The Unified Northern Alphabet (UNA) (russian: Единый северный алфавит) was created during the

Latinisation in the Soviet Union In the USSR, latinisation or latinization (russian: латиниза́ция, ') was the name of the campaign during the 1920s–1930s which aimed to replace traditional writing systems for all languages of the Soviet Union with systems that wo ...

for the "small" languages of the North. Systematic work on the development of writing in the languages of the peoples of the North began in 1926, when the Northern Faculty (known as the Institute of the Peoples of the North (IPN) since 1930) of the Leningrad Oriental Institute ( ru) was established. The alphabet was initially planned to serve as an alphabet for Chukchi,

Even Even may refer to: General * Even (given name), a Norwegian male personal name * Even (surname) * Even (people), an ethnic group from Siberia and Russian Far East ** Even language, a language spoken by the Evens * Odd and Even, a solitaire game w ...

, Evenki, Gilyak,

Itelmen The Itelmens (Itelmen: Итәнмән, russian: Ительмены) are an indigenous ethnic group of the Kamchatka Peninsula in Russia. The Itelmen language is distantly related to Chukchi and Koryak, forming the Chukotko-Kamchatkan language ...

, Ket, Koryak,

Mansi Mansi may refer to: People * Mansi people, an indigenous people living in Tyumen Oblast, Russia ** Mansi language * Giovanni Domenico Mansi Gian (Giovanni) Domenico Mansi (16 February 1692 – 27 September 1769) was an Italian prelate, theolog ...

, Nanai, Nenets,

Saami The Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers' Institute (SAAMI, pronounced "Sammy") is an association of American manufacturers of firearms, ammunition, and components. SAAMI is an accredited standards developer that publishes several Americ ...

, Selkup,

Siberian Yupik Siberian Yupiks, or Yuits (russian: Юиты), are a Yupik peoples, Yupik people who reside along the coast of the Chukchi Peninsula in the far Russian Far East, northeast of the Russia, Russian Federation and on St. Lawrence Island in Alask ...

and Udihe.

