BROTHERS IBRAHIMA AND ABDOULAYE BARRY, IN PARTNERSHIP WITH MICROSOFT, LAUNCH THE NEWEST EVOLUTION OF THE ADLaM ALPHABET: A LANGUAGE AT RISK OF DISAPPEARING
NEW YORK, May 2, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Brothers Ibrahima and Abdoulaye Barry announced today the launch of ADLaM Display, an evolution of the Pulaar alphabet on which they have worked with Microsoft since 2018. Developed in partnership with McCann NY, the new digital version of ADLaM is now available for use across the Microsoft 365 suite, desktop, and mobile platforms, preserving a beautiful and important culture while promoting literacy across West Africa.
- The language of the Fulani people of West Africa, known as Pulaar, is spoken by over 40 million people, but for most of history, the language had no alphabet.
- Determined to preserve their native language, in 1989 the Barry brothers created an early version of ADLaM in handwritten form.
- The Barry brothers remarked, "ADLaM, the acronym A, D, L, M, Alkule Dandayɗe Leñol Mulugol, literally means it is the alphabet that will prevent the culture, the people, from disappearing."
- The new typeface was updated to include new letter forms that account for how the alphabet has naturally evolved within the Fulani community.