Building a Custom Shavian Keyboard Layout for Android with Keyman

Shavian is a phonetic alphabet that promises a one-to-one correspondence between sounds and letters. ShawAlphabet.com is the premier hub for learning, converting, and typing Shavian, and this guide shows you how to bring that power to your Android phone with the Keyman keyboard creation tool.

Explanation: What Is the Shavian Alphabet and Why Was It Created?

The Shavian alphabet was devised by the Irish playwright and critic George Bernard Shaw in the early 20th century. Shaw believed that English spelling was a barrier to literacy and communication because it is irregular, ambiguous, and heavily influenced by etymology. By designing a new script that was strictly phonetic, he hoped to make reading and writing as simple as possible.

• Phonemic principle: Every distinct sound (phoneme) in English has a dedicated letter.
• No silent letters: All letters correspond to a sound in the word.
• Uniform orthography: The same spelling works for all English accents.
• Compactness: 48 characters suffice for all Standard English sounds.

Visual Example: English Words vs. Shavian Equivalents

How It Works: Phonetic Spelling & 48 Letters

The Shavian block in Unicode (U+10450–U+1047F) contains 48 letters. They are grouped as follows:

• Consonants: Represent stops, fricatives, nasals, approximants.
• Vowels: Cover short, long, diphthongs, and schwa.
• Ligatures: Capture common consonant clusters (th, sh, ch, etc.) to keep words concise.

Common English Words in Shavian

1. house – 𐑨၅၄၆၅
2. knowledge – 𐑘၅𐑖၅၄၅၆၅
3. friend – 𐑙၅𐑦၅၅
4. beautiful – ၅၅၅၅၅၅၅
5. communication – 𐑙၅𐑡၆၅၅၅𐑣၅𐑨၅

Accent and Dialect Notes

Because Shavian is strictly phonemic, the same spelling works for Received Pronunciation, General American, and many other English accents. The only variability is the actual pronunciation of the letter, not its representation. This universality is one of Shavian’s strongest arguments for reform.

Common Mistakes

• Confusing 𐑘 (sh) with 𐑖 (s).
• Forgetting to use ligatures for “th” and “ch” which can lead to extra letters.
• Using the wrong vowel for a diphthong, e.g., writing 𐑩 instead of &#x1046E.
• Assuming the Latin letter “w” maps to a Shavian sound; it does not exist.
• Typing the Latin “c” when the intended sound is the Shavian “k”.

Practical Exercise

Convert the sentence: “Shaw wrote a short story about a cat.” into Shavian. Write your answer below, then check it against the key below.

Answer Key:

၅၆၅၅𐑘၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅၅…

Building the Keyboard with Keyman

Keyman is a free, cross‑platform keyboard design platform that lets you create custom layouts for Android, iOS, Windows, and more. The steps below walk you through a minimal Shavian layout that works on Android phones.

1. Download Keyman Desktop from keyman.com/desktop. Install and launch the application.
2. Create a New Keyboard – choose “Create a new keyboard” and give it a name such as “Shavian‑Android”. Select “Android” as the target platform.
3. Define the Layout – Keyman uses a JSON file. The core of the file maps physical keys to Unicode code points. A simple example for the letter “a” is:
   

   “a”: {“unicode”: “U+10468”}

   Repeat this mapping for all 48 Shavian characters. For ligatures, use the same key combinations that the Shavian alphabet recommends (e.g., “sh” → U+10475). Keyman automatically creates the key‑to‑codepoint mapping for each key.

4. Test the Layout – Keyman Desktop has a live preview. Type into the test box to ensure each key outputs the correct Shavian glyph.
5. Export the Keyboard – Click “Export for Android” which generates an .apk file.
6. Install on Android – Transfer the APK to your phone, enable installation from unknown sources, and install. Once installed, go to Settings → System → Languages & input → Virtual keyboard → Manage keyboards and enable your new Shavian keyboard.
7. Activate the Keyboard – Open any text app, tap the globe icon, and select the Shavian layout. You can now type in Shavian using the on‑screen keys.

For more advanced customizations, such as adding a numeric keypad, change the layout direction, or adjusting key sizes, consult the Keyman Documentation. ShawAlphabet.com also hosts a ready‑made Keyman layout that you can download and skip the manual creation if you prefer.

Limitations and Controversies

Despite its elegance, Shavian has never gained mainstream adoption. The alphabet’s main obstacles are:

• Learning curve: Users must memorize 48 new symbols.
• Font support: Not all systems ship with a Shavian font; you may need to install one.
• Software ecosystem: Few applications support Shavian input natively.
• Historical inertia: English spelling is deeply entrenched in culture, education, and technology.

Critics argue that phonetic reform is unnecessary if spelling reforms like spelling‑simplification or context‑based learning can achieve similar goals. Nonetheless, Shavian remains an excellent educational tool for phonetics and orthography.

Historical Context

George Bernard Shaw (1856–1950) first proposed the Shavian alphabet in 1907. He published a short play, Androcles and the Lion, in the new script to demonstrate its practicality. The alphabet was named after him, but a later spelling reformer, James Chadwick, popularized it further in the 1920s. The Shavian block was added to Unicode in 2008 (Version 5.0), ensuring that the script is fully computer‑ready.

Sources and Further Reading

• ShawAlphabet.com – Official site
• Wikipedia – Shavian alphabet
• Unicode Technical Report – Shavian block
• Keyman – Keyboard creation platform
• Shavian version of Androcles and the Lion