Alphabet

Letters in use across different languages

{, class="wikitable" style="text-align: center" , - ! 1 !! Saami !! Nenets !! Selkup !! Mansi !! Khanty !! Evenki !! Even !! Nanai !! Udihe !! Itelmen !! Chukchi !! Koryak !! Yupik !! Aleut !! Ket !! Gilyak , - , A a, , A a
Ā ā, , A a
Ā ā, , A a
Ā ā, , A a, , A a, , A a
Ā ā, , A a
Ā ā, , A a
Ā ā, , A a
Ā ā, , A a, , A a
Ā ā, , A a, , A a, , A a, , A a, , A a , - , B в, , B в
B̦ в̦, , B в
B̦ в̦, , B в, , —, , —, , B в, , B в, , B в, , B в, , B в
B̦ в̦, , —, , —, , B в
B̦ в̦, , B в, , B в, , B в , - , C c, , C c, , C c
Ç ç, , —, , —, , —, , —, , —, , —, , —, , C c
Ç ç, , —, , —, , C c, , C c, , —, , — , - , Є є, , Є є, , —, , Є є, , —, , Є є, , Є є, , Є є, , Є є, , Є є, , —, , Є є, , Є є, , —, , —, , —, , Є є , - , D d, , D d
D̦ d̦, , D d
D̦ d̦, , D d, , —, , —, , D d, , D d, , D d, , D d, , D d
D̦ d̦, , D d, , —, , D d, , D d, , D d, , D d
D̦ d̦ , - , Ӡ ӡ, , Ӡ ӡ, , —, , —, , —, , —, , Ӡ ӡ, , Ӡ ӡ, , Ӡ ӡ, , Ӡ ӡ, , —, , —, , —, , —, , Ӡ ӡ, , —, , — , - , З з, , З з, , —, , —, , —, , —, , —, , —, , —, , —, , —, , —, , —, , —, , —, , —, , — , - , E e, , E e, , E e
Ē ē, , E e, , E e, , E e, , E e, , E e, , E e, , E e
Ē ē, , E e, , E e
Ē ē, , E e, , E e, , E e, , E e, , E e , - , Ə ə, , Ə ə, , Ə ə
Ə̄ ə̄, , Ə ə, , —, , Ə ə, , Ə ə
Ə̄ ə̄, , Ə ə
Ə̄ ə̄, , Ə ə
Ə̄ ə̄, , Ə ə
Ə̄ ə̄, , Ə ə, , Ə ə
Ə̄ ə̄, , Ə ə, , Ə ə, , Ə ə, , Ə ə, , Ə ə , - , Æ æ, , Æ æ, , —, , Æ æ, , —, , —, , —, , —, , —, , Æ æ, , —, , —, , —, , —, , —, , Æ æ, , — , - , F f, , F f, , —, , —, , —, , —, , —, , —, , —, , F f, , F f, , —, , —, , F f, , F f, , —, , F f , - , G g, , G g, , G g, , G g, , G g, , —, , G g, , G g, , G g, , G g, , G g
Ģ ģ, , G g, , G g, , G g, , G g, , G g, , G g , - , H h, , H h, , H h, , —, , H h, , H h, , H h, , H h, , H h, , H h, , H h, , —, , —, , H h, , H h, , H h, , H h , - , Ꜧ ꜧ, , —, , Ꜧ ꜧ, , —, , Ꜧ ꜧ, , Ꜧ ꜧ, , —, , —, , —, , —, , —, , —, , —, , —, , —, , Ꜧ ꜧ, , Ꜧ ꜧ , - , I i, , I i
Ī ī, , I i
Ī ī, , I i, , I i, , I i, , I i, , I i, , I i
Ī ī, , I i
Ī ī, , I i, , I i
Ī ī, , I i, , I i, , I i, , I i, , I i , - , Ь ь, , Ь ь, , Ь ь
Ь̄ ь̄, , Ь ь, , Ь ь, , Ь ь, , —, , —, , —, , —, , Ь ь, , Ь ь
Ь̄ ь̄, , Ь ь, , Ь ь, , Ь ь, , Ь ь, , — , - , J j, , J j, , J j, , J j, , J j, , J j, , J j, , J j, , J j, , J j, , J j, , J j, , J j, , J j, , J j, , J j, , J j , - , K k, , K k
Ķ ķ, , K k, , K k, , K k, , K k, , K k, , K k, , K k, , K k, , K k
Ķ ķ, , K k, , K k, , K k, , K k, , K k, , K k
K' k' , - , L l, , L l
Ļ ļ, , L l
Ļ ļ, , L l
Ļ ļ, , L l
Ļ ļ, , L l
Ļ ļ, , L l, , L l, , L l, , L l, , L l
Ļ ļ, , L l, , L l
Ļ ļ, , L l
Ļ ļ, , L l
Ļ ļ, , L l
Ļ ļ, , L l , - , Ł ł, , —, , —, , —, , —, , Ł ł, , —, , —, , —, , —, , Ł ł, , —, , —, , Ł ł, , Ł ł, , —, , — , - , M m, , M m
M̦ m̦, , M m
M̦ m̦, , M m, , M m, , M m, , M m, , M m, , M m, , M m, , M m
M̦ m̦, , M m, , M m, , M m, , M m, , M m, , M m , - , N n, , N n
