | غـ | gayn | g, ğ | ġ | ɡ, ɣ |
| ف | ـف | ـفـ | فـ | fe | f | f | f |
| ق | ـق | ـقـ | قـ | kaf | k | ḳ | k |
| ك | ـك | ـكـ | كـ | kef | k, g, ğ, n | k | k |
| گ | ـگ | ـگـ | گـ | gef | g, ğ | g | ɡ |
| ڭ | ـڭ | ـڭـ | ڭـ | nef, sağır kef | n | ŋ | ŋ |
| ل | ـل | ـلـ | لـ | lam | l | l | l |
| م | ـم | ـمـ | مـ | mim | m | m | m |
| ن | ـن | ـنـ | نـ | nun | n | n | n |
| و | ـو | — | vav | v, o, ö, u, ü | v, ū, aw, avv, ūv | v, o, œ, u, y | |
| ه | ـه | ـهـ | هـ | he | h, e, a | h | h, æ |
| ی | ـی | ـیـ | یـ | ye | y, ı, i | y, ī, ay, á, īy | j, ɯ, i |
Read more about this topic: Ottoman Turkish Alphabet
Famous quotes containing the word alphabet:
“Roger Thornhill: You’re police, aren’t you. Or is it FBI?
Professor: FBI, CIA, O–I—we’re all in the same alphabet soup.”
—Ernest Lehman (b.1920)
“I believe the alphabet is no longer considered an essential piece of equipment for traveling through life. In my day it was the keystone to knowledge. You learned the alphabet as you learned to count to ten, as you learned “Now I lay me” and the Lord’s Prayer and your father’s and mother’s name and address and telephone number, all in case you were lost.”
—Eudora Welty (b. 1909)