Fraser

Fraser alphabet

Origin

The Fraser alphabet was devised in around 1915 by James Ostram
Fraser, a missionary who lived and worked with the Lisu
people in China from 1910 to 1949. During his time in China, Fraser
learnt to speak Chinese and Lisu and produced a Lisu translation
of the New Testament using his alphabet. He also devised a system
of muscial notation for the Lisu to use.

In 1992 the Chinese government recognised the Fraser alphabet as
the official script for the Lisu language and has encouraged its
use since then.

Notable features

  • The Fraser alphabet consists of uppercase Latin letters,
    some of which are rotated or inverted.
  • Tones are indicated with punctuation marks.

Used to write

Lisu a Tibeto-Burman language spoken by about 657,000 people
in Myanmar, India, Thailand and in the Chinese provinces of Yunnan
and Sichuan.

Fraser alphabet

Sample text in the Fraser alphabet

Sample text in the Fraser alphabet

Translation

So when you pray, you should pray like this: Our Father in heaven, we
pray that your name will always be kept holy. We pray that your kingdom
will come, and that the things you want will be done here on earth, the
same as in heaven. Give us the food we need for each day. Forgive the sins
we have done, the same as we have forgiven the people that did wrong to
us. Don’t let us be tempted, but save us from the Evil One. Yes, if you
forgive other people for the things they do wrong, then your Father in
heaven will also forgive you for the things you do wrong.

Source: http://www.language-museum.com/l/lisu.htm

Links

Information about J. O. Fraser (in English)
http://www.watchword.org/smithers/ww50a.htm

  • Post category:Languages
  • Reading time:2 mins read