Ordinal Notation

Issue: In Ethiopic writing ordinals of both Ethiopic and Latin numerals are found to be marked both with superscripted notation and without. For example: 5^ኛ and 5ኛ in Amharic and 5^ይ and 5ይ in Tigrinya. A recommendation for a preferred style of ordinal demarcation will help make Ethiopian literature more consistent.

View: The superscripted notation is found primarily in computer typed documents, perhaps wrongly following the English convention for ordinals. This is not an Ethiopian convention and has no precedence in Ethiopian literature.

Recommendation: There are no recommended uses of subscript and superscript in Ethiopian writing. The use of subscript and superscript formatting should be avoided in Ethiopian writing practices.

Comment: Superscript text should not be used in Ge'ez literature.