{{Short description|Alphabet for Cape Verdean Creole}} The '''''Alfabeto Unificado para a Escrita do Caboverdiano''''' (Unified Alphabet for Cape Verdean Writing), commonly known as '''ALUPEC''', is the alphabet that was officially recognized<ref name="resolucao-48-2005">''[http://alupec.kauberdi.org/resolucao-48-2005.html Resolução n.º 48/2005] {{Webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20120707070934/http://alupec.kauberdi.org/resolucao-48-2005.html |date=2012-07-07 }}'' (Boletim Oficial da República de Cabo Verde – 2005)</ref> by the Cape Verdean government to write Cape Verdean Creole.
== Description == The ALUPEC is a phonetic writing system based on the Latin script and states only which letters should be used to represent each sound. The system does not establish rules for spelling (orthography). For that reason, Cape Verdean creole writing is not standardized; the same word or the same sentence may appear written in different ways. Cape Verdeans write idiosyncratically — that is, each person writes in his or her own dialect, sociolect, and idiolect.
The descriptive texts concerning the ALUPEC<ref>''O caboverdiano em 45 lições'' (Veiga, Manuel – 2002)</ref><ref>''Proposta de Bases do Alfabeto unificado para a Escrita do Cabo-verdiano'' (Grupo para a padronização do alfabeto; Praia: IIPC, 2006)</ref> claim that it is "a system composed by 23 letters and four digraphs". What those texts do not specify is that the ALUPEC also includes the letter ''Y'' and the digraph ''RR''.
Older documents, such as the 1994<ref>[http://www.funana.org/alphtxt.htm Proposed Criteria of the Unified Alphabet for the Capeverdean writing system] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070921134935/http://www.funana.org/alphtxt.htm |date=2007-09-21 }} - funana.org</ref> ''Proposed Criteria of the Unified Alphabet for the Cape Verdean Writing System,'' showed the following order:<br /> A B S D E F G H I J DJ L LH M N NH N̈ O P K R T U V X TX Z
Later documents (after 1998)<ref name="DL 1998">''[http://alupec.kauberdi.org/decreto-lei-67-98.html Decreto-Lei n.º 67/98] {{Webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20130113050833/http://alupec.kauberdi.org/decreto-lei-67-98.html |date=2013-01-13 }}'' (Boletim Oficial da República de Cabo Verde – 1998)</ref> show the following order:<br /> A B D DJ E F G H I J K L LH M N NH N̈ O P R S T TX U V X Z
The ALUPEC comes close to a perfect phonetic system in that almost every letter represents only one sound and almost every sound is represented by only one letter. The vowels may have a graphic accent, but the system does not consider letters with accents as separate letters.
{| class="wikitable Wikitable" |+ |Letter ||IPA ||Description |- |a ||{{IPA|/a/}} <br />or {{IPA|/ɐ/}} ||like '''''a''''' in Portuguese ''p'''á''''' <br />or like '''''a''''' in (European) Portuguese ''p'''a'''r'''a''''' |- |á ||{{IPA|/a/}} ||like '''''a''''' in Portuguese ''p'''á''''' |- |â ||{{IPA|/ɐ/}} ||like '''''a''''' in (European) Portuguese ''p'''a'''r'''a''''' |- |b ||{{IPA|/b/}} ||like '''''b''''' in English '''''b'''ut'' |- |d ||{{IPA|/d/}} ||like '''''d''''' in Portuguese '''''d'''edo'' |- |dj ||{{IPA|/dʒ/}} ||like '''''j''''' in English '''''j'''ust'' |- |e ||{{IPA|/e/}} *||like '''''e''''' in Portuguese ''d'''e'''do'', <br />never like '''''i''''' in Portuguese ''f'''i'''lho''<br />* see notes on Barlavento usage |- |é ||{{IPA|/ɛ/}} ||like '''''e''''' in Portuguese ''f'''e'''rro'' |- |ê ||{{IPA|/e/}} ||like '''''e''''' in Portuguese ''d'''e'''do'' |- |f ||{{IPA|/f/}} ||like '''''f''''' in English '''''f'''or'' |- |g ||{{IPA|/ɡ/}} ||always like '''''g''''' in English '''''g'''o'', <br />never like '''''s''''' in English ''plea'''s'''ure'' |- |h || ||used only in the digraphs '''''lh''''' and '''''nh''''' |- |i ||{{IPA|/i/}} <br />or {{IPA|/j/}} ||like '''''i''''' in Portuguese ''v'''i''''' <br />or like '''''y''''' in English '''''y'''es'' |- |í ||{{IPA|/i/}} ||like '''''i''''' in Portuguese ''v'''i''''' |- |j ||{{IPA|/ʒ/}} ||like '''''s''''' in English ''mea'''s'''ure'' |- |k ||{{IPA|/k/}} ||like '''''c''''' in Portuguese '''''c'''a'''c'''o'' |- |l ||{{IPA|/l/}} ||like '''''l''''' in French ''e'''ll'''e'' |- |lh ||{{IPA|/ʎ/}} ||like '''''lh''''' in Portuguese ''fi'''lh'''o'' |- |m ||{{IPA|/m/}} ||like '''''m''''' in English '''''m'''e'' |- |n ||{{IPA|/n/}} ||like '''''n''''' in Portuguese '''''n'''ão'' |- |nh ||{{IPA|/ɲ/}} ||like '''''nh''''' in Portuguese ''ni'''nh'''o'' |- |n̈<br />(n with diaeresis) ||{{IPA|/ŋ/}} ||like '''''ng''''' in English ''ki'''ng''''' |- |o ||{{IPA|/o/}} ||like '''''o''''' in Portuguese ''am'''o'''r'' <br />never like '''''u''''' in Portuguese ''t'''u''''' |- |ó ||{{IPA|/ɔ/}} ||like '''''o''''' in Portuguese ''p'''o'''rta'' |- |ô ||{{IPA|/o/}} ||like '''''o''''' in Portuguese ''am'''o'''r'' |- |p ||{{IPA|/p/}} ||like '''''p''''' in Portuguese '''''p'''ara'' |- |r ||{{IPA|/ɾ/}} <br />or {{IPA|/ʀ/}} ||like '''''r''''' in Portuguese ''po'''r'''ta'' <br />or like '''''r''''' in Portuguese '''''r'''ato'' |- |rr ||{{IPA|/ʀ/}} ||like '''''rr''''' in Portuguese ''fe'''rr'''o'' |- |s ||{{IPA|/s/}} *||like '''''s''''' in Portuguese '''''s'''im'', <br />never like '''''z''''' in Portuguese '''''z'''ero''<br />* see notes on Barlavento usage |- |t ||{{IPA|/t/}} ||like '''''t''''' in Portuguese '''''t'''u'' |- |tx ||{{IPA|/tʃ/}} ||like '''''ch''''' in English '''''ch'''air'' |- |u ||{{IPA|/u/}} <br />or {{IPA|/w/}} ||like '''''u''''' in Portuguese ''t'''u''''' <br />or like '''''w''''' in English '''''w'''et'' |- |ú ||{{IPA|/u/}} ||like '''''u''''' in Portuguese ''t'''u''''' |- |v ||{{IPA|/v/}} ||like '''''v''''' in English '''''v'''ain'' |- |x ||{{IPA|/ʃ/}} ||like '''''sh''''' in English '''''sh'''ip'', <br />never like the Portuguese words ''se'''x'''o'', ''pró'''x'''imo'' or ''e'''x'''ame'' |- |z ||{{IPA|/z/}} ||like '''''z''''' in Portuguese '''''z'''ero'' |}
Additional notes: *The letter '''''y''''' is used only to represent the copulative conjunction (corresponding to "e" in Portuguese, which means ''and''), in the same fashion as in Spanish. *The letter '''''r''''' has the sound {{IPA|/ʀ/}} only in the beginning of the words. *The letter '''''n''''' in the end of the syllables is not pronounced, it only indicates the nasality of the preceding vowel. *The personal pronoun that represents the subject form of the first person of the singular (English “I”) is always written with the capital letter '''''N''''', whatever the pronunciation, whatever the Creole variant. *The graphic accents are used to indicate the stressed syllable in proparoxytone words, and to indicate the stressed syllable in oxytone words that do not end in a consonant; the acute accent is also used in paroxytone words when the stressed syllable has the sounds {{IPA|/ɛ/}} or {{IPA|/ɔ/}}. *When writing Santo Antão Creole and São Vicente Creole, the letter '''''s''''' can be pronounced as {{IPA|[s]}}, {{IPA|[ʃ]}}, and {{IPA|[ʒ]}}, depending on context. This mostly corresponds to the (European) Portuguese '''''s''''', except, as noted, the intervocalic '''''s''''' (pronounced {{IPA|[z]}} in Portuguese). See Portuguese phonology. *{{anchor|silent-e}}When writing Barlavento Creoles, the letter '''''e''''' is written in the place of vowels that would exist in equivalent Sotavento words. If this written vowel was simply omitted, syllables could be left without vowels, or consonants left at the end of a word, in ways deemed improper. For example: **{{IPA|/dbɔʃ/}} is written '''''debóxe''''', not '''''dbóx''''' (compare Sotavento '''''dibaxu''''') **{{IPA|/amdʒers/}} is written '''''amedjeres''''', not '''''amdjers''''' (Sotavento '''''mudjeris''''')<ref name="DL 1998" /><br />This is a contradiction within the ALUPEC, which intends to be a phonetic system in that every letter should represent only one sound and every sound should be represented by only one letter. Some words in Barlavento Creoles will have, therefore, a dubious representation, with the pronunciation to be deduced by context. Examples:
