Editing Beja language (section)

==Orthography==
Both Roman and Arabic script have been used to write Beja.{{sfn|Wedekind|Wedekind|Musa|2004–2005|loc=§25}} The Roman orthography below is that used by the Eritrean government and was used in a literacy program at [[Red Sea University]] in [[Port Sudan]] from 2010 to 2013. Three Arabic orthographies have seen limited use: The first below was that used by the now defunct Website Sakanab; the second was devised by Muhammad Adaroob Muhammad and used in his translation of E.M. Roper's Beja lexicon; the third was devised by Mahmud Ahmad Abu Bikr Ooriib, and was employed briefly at Red Sea University in 2019. No system of writing has gained wide support. The only system to have been employed in publications by more than one writer is the Latin script.{{sfn|Wedekind|Wedekind|Musa|2007|p=11}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
|+Beja Orthographies
|-
!IPA
!Roman{{sfn|Wedekind|Wedekind|Musa|2007}}
!Arabic (Usakana){{sfn|Wedekind|Wedekind|Musa|2007}}
!Arabic (MHM){{sfn|محمد أدروب محمد}}
!Arabic (RSU){{sfn|مهمود واحمد ابوبكر أوريب|2019}}
|-
|{{IPA|ʔ}}
|{{lang|bej-Latn|'}}
| colspan = "3" |{{lang|bej-Arab|ء}}
|-
|{{IPA|b}}
|{{lang|bej-Latn|b}}
| colspan = "3" |{{lang|bej-Arab|ب}}
|-
|{{IPA|d}}
|{{lang|bej-Latn|d}}
| colspan = "3" |{{lang|bej-Arab|د}}
|-
|{{IPA|ɖ}}
|{{lang|bej-Latn|dh}}
|{{lang|bej-Arab|ﮈ}}
|{{lang|bej-Arab|ذ}}
|{{lang|bej-Arab|ݚ}}
|-
|{{IPA|f}}
|{{lang|bej-Latn|f}}
| colspan = "3" |{{lang|bej-Arab|ف}}
|-
|{{IPA|g}}
|{{lang|bej-Latn|g}}
| colspan = "2" |{{lang|bej-Arab|ق}}
|{{lang|bej-Arab|گ}}
|-
|{{IPA|ɣ}}
|{{lang|bej-Latn|gh}}
|{{lang|bej-Arab|غ}}
| colspan = "2" {{n/a}}
|-
|{{IPA|gʷ}}
|{{lang|bej-Latn|gw}}
| colspan = "2" |{{lang|bej-Arab|قْو}}
|{{lang|bej-Arab|گْو}}
|-
|{{IPA|h}}
|{{lang|bej-Latn|h}}
| colspan = "3" |{{lang|bej-Arab|ه}}
|-
|{{IPA|ʤ}}
|{{lang|bej-Latn|j}}
| colspan = "3" |{{lang|bej-Arab|ج}}
|-
|{{IPA|k}}
|{{lang|bej-Latn|k}}
| colspan = "3" |{{lang|bej-Arab|ك}}
|-
|{{IPA|kʷ}}
|{{lang|bej-Latn|kw}}
| colspan = "3" |{{lang|bej-Arab|كْو}}
|-
|{{IPA|l}}
|{{lang|bej-Latn|l}}
| colspan = "3" |{{lang|bej-Arab|ل}}
|-
|{{IPA|m}}
|{{lang|bej-Latn|m}}
| colspan = "3" |{{lang|bej-Arab|م}}
|-
|{{IPA|n}}
|{{lang|bej-Latn|n}}
| colspan = "3" |{{lang|bej-Arab|ن}}
|-
|{{IPA|r}}
|{{lang|bej-Latn|r}}
| colspan = "3" |{{lang|bej-Arab|ر}}
|-
|{{IPA|s}}
|{{lang|bej-Latn|s}}
| colspan = "3" |{{lang|bej-Arab|س}}
|-
|{{IPA|ʃ}}
|{{lang|bej-Latn|sh}}
| colspan = "3" |{{lang|bej-Arab|ش}}
|-
|{{IPA|t}}
|{{lang|bej-Latn|t}}
| colspan = "3" |{{lang|bej-Arab|ت}}
|-
|{{IPA|ʈ}}
|{{lang|bej-Latn|th}}
|{{lang|bej-Arab|ﭦ}}
|{{lang|bej-Arab|ث}}
|{{n/a}}
|-
|{{IPA|w}}
|{{lang|bej-Latn|w}}
| colspan = "3" |{{lang|bej-Arab|و}}
|-
|-
|{{IPA|x}}
|{{lang|bej-Latn|kh}}
|{{lang|bej-Arab|خ}}
| colspan = "2" {{n/a}}
|-
|{{IPA|j}}
|{{lang|bej-Latn|y}}
| colspan = "3" |{{lang|bej-Arab|ي}}
|}

