Writing and transliterating Swahili in Arabic script with Andika! Kevin Donnelly 2014-17 (This version compiled 1 December 2017) Andika! is dedicated to the memory of Sheikh Yahya Ali Omar (1924–2008) ْم ٖز ٖئ َٔا ِك َيف، َم َكت َاب ُه ٖت ٖك ٖت َئ kevindonnelly.org.uk/swahili Andika! is free software under the GPLv3 or later. All trademarks belong to their respective owners. Contents 1 Introduction 2 2 Examples of Andika! output 3 2.1 Converting Roman to Arabic script . 3 2.2 Replicating prose in Arabic script . 5 2.3 Replicating manuscript poetry: Bajuni fishing songs . 5 2.4 Replicating manuscript poetry: Utenzi wa Mkunumbi . 6 2.5 Replicating manuscript poetry: Kiswahili . 8 2.6 Replicating manuscript poetry: Mama musimlaumu . 9 2.7 Replicating manuscript poetry: Utenzi wa Rasi ’lGhuli . 10 2.8 Replicating manuscript poetry: Qasida ya Burda . 10 3 Getting started 12 3.1 Website . 12 3.2 Introducing Ubuntu ........................................ 12 3.3 Typing Swahili in Arabic script . 13 3.4 Converting and annotating Swahili in Arabic script . 13 3.5 Next steps . 13 4 Fonts 14 4.1 Missing glyphs in Arabic fonts . 14 4.2 Default fonts in Andika! ..................................... 15 4.3 Adding missing glyphs to Arabic fonts . 16 4.4 Scheherazade and Amiri . 16 5 A keyboard layout for Swahili in Arabic script 18 5.1 Introduction . 18 5.2 Governing principles for the layout . 18 5.3 Changing the layout . 19 6 Writing contemporary Swahili in Arabic script 20 i CONTENTS ii 6.1 Introduction . 20 6.2 General principles . 20 6.3 Representation of consonants . 20 6.4 Representation of vowels . 22 6.5 Vowel sequences . 23 6.5.1 Stressed+unstressed vowel sequences . 23 6.5.2 Unstressed+stressed vowel sequences . 24 6.5.3 Unstressed vowel sequences . 24 6.5.4 Longer vowel sequences . 24 6.6 Comparing conventions . 25 6.6.1 Sakani on long vowels . 25 6.6.2 Marking short vowels . 25 6.6.3 Sakani on consonants . 25 6.6.4 Distinction between syllabicity and prenasalisation . 26 7 Converting from one script to the other 27 7.1 Introduction . 27 7.2 Cut-and-paste converters . 27 7.2.1 Arabic to Roman . 27 7.2.2 Roman to Arabic . 28 7.2.3 Convert a webpage . 28 7.3 Command-line converter . 28 7.3.1 Point-and-click interface . 29 7.3.2 Command-line input . 30 7.3.3 Layout of the input document . 30 7.3.4 Converting pdfs . 31 7.4 General notes on usage . 31 7.4.1 Adjusting the import’s stanza numbering . 31 7.4.2 Warning when using the convert tools . 32 7.5 How the conversion works . 32 7.5.1 Arabic to Roman . 32 7.5.2 Roman to Arabic . 33 8 Typesetting poetry 35 CONTENTS iii 8.1 Creating the input document . 35 8.1.1 Checking the input file . 35 8.2 Importing the contents into a database table . 35 8.2.1 The import process hangs . 36 8.2.2 Saving a particular import . 36 8.2.3 Adding stanzas to a poem import . 37 8.3 Splitting lines into words . 38 8.3.1 Re-running word-splitting: backups . 38 8.3.2 Renumbering stanzas during word-splitting . 39 8.4 Annotations . 39 8.4.1 edclose field . 40 8.4.2 edstan field . 40 8.4.3 emend field . 41 8.4.4 variant field . 41 8.4.5 note field . 41 8.4.6 english field . 41 8.4.7 noshow field . 41 8.5 Adding and editing the annotations . 42 8.5.1 Specifying fonts in the annotations . 42 8.5.2 Inserting citations in the annotations . 42 8.5.3 Adding annotations in batches . 43 8.6 Output to pdf . 43 8.7 Output: global display options . 44 8.7.1 Stanzas to be printed . 44 8.7.2 Font size . 44 8.7.3 Changing the location of annotations . 45 8.7.4 Colours . 45 8.7.5 Alignment . 46 8.7.6 Omitting tiers . 47 8.7.7 Displaying the close transcription . 48 8.8 Output: local display options . 49 8.8.1 Suppressing a line of transcription . 50 8.8.2 Swapping in the close transcription . 51 CONTENTS iv 8.8.3 Making entries in the noshow field . 52 9 Typsetting multiple versions of the same poem 54 9.1 Set up a manuscript information table . 54 9.2 Set up a running order table . 54 9.3 Add manuscript data to the running order table . 54 10 Computer-aided analysis of poem texts 56 10.1 Additional annotation fields . 56 10.1.1 root field . 56 A Installing Andika! 58 A/1 How much of this do I need to do? . 58 A/2 Ubuntu Linux . ..