Ņ ņ, , N n
Ņ ņ, , N n
Ņ ņ, , N n
Ņ ņ, , N n
Ņ ņ, , N n
Ņ ņ, , N n
Ņ ņ, , N n
Ņ ņ, , N n
Ņ ņ, , N n
Ņ ņ, , N n, , N n
Ņ ņ, , N n
Ņ ņ, , N n, , N n
Ņ ņ, , N n
Ņ ņ , - , Ŋ ŋ, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , {{lang, se, Ŋ ŋ, i=no , - , O o, , O o
Ō ō, , O o
Ō ō, , O o, , O o, , O o, , O o
Ō ō, , O o
Ō ō, , O o
Ō ō, , O o
Ō ō, , O o, , O o
Ō ō, , O o, , O o, , O o, , O o, , O o , - , Ө ө, , —, , —, , Ө ө, , —, , Ө ө, , —, , —, , —, , Ө ө, , —, , —, , —, , —, , —, , —, , — , - , P p, , P p
P̦ p̦, , P p
P̦ p̦, , P p, , P p, , P p, , P p, , P p, , P p, , P p, , P p
P̦ p̦, , P p, , P p, , P p, , P p, , P p, , P p
P' p' , - , Q q, , —, , —, , Q q, , —, , Q q, , —, , —, , —, , —, , Q q, , Q q, , Q q, , Q q, , Q q, , Q q, , Q q
Q' q' , - , R r, , R r
Ŗ ŗ, , R r
Ŗ ŗ, , R r, , R r, , R r, , R r, , R r, , R r, , R r, , R r
Ŗ ŗ, , R r, , R r, , R r, , R r, , R r, , R r
R' r' , - , Ɍ ɍ, , —, , —, , —, , —, , —, , —, , —, , —, , —, , —, , —, , —, , —, , Ɍ ɍ, , —, , — , - , S s, , S s
Ș ș, , S s
Ș ș, , S s, , S s, , S s
Ș ș, , S s, , S s, , S s, , S s, , S s
Ș ș, , S s, , S s, , S s
Ș ș, , S s, , S s
Ș ș, , S s , - , Ꞩ ꞩ, , —, , —, , Ꞩ ꞩ, , Ꞩ ꞩ, , Ꞩ ꞩ, , —, , —, , —, , —, , —, , —, , —, , —, , —, , —, , — , - , T t, , T t
Ț ț, , T t
Ț ț, , T t, , T t
Ț ț, , T t
Ț ț, , T t, , T t, , T t, , T t, , T t
Ț ț, , T t, , T t
Ț ț, , T t, , T t, , T t
Ț ț, , T t
Ț ț
T' t' , - , U u, , U u
Ū ū, , U u
Ū ū, , U u, , U u, , U u, , U u, , U u, , U u
Ū ū, , U u
Ū ū, , U u, , U u
Ū ū, , U u, , U u, , U u, , U u, , U u , - , V v, , V v
V̦ v̦, , —, , —, , —, , —, , —, , —, , —, , —, , V v
V̦ v̦, , V v, , V v, , V v, , V v, , —, , V v , - , W w, , —, , W w, , W w, , W w, , W w, , W w, , W w, , W w, , W w, , W w, , W w, , W w, , W w, , W w, , W w, , — , - , X x, , X x, , —, , —, , —, , —, , —, , —, , —, , X x, , X x, , —, , —, , X x, , X x, , —, , X x , - , Y y, , —, , —, , Y y, , —, , Y y, , —, , —, , —, , Y y, , —, , —, , —, , —, , —, , —, , — , - , Z z, , Z z, , Z z
Z̦ z̦, , Z z, , —, , —, , —, , —, , —, , Z z, , Z z
Z̦ z̦, , —, , —, , Z z, , —, , —, , Z z , - , Ƶ ƶ, , Ƶ ƶ, , —, , —, , —, , —, , —, , —, , —, , —, , —, , —, , —, , —, , Ƶ ƶ, , —, , —

Further development

Since 1932, textbooks began to be published in the UNA. The UNA was used for 15 out of the 16 planned languages (all except Aleutian). After 1937, the UNA was abandoned, and those languages that were to continue to have an official writing system were to adopt Cyrillic. In practice, this spelt the end of writing for many of these minority languages this halted their written use for decades to come.

References

* Grenoble, L. A. (2003). Language policy in the Soviet Union (Vol. 3). Springer Science & Business Media. * Partanen, N.; M. Rießler (2019)
An OCR system for the Unified Northern Alphabet
ACL Anthology. Latin alphabets Romanization