In the Roman orthography, the vowels are written with the letters corresponding to the IPA symbols (i.e., {{angbr|a, e, i, o, u}}). Long vowels are written with doubled signs. As {{IPA|/e/}} and {{IPA|/o/}} cannot be short vowels, they only appear as {{angbr|ee}} and {{angbr|oo}}, respectively.

The single {{angbr|e}} sign, however, does have a use: To distinguish between {{IPA|/ɖ/}} and {{IPA|/dh/}}, {{angbr|dh}} is used for the former and {{angbr|deh}} for the latter. Similarly, {{angbr|keh}} is {{IPA|/kh/}}, {{angbr|teh}} is {{IPA|/th/}}, {{angbr|seh}} is {{IPA|/sh/}}. Single {{angbr|o}} is not used.

In all Arabic orthographies, short vowels are written with the same diacritics used in Arabic: [[Arabic diacritics#Fatḥah|fatḥah]] for {{IPA|/a/}} ({{lang|bej-Arab|ـَ}}), [[Arabic diacritics#Kasrah|kasrah]] for {{IPA|/i/}} ({{lang|bej-Arab|ـِ}}), [[Arabic diacritics#Ḍammah|ḍammah]] for {{IPA|/u/}} ({{lang|bej-Arab|ـُ}}). [[Aleph|'Alif]] (ا) is used as the seat for these diacritics at the beginning of a word. Long {{IPA|/aː/}} is written with 'alif ({{lang|bej-Arab|ا}}) preceded by fatḥah, or alif maddah ({{lang|bej-Arab|آ}}) when word-initial. Long {{IPA|/iː/}} is written with [[Yodh|yā']] {{lang|bej-Arab|ي}} preceded by kasrah. Long {{IPA|/uː/}} is written with [[Waw (letter)|wāw]] {{lang|bej-Arab|و}} preceded by ḍammah. The systems vary on the representation of long {{IPA|/eː/}} and long {{IPA|/oː/}}. In the Usakana system, {{IPA|/eː/}} is written with a modified Kurdish yā' {{lang|bej-Arab|ێ}}; in the system devised by Muhammad Adaroob Muhammad it is represented by yā' with a shaddah {{lang|bej-Arab|يّ}}; in the Red Sea University system, it is not distinguished from the yā' for {{IPA|/j/}} or {{IPA|/iː/}}. In the Usakana system, {{IPA|/oː/}} is written with a modified Kurdish wāw {{lang|bej-Arab|ۆ}}; in the system devised by Muhammad Adaroob Muhammad it is represented by wāw with a shaddah {{lang|bej-Arab|وّ}}; in the Red Sea University system, it is not distinguished from the wāw for {{IPA|/w/}} or {{IPA|/uː/}}.

Pitch accent is not marked in any orthography. In Wedekind, Wedekind, and Musa (2006 and 2007), stressed syllables are indicated in boldface.{{sfnm|1a1=Wedekind|1a2=Wedekind|1a3=Musa|1y=2004–2005|2a1=Wedekind|2a2=Wedekind|2a3=Musa|2y=2007}}

In addition to these two systems and several academic systems of transcribing Beja texts, it is possible that Beja was at least occasionally written in the [[Greek alphabet]]-based [[Coptic script]] during the Middle Ages.{{sfn|Browne|2003}}