What is Asoon?
Asoon is a new alphabet system combining 2 of the world most popular
alphabets: Latin and Arabic. Even though, half of the globe (42
countries) use Syllabic, Symbols, or Cyrillic alphabets, but this popularities are limited to less than
15 countries outside
their mother country. The other half of the world use either Latin or
Arabic base alphabet. More than 160 countries use one type of Latin alphabets for
their language and more than 25 countries use Arabic base alphabets for languages
like Arabic, Farsi, Punjabi, etc..
What is Asoon Alphabet?
Asoon has borrowed both Latin and Arabic Alphabets to create its new
alphabet and it reads from left to right.
Asoon uses Latin alphabet for its consonants and Arabic Diacritics for its
vowels. Arabic diacritics (harakat) are invented 3 centuries after the
Quran revelation in order to eliminate wrong pronunciation during reciting of
Quran. Arabic diacritics are the most advanced type diacritics that could
create a lesser confusion for a reader. Asoon has used some of the
original Arabic diacritics and also added some new diacritics that are usually
being used in Persian or Arabic calligraphy. Asoon has also added some
marks to some standard Latin Alphabet to create new single shaped consonants.
In Asoon Alphabet, each consonant can use different type
of diacritics to create all vowels needed for any specific language. For
Arabic and Farsi , there are 6 diacritics for vowels, one for null (voiceless)
consonant, one for doubling a consonant, and three called "Tanvins" that are
mostly used in Arabic language. For Japanese, there are 5 diacritics for
simple vowels, three for diphthongs (mixed vowels), and one diacritics for
voiceless "N".
Why Asoon?
Asoon alphabet is an alternative, not a substitution. Asoon alphabet is
not meant to substitute, replace, modify, or change a non-Latin base alphabet.
It is mainly created as an alternative to help a non-Latin base alphabet to be
learnt easier and faster. Asoon was created to make reading and speaking easier for those who are
interested to learn a foreign language without knowing its alphabet. With
the growing rate of immigration among countries, there is this new generation of
immigrants who speak their mother language without knowing how to read or write
it. Asoon can easily help this new second generation of immigrants as well
as language students and scholars to read and speak a non-Latin base language without the
barrier of learning its alphabet. Asoon alphabet may be used for any Abjad,
Consonant, Syllabic, or Symbols base languages like Arabic, Farsi, Japanese, and
many more.
Asoon alphabet is easier to learn than IPA symbols (International Phonetic
Alphabet) and is easier to read than Transliteration script. The latter usually
does not appropriately present the proper pronunciation for another language
specially for a non-Latin base language. IPA is so different from Latin
alphabet that should be considered a non-Latin base language itself and need to
learn it separately.
Why Asoon for Reciting Quran?
There are close to 1.5 billion Muslims live in more than 170
countries around the world and only less than 1/3 of them read and write in
Arabic. Muslims are expected to recite Quran in its original Arabic text
in which Translation or Transliteration system would not satisfy its purpose.
Asoon is a great tool for reading Quran to its closest recitation possible by
those who are Muslim and are not familiar with Arabic alphabet.
Why Non-Latin Alphabets are difficult
to learn?
It is very true that one can learn a new language faster as long as the new
alphabet have similarities to his/her mother language alphabet:
1- Complexity
of Symbols and Syllabic alphabets have made it very difficult to learn it as
a second language. Symbols base alphabets use signs and shapes for their various type letters and can
have up to 4000 characters in their alphabets. Syllabic base alphabets use consonant and vowels. Each consonant has an
inherent vowel that can be changed to another vowel with use of diacritics.
Syllabic characters looks complex and cursive.
2- Arabic alphabet which is also called Abjad or Consonant alphabet, uses
consonants only. Diacritics are being used as vowels. Arabic is read from
right to left and is a cursive script that can not be written separately.
Even though Arabic alphabet is used in more than 25 countries, for all the above
reasons, it is very difficult to learn it as a second language.
3- Cyrillic alphabet is an
older version of Latin alphabet and less popular. For a second language
student, its alphabet looks very unfamiliar and confusing with modern Latin
alphabet.. It is only being used in
Russia and countries that once were under x-Soviet Union pro-socialist
influence.
4- Latin alphabet are Phonemic alphabet that uses both
consonant and vowels. More than 160 countries uses Latin alphabet for
their languages like English, Spanish, French, German, Malay, Swahili, Turkish,
Vietnamese, Tagalog, Portuguese, and many more.
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