Ethiopic Comma Usage

Issue: In Ethiopic writing, two symbols have been used in the role of an Ethiopic “comma”. The two symbols are the “Netela Serez”, and “Neus Serez”, the later has also been referred to as an Ethiopic “colon” in the Unicode standards and elsewhere. Confusion over the identities and appropriate usage of the symbols has lead to inconsistent and sometimes confusing application.

View: It is the view of the Ethiopian Writers Association that both symbols are syntactically a “comma” and identical. The Netela Serez form is appropriate for all modern Ethiopic documents while the “Neus Serez” form be used for the delimitations of Biblical literature in keeping with tradition.

Recommendation: It is the recommendation of the EWA that the Netela Serez form of comma is the preferred and should be the default form where commas are used. The Neus Serez form should also be available to computer users.