KATHMANDU: A new font named ‘Dubo’ has been developed to support writing in 125 languages spoken across Nepal.
The font was created as part of an agreement between the Nepal Academy and Awaran Publications, following the recommendations of a specially formed task force.
The ‘Dubo’ font, featuring 224 characters, is designed to simplify the writing system for diverse languages, including those without their own scripts.
According to Ramesh Poudel, Managing Director of Awaran Publications and the creator of the font, ‘Dubo’ follows a layout different from Devanagari and Unicode, yet remains user-friendly.
During a handover ceremony at the Nepal Academy on Tuesday, linguist Prof Dr. Madhav Pokharel expressed optimism that the font would resolve challenges associated with writing many indigenous languages.
Similarly, Academy’s Chancellor Bhupal Rai emphasized that the font’s development by an expert task force marks a crucial effort to preserve Nepal’s linguistic diversity.
Language Commission Chairperson Dr. Gopal Thakur highlighted that ‘Dubo’ will foster uniformity in the written forms of various languages, while task force coordinator Dr. Amrit Yonjan Tamang added that the font will significantly facilitate language documentation and preservation.
The new font is expected to be a valuable tool for preserving and promoting the rich linguistic heritage of Nepal, benefiting both scholars and native speakers alike.
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