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From: pardoej@lonnds.ml.com (Julian Pardoe LADS LDN X1428)
Subject: Re: West-African indigenous writing systems?
Message-ID: <Dv3rMt.I4u@tigadmin.ml.com>
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Organization: Merrill Lynch Europe
References: <4t131o$lgt@news.xs4all.nl>
Date: Thu, 25 Jul 1996 14:16:05 GMT
Lines: 24

In article <4t131o$lgt@news.xs4all.nl>, mcv@pi.net (Miguel Carrasquer Vidal) writes:
-->T.Gerritsen@inter.nl.net (T.T. Gerritsen) wrote:
-->
-->>In the Encyclopedia Britannica, in the article "Bambara", the Bambara
-->>indigenous writing system is mentioned, but no example is given. A few
-->>Web searches didn't yield any result, and I would appreciate any
-->>information on this subject.
-->
-->In the Brittanica's article on "Languages of the World" no mention is
-->made of Bambara indigenous writing.

In his book on writing ("The Alphabet"?) David Diringer mentions an
African language Oberi Okaime (? -- I last saw this book 25 years ago!)
with its own script.  As far as outside observers (i.e. colonial officals)
could tell the language and the script sprang up as if from nowhere -- they
were associated with a religious movement.

I've never heard

Does anyone know anything about this?

-- jP --


