New Google Font has 4 Guinean languages

Noto is the name of a new Google font family. It aims to support “all” of the world’s languages.
For the moment, however, only the following Guinean languages (and writing system) are listed:

• Fulah
• Kpèlè
• Mandingo (N’Ko)
• Susu

The new tool supports the usual Serif and Sans-Serif typefaces. Both Noto Sans Serif and Noto Serif fonts come in four sizes :

• Regular 400
• Regular Italic 400
• Bold 700
• Bold Italic 700

Google’s claim that Noto covers all languages is not really accurate. Hence, there are twelve other Guinean idioms missing on their list.

Also, this first release includes only lower case letters. Hopefully, upper case letters will become available soon.

This is somewhat significant for Guinea, since Google applies the UNICODE standard.  Consequently, advocates and users of the N’Ko script get an additional support.
Likewise, the universal transcription of four “specific” consonants (ɓ, ɗ, ƴ , ŋ ) enhances publishing and reading in Pular/Fulfulde.

Local vs. network electronic fonts

Obviously, one can write Noto manually in a local document. But for Web publishers, it is now possible to connect to Google’s CDN (Content Delivery Network) in order to write texts that are compliant with the Standard Pular/Fulfulde Alphabet

I assume that the missing pieces will be included in following releases so as to fully cover  all Guinean — and African — languages.

For additional information, visit:

• http://www.google.com/get/noto/#/family/noto-serif
• https://code.google.com/p/noto/

Tierno S. Bah
webAfriqa / webPulaaku / webFuuta / webMande / webCôte /  webForêt

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Author: Tierno Siradiou Bah

Founder and publisher of webAfriqa, the African content portal, comprising: webAFriqa.net, webFuuta.net, webPulaaku,net, webMande.net, webCote.net, webForet.net, webGuinee.net, WikiGuinee.net, Campboiro.org, AfriXML.net, and webAmeriqa.com.