What Is Danef?
Why the Danef Latin alphabet exists, who it serves, and how it stays independent from Cyrillic writing.
Danef is a learner-first Latin writing system for Adyghe on the web.
Built for everyday readers
Danef targets people who want to read Adyghe, not specialists who already know linguistic notation.
Lessons stay short, audio stays close, and the site stays free of accounts or paywalls.
Adyghe is written in both Latin and Cyrillic traditions on different paths.
Haroon Showgan (Harun Şewgen), a Shapsugh software engineer in Kafr Kama, maintains Showgan as spare-time language-revival work.
Independent from Cyrillic
Danef is not a transliteration table pasted under Cyrillic text.
Letters are chosen for stable, sound-first reading in Latin script.
Circassian
The word adiǵe written in Danef Latin.
Cyrillic is not ancient Adyghe heritage the way xabza or the language itself are.
Neither Latin nor Cyrillic should define Adyghe identity; both are tools for keeping the language alive.
Cyrillic spread through external politics; the more practical script deserves room to prove itself.
Practical design values
Forty-five letters cover the inventory without asking learners to memorize unused symbols.
Modifiers and contextual letters are taught where they matter for real words.
Showgan apps around the site handle dictionary lookup, typing, translation, and longer listening practice.
Millions of Adyghe live across many countries where anyone can contribute time and skill.
Even a small share of energy spent on music and dance could fuel everyday reading if redirected.
Where to start
Mission 1 teaches core vowels; the Sandbox remains open for free exploration.
Hear longer Adyghe samples when you are ready for extended listening.
Sources include the Danef specification and approved deck fragments 002, 019, 020, 030, and 031.