ADR 0023 Learning Without The Alphabet

ADR-0023: A language can be learned without its alphabet

Source of truth: this wiki page.

• Status: Accepted
• Date: 2026-10-03

Context

The owner asked for "a path in both the path files and onboarding for when the user doesn't want to learn the alphabet", and for transliterated answers, "as no script cannot work without it" (ADR-0022). They decided:

• script units are marked in the existing paths, and the script, spelling and reading decks are skipped;
• cards show both, the romanisation first;
• onboarding asks per language, right after it is chosen, Japanese too;
• a per-language switch in Settings;
• no-alphabet learners get full credit for answers in Latin letters.

Japanese has only its hiragana deck. Asked, the owner chose to ask anyway and say there is nothing yet without the alphabet.

Decision

• The path marks the decks. A path file's alphabet lists the decks that need the alphabet: the script, spelling and reading decks. Each must be on the path; the validator and the parser check it.
• The setting is per language. SettingsNotifier.noAlphabet holds the codes learned without their alphabet, stored as no_alphabet.
• The course leaves those decks out. AppState.courseUnits drops them, so Today, placement and the pending units never teach them, and Today's deck list does not show them. They can still be opened and studied.
• Asked at placement. For a language whose path marks decks, placement first asks "Learn the alphabet?" and places the course as answered. Nothing is saved until placement ends, as before. A course left with nothing, Japanese today, says so.
• Settings > Alphabets has a switch for each language learned whose course marks decks.
• In drills: typed answers start in Latin letters, and a right one counts in full. The Script choice stays. Recognition, the answer once given, and placement's check show the reading first, as large as the word, then the script.

Consequences

• A new path must list its script, spelling and reading decks in alphabet, or a learner without the alphabet is taught them.
• Switching the alphabet on later puts the script decks back at the start of the course: Today teaches them next.

See also: Contributing · ADR-Index · Home