zaidzeki/linux-geez-keyboard

A high-performance, phonetic Latin-to-Ethiopic keyboard mapping designed specifically for the Tigrinya language as spoken in Eritrea. # Eritrean Tigrinya Input Method (ti-er.mim) A high-performance, phonetic Latin-to-Ethiopic keyboard mapping designed specifically for the Tigrinya language as spoken in Eritrea. **Produced by:** Zeki Zaid **Studio:** ZekiProductions --- ## 📌 Overview This repository contains the `ti-er.mim` file, an input method specification for the `m17n` library (widely used in Linux systems via IBus/Fcitx and within GNU Emacs). Unlike standard layouts, this mapping is optimized for Eritrean Tigrinya, providing intuitive access to the full Ge'ez character set, including Tigrinya-specific characters like **ቐ** and **ኸ**, and labialized forms like **ቈ**. ## ✨ Features - **Phonetic Logic:** Designed to follow natural phonetic sounds (e.g., typing `s` gives you `ስ`, `sa` gives you `ሳ`). - **Full Character Support:** Includes all basic series, labialized forms, punctuation, and traditional Ethiopic numerals. - **Portability:** Written in standard Emacs Lisp constructs using Unicode code points; works offline and across various platforms supporting `.mim` files. - **Optimized for Eritrea:** Prioritizes characters and sequences most common in Eritrean Tigrinya orthography. --- ## 🚀 Installation ### For Linux (IBus / m17n) 1. Ensure you have the `ibus-m17n` package installed. 2. Copy the file to your local m17n directory: ```bash mkdir -p ~/.m17n.d/ cp ti-er.mim ~/.m17n.d/ ``` 3. Restart your Input Method Engine (IBus/Fcitx). 4. Add "Tigrinya (Custom)" from your keyboard settings. ### For Emacs 1. Place the file in a directory in your `load-path`. 2. Add the following to your `.emacs` or `init.el`: ```elisp (register-input-method "ti-er" "Tigrinya" 'ti-er-start "ት") ``` --- ## ⌨️ Typing Guide The mapping follows a consistent vowel-suffix pattern: | Vowel | Ge'ez Form | Example (h) | Result | | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | | **e** | 1st Form | `he` | ሀ | | **u** | 2nd Form | `hu` | ሁ | | **i** | 3rd Form | `hi` | ሂ | | **a** | 4th Form | `ha` | ሃ | | **ie** | 5th Form …