Duployan Letter Ou

It is a vowel sign whose reading depends on the writing system.

Duployan began as Émile Duployé’s French shorthand in 1860. Its signs were later adapted for English, German, Spanish, Romanian, and languages of interior British Columbia.

In 1890, Jean-Marie Le Jeune adapted the system for British Columbia; the Kamloops Wawa, founded in 1891, used it for reading, correspondence, and religious texts. In this Chinook writing tradition, 𛱛 is documented as the letter “oo.” “Ou” names the sign; it does not prescribe one pronunciation or spell English “ou.”

Why can 𛱛 look different in different fonts?

Its shape can change as it joins neighboring signs.

Duployan letters can join in cursive writing, and vowels can take different forms depending on their position. The font and application also affect the result, so an isolated chart shape may differ from the form within a word.

The surrounding strokes connect according to the writing system. Without Duployan shaping support, a font may show a fallback or an incomplete form; that is a display problem, not a change in the character’s reading.

How do I type 𛱛?

Use a Duployan input method and a font that supports its shaping.

A Duployan keyboard layout is available, but layouts designed for different languages may place signs differently. For sustained writing, use an input method suited to the language and text you are producing.

A suitable OpenType font can shape cursive joins and contextual forms. An ordinary font or editor may show only a fallback or an incomplete isolated shape.