IHAME: Hausa alphabets, numerals on invention

Hausa language, according to historians, belongs to Afro-Asiac language class in the world, including the Yoruba and Igbo tribes.

According to recent statistics, Hausa is the 9th largest language in the world, with over 600 million speakers and has become the largest indigenous language in Africa, after overtaking Swahili and the Massai in the last two years.

The Hausa culture and history dates back to over 1200 years ago, as the coming of the Arabs through trade relations influenced the Arabic writing style in Hausa-speaking people. It further influenced the beginning of a local writing style which was known as ‘Ajami’.

Ajami had lots of pronunciation problems; hence it earned the name, “Ajami gagari maishi” meaning ‘Ajami overwhelmed the writers’. Some scholars like Wali Danmasani were credited with trying to

the standardize Ajami, but their efforts earned little or no recognition and use by the Hausa people over time.

When the English language penetrated the Sokoto Caliphate in 1903, the influence became hard with western education setting in and further hampering the development of Ajami. English which was known as ‘Rubutun boko’ also influenced the restructuring of the local writing signs.

As scholars continue to work on creating a distinct writing style and symbol for the Hausa language, a new Hausa alphabets, numerals and writing method has been developed and is currently being promoted to the Hausa populace.

This writing is called ‘Ihame’ and is being developed by Professor Salisu Yakasai of Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto and Abdulbaqi Jari. Unlike Ajami and Rubutun book, Ihame has about 36 alphabets.

In this writing method, every pronunciation alphabet is given its own independent representation.

In writing a sentence, three different methods were developed: by using a linkage of words from the top just like that of India, signifying the rising and falling of tunes. There is also a middle linkage like the English which helps for moderate sounding words, while like the Arabic, there is bottom linkage signifying gentleness in the expression.

Ihame writing development started since 2011 and has gained fame in the Hausa nation and is set to become the first indigenous system of writing in Africa. This is long overdue as imperial languages used in African communication system still signify a sense of neocolonialism.

It is therefore a call on the Hausa nation and its youth, in particular, to continue the practise of the writing style for practical adoption.

Abdulbaqi Jari, Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto - jariabdubaqi@gmail.com