Canadian Aboriginal syllabic writing, or simply Syllabics, is a family of syllabic alphabets used to write a number of indigenous Canadian languages such as Blackfoot, Carrier, Chipewyan, Cree, Inuktitut, Naskapi, Ojibwe, and Oji-Cree.
This essay explores the journey to developing a suitable secondary style for such a script, the Canadian Syllabics, in a way that expands its typographic palette and offers more tools for expressing the language in its visual form.
This essay provides guidelines to fine Syllabics typography through identifying its general and inherent concepts, as well as detailing the nuances found in local preferences within individual communities.
Typotheque is launching a series of Unified Canadian Syllabics fonts that support Indigenous language revitalisation and preservation efforts in North America, changing the standards of future Syllabics fonts.
