The Todhri alphabet

The Todhri alphabet

Todhri    

The Todhri alphabet is thought to have been invented by Theodor or Todhri Haxhifilipi (1730-1805) of Elbasan in Central Albania, although it is not known when it was invented or what alphabet(s) it was modelled on or derived from.

The alphabet featured in a number of scholarly works, including those by Johann Georg von Hahn (1811-1869), the Austrian consul in Janina, who discovered it and referred to it as 'the original' Albanian alphabet in his 1854 work, Albanesische Studien. He thought it had developed from the Phoenician alphabet, while Leopold Geitler (1847-1885) thought it was based on Roman cursive.

The Todhri alphabet was used to a limited extent in the Elbasan area from the late 18th century. It is not ideally suited to writing the Albanian language.

Notable features

• Type of writing system: alphabet
• Direction of writing: left to right
• Used to write: Albanian

Todhri alphabet