{| class="wikitable" |- ! word with the phoneme {{IPA|/e/}} indeed !! translation into English !! Word with the phoneme elided !! comparison with the same word<br />in Sotavento Creoles !! translation into English |- | ''bejon''<br />{{IPA|/beˈʒõ/}} || big kiss || ''bejon''<br />{{IPA|/bʒõ/}} || ''bujon''<br />{{IPA|/buˈʒõ/}} || imaginary bird that<br />haunts children (Pt: ''abujão'') |- | ''kemâ''<br />{{IPA|/keˈmɐ/}} || to burn || ''kemâ''<br />{{IPA|/kmɐ/}} || ''kumâ''<br />{{IPA|/kuˈmɐ/}} || that<br />(subordinating conjunction) |- | ''pelâ''<br />{{IPA|/peˈlɐ/}} || to peel || ''pelâ''<br />{{IPA|/plɐ/}} || ''pilâ''<br />{{IPA|/piˈlɐ/}} || to pound |- | ''petâ''<br />{{IPA|/peˈtɐ/}} || to defy someone<br />with the chest || ''petâ''<br />{{IPA|/ptɐ/}} || ''botâ''<br />{{IPA|/boˈtɐ/}} || to throw |- | ''pezâ''<br />{{IPA|/peˈzɐ/}} || to weigh || ''pezâ''<br />{{IPA|/pzɐ/}} || ''pizâ''<br />{{IPA|/piˈzɐ/}} || to step on |- | ''remâ''<br />{{IPA|/ʀeˈmɐ/}} || to row || ''remâ''<br />{{IPA|/ʀmɐ/}} || ''rumâ''<br />{{IPA|/ʀuˈmɐ/}} || to put in place,<br />to arrange |- | ''se''<br />{{IPA|/se/}} || his / her || ''se''<br />{{IPA|/s/}} || ''si''<br />{{IPA|/si/}} || if |}
== History == The ALUPEC emerged in 1994, from the alphabet proposed by the ''Colóquio Linguístico de Mindelo'', in 1979.
On 20 July 1998, the ALUPEC was approved<ref name="DL 1998" /><ref>[http://alupec.kauberdi.org/decreto-lei-67-98.html Decreto-Lei n.º 67/98] {{Webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20130113050833/http://alupec.kauberdi.org/decreto-lei-67-98.html |date=2013-01-13 }} (published in the Boletim Oficial da República de Cabo Verde – 1998)</ref> by the ''Conselho de Ministros de Cabo Verde'', for a five-year trial period. According to the same council, the ALUPEC would "take into account the diversity of the Cape Verdean Language in all the islands, and only after that trial period its introduction in schools would be considered".
In 2005, the ALUPEC was recognized<ref name="resolucao-48-2005"/> by the Cape Verdean government as a viable system for writing the Cape Verdean Creole, becoming the first (and {{as of|2023|lc=on}} the only) alphabet to attain such status. Nevertheless, the same law allows the usage of alternative writing models, "as long they are presented in a systematized and scientific way".
In 2009, Decree-Law No. 8/2009 officially institutionalized the use of the ALUPEC.<ref>Decreto-Lei n.º 8/2009 (published in the [https://kiosk.incv.cv/V/2009/3/16/1.1.11.194/p1 Boletim Oficial da República de Cabo Verde No. 11 of 16 March 2009], pages 74–76)</ref>
In spite of having been officially recognized by the state, the usage of ALUPEC is neither official nor mandatory.
== References == {{reflist|1}}
== External links == *[https://web.archive.org/web/20070919040135/http://www.panupapiakriolu.org/id6.html Capeverdean Alphabet (ALUPEC) (Alfabetu Kabuverdianu)] *[https://web.archive.org/web/20070921134935/http://www.funana.org/alphtxt.htm Proposed Criteria of the Unified Alphabet for the Cape Verdean Writing System] *[https://web.archive.org/web/20070406010223/http://www.umassd.edu/specialprograms/caboverde/ibrito1.html Na diféza di un skrita pa kriolu di Kabu Verdi] (in Creole) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20070918113801/http://caboverde.vozdipovo-online.com/index2.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=38&pop=1&page=1&Itemid=30 Pa Nu Skrebe Na Skola] (in Portuguese) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20070507163845/http://www.prio.no/private/jorgen/download/Orthographic%20guidelines.pdf Orthographic guidelines for writing São Vicentean Kriol] — a proposal for São Vicente Creole writing
Category:Latin alphabets Category:Cape Verdean Creole Category:Writing systems introduced in the 1990s Category:1994 introductions Category:1994 establishments in Cape Verde