INTRODUCTION

The above alphabetic principle makes reading and writing easy, allowing the reader to pronounce words from their spelling, and the writer to spell them from their sounds. The UniPers alphabet and its rules are founded on this fundamental principle. The statements of purpose of the UniPers script are given below:

• To provide the Persian language with a standard Latin-based script that is clear, simple, and consistent.
• To make reading and writing of the Persian language, readily accessible to most users, regardless of their national origin and/or education level.
  

UniPers is a simple Latin-based alphabet uniquely designed to facilitate the reading and writing of the Persian language. The UniPers script combines the basic Latin alphabet plus a few modified letters, and a handful of common sense rules and recommendations, in order to best represent the sounds of Persian.

AXIOMS

Here are the 5 axioms of the UniPers script:

1. The script must serve the Persian language and not the other way around. No other language should be served.
2. The alphabet and numbers must be exclusively Latin with additional common diacritical letters and symbols if necessary.
3. Simplicity and ease of use. The script must be used for the broadest possible transcription of the Persian sounds with the absolute minimum number of diacritical letters, symbols, and rules.
4. Each letter of the alphabet must have a unique basic Persian sound value. Every basic sound of the Persian language must be exclusively represented by a unique letter of the alphabet. No digraphs, ligatures, or redundant letters are allowed.
5. The spelling rules and conventions must conform, and in no way be in conflict with, the standard pronunciations and flow of the Persian language.
   

THE ALPHABET

The UniPers alphabet was created based on the above axioms by merely adding 3 diacritical letters and one symbol to the basic Latin alphabet. The 3 diacritical letters and the symbol are:

1. Â â
2. Š š
3. Ž ž
4. '

These particular letters were chosen since they already exist in most available fonts and are common in many phonetic alphabets.

Here is the whole UniPers alphabet with examples of occurrences in Persian and English words:

Below is a Perso-Arabic to UniPers conversion table:

SPELLING RULES & CONVENTIONS

The 10 spelling rules and conventions of the UniPers script:

1. The connecting letter e as in nâme man (my name), should always be attached to the noun it follows. Here are some examples of incorrect spellings and the correct spelling:

The same rule applies to the case where the first noun ends in a vowel, as in
nâm>eye man (my letter). The additional y is needed because of the ending vowel e in nâm>e. The ye should appear attached to nâm>e and not separate. Here are some examples of incorrect spellings and the correct one:

2. A similar rule as the attached e applies to o (and). Here are some examples of incorrect spellings and the correct version of šabo ruz (night and day):

In case the word on the left ends in a vowel, the letter v is added as a buffer, like in nâmevo kâqaz (letter and paper). Here are some examples of incorrect spellings and the correct version:

3. An obvious rule is regarding prefixes and suffixes. These should always appear attached to the word they are applied to, without any intervening symbols. Examples:

In some cases where the prefix ends in a vowel, and the applied word starts with a vowel, the buffer letter y can be added. This is not a strict rule. Examples:

In some cases where the suffix starts in a vowel, and is attached to a word ending in a vowel the buffer >letter y can be added. This is not a strict rule either. Examples:

Examples of exceptions to the above rule:

Connecting middle letters should always be attached. Examples:

4. Here are some spelling rules concerning verbs:

and tenses:

5. Although the combination verbs are written separately, like in bâz dâštan (to halt), the noun bâzdâšt (arrest) is spelled as a single word. Here are some more examples of verbs and their related nouns:

6. In general nouns that are created as a combination of 2 or more nouns should be spelled as a single word. Examples:

7. A combination of an adjective preceding a noun has to also be spelled as one word. Examples:

8. Now the rules relating to the occurances of the letter w. A w should always occur after the letter o as in now (new). It should never be followed a vowel. When followed by a vowel, w will transform into the letter v. Examples:

An exception is in the case of combination words, as in now-âmuz (beginner). In this case the w and the following vowel are separated by a dash (-). Examples:

9. The rule regarding the word "ast" (is). In some cases where the word "ast" follows another word ending in a vowel, it could lose its first letter "a" and get attached to its preceding word. Examples:

10. The apostrophe symbol ( ' ) occurs exclusively in some Arabic borrowed words. The rules for this symbol are:

a) The apostrophe can only occur in the middle or at the end of a word, never at the beginning. Examples:

b) When in the middle of a word, it can only occur in between a consonant and a vowel. Examples:

The exception to this rule occurs only when a suffix starting with a consonant is added to a word ending with an apostrophe. For example:

šam'hâ (candles) = šam' (candle) plus the suffix hâ (-s)

or šam'dân (candleholder) = šam' plus the suffix dân (-holder) .

c) In the situation where the apostrophe occurs after a vowel, it converts it from a short to a long vowel. An example is the word: ba'di (next one). The "a" is long. In contrast in the word: badi (badness) without the apostrophe the vowel is pronounced as a short "a". In the case where the apostrophe follows a consonant, it functions as a pause as in mas'ul (responsible).

d) When occurring at the end of the word, the apostrophe following a consonant will be silent. Example: šam' (candle). The only reason it is kept is in case it is followed by a word beginning with a vowel. For example: šam'o gol (candle and flower). Here are some more examples:

It is recommended, for simplicity, that the apastrophe be dropped if it occurs at the end of a word following a vowel.