Official script

An official script is a writing system that is specifically designated to be official in the constitutions or other applicable laws of countries, states, and other jurisdictions. Akin to an official language, an official script is much rarer. It is used primarily where an official language is in practice written with two or more scripts. As, in these languages, use of script often has cultural or political connotations, proclamation of an official script is sometimes criticised as having a goal of influencing culture or politics or both. Desired effects also may include easing education, communication and some other aspects of life. Some countries which have an official script are:

• Azerbaijan - Azeri Latin alphabet
• Ethiopia - Ge'ez script
• Nagorno-Karabakh - Armenian alphabet
• In Bosnia and Herzegovina:
  • Republika Srpska - Cyrillic alphabet
• China, People's Republic of (mainland China) - Simplified Chinese
  • Hong Kong - Traditional Chinese (de facto) After the announcement of Simplified Chinese in mainland China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau didn't follow the change, making Traditional Chinese the de facto official script. (Hong Kong and Macau are still colonies at that time, and their current constitutions didn't state that whether Tradition Chinese or Simplified Chinese is to be used. Both places continued to use Traditional Chinese after handover.)
  • Macau - Traditional Chinese (de facto)
  • Inner Mongolia - Mongolian script
  • Tibet Autonomous Region - Tibetan alphabet
  • Xinjiang - Uyghur Ereb Yéziqi and Uyghur Latin Yéziqi
  • Guangxi - Zhuang Latin alphabet
• China, Republic of (Taiwan) - Traditional Chinese (de facto)
• Croatia - Latin alphabet^[1]
• Georgia - Georgian alphabet^{[citation needed]}
  • Separatist government of Abkhazia - Cyrillic-based Abkhaz alphabet
  • Separatist government of South Ossetia - Cyrillic alphabet
• India - Devanagari
  • Hindi, Marathi, Sanskrit, Sindhi, Konkani, Bhojpuri, Bhili, Magahi, Kurukh, Dogri - Devanagari
  • Gujarati - Gujarati script
  • Kashmiri - Sharada script
  • Tamil - Tamil script
  • Kutchi language - Gujarati script
  • Punjabi - Gurmukhi
  • Malayalam - Malayalam script
  • Bengali - Bengali script, Eastern nagari script
  • Oriya - Oriya script
  • Assamese language - Eastern nagari script
  • Maithili - Tirhuta
  • Awadhi language - Kaithi script
  • Savara - Savara script
  • Telugu - Telugu script
  • Kannada - Kannada script
  • Sinhala language - Sinhala alphabet
  • Gondi language - Gondi script
  • Angika language - Kaithi script
  • Saurashtra language - Saurashtra alphabet
  • Tulu language - Tulu script
  • Mundari - Eastern nagari script
• Kazakhstan - Cyrillic alphabet^{[citation needed]}
• Korea (both) - Hangul and Hanja (South Korea)
• Macedonia - Macedonian Cyrillic alphabet^[2]
• Moldova - Latin alphabet^[3]
  • Separatist government of Transnistria - Moldovan Cyrillic alphabet
• Mongolia - Mongolian Cyrillic alphabet and Mongolian script^[4]
• Montenegro - Cyrillic alphabet and Latin alphabet http://www.vlada.me/biblioteka/1118659920.doc
• Russian Federation - Russian Cyrillic alphabet
• Serbia - Cyrillic alphabet^[5]
• Turkey - Turkish Latin alphabet
• Vietnam - Vietnamese alphabet

In the Russian Federation, the designation of the Cyrillic alphabet as an official script (2001) has the consequence that the official languages of national Republics of Russia have to be written in the Cyrillic alphabet in all official institutions and education. The passing of the law was met with particular resistance and criticism in the Republic of Tatarstan, as it replaced the Turkish Latin alphabet which the local government tried to promote in education after the dissolution of USSR.

See also

• Official language
• Spelling reform

References

1. ^ Constitution of Croatia, Article 12: "Basic Provisions". Croatian Parliament. http://www.sabor.hr/Default.aspx?art=2407. Retrieved 26 August 2011. "The Croatian language and the Latin script shall be in official use in the Republic of Croatia." 
2. ^ Constitution of Macedonia, Article 7: "Constitution of the Republic of Macedonia". Assembly of the Republic of Macedonia. http://www.sobranie.mk/en/default-en.asp?ItemID=9F7452BF44EE814B8DB897C1858B71FF. Retrieved 26 August 2011. "The Macedonian language, written using its Cyrillic alphabet, is the official language in the Republic of Macedonia." 
3. ^ Constitution of Moldova, Article 13: "Title I. General Principles". Official Website of the President of Moldavia. http://www.president.md/const.php?page=8100&lang=eng. Retrieved 26 August 2011. "(1) The national language of the Republic of Moldova is Moldovan, and its writing is based on the Latin alphabet." 
4. ^ "Official Documents to be in Mongolian Script" (in Chinese). UB Post. 2011-06-21. http://ubpost.mongolnews.mn/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=6478&Itemid=36. Retrieved 2010-07-11. 
5. ^ Constitution of Serbia, Article 10: "I Constitution Principles". Government of Serbia. http://www.srbija.gov.rs/cinjenice_o_srbiji/ustav.php?change_lang=en. Retrieved 26 August 2011. "Serbian language and Cyrillic script shall be in official use in the Republic of Serbia." 

Footnotes