SIL International has been working with language communities to create practical orthographies and promote language development in the Rift Valley since 1989. Orthography development relies on linguistic groundwork as well as the application of literacy principles relating to the ease of reading and writing. Above all, a good orthography must be one which is accepted and owned by its speakers. Examples from Mbugwe, Rangi and Sandawe show how choosing appropriate graphemes for an orthography and deciding whether and how to write lexical and grammatical tone can be a complex issue.

Note: This talk has not gone through a process of peer review, and findings should therefore be treated as preliminary and subject to change. Acknowledgement and citation: Eaton, Helen and Lizzie Poole. 2021. Community orthography development in the Rift Valley: Examples from Mbugwe, Rangi and Sandawe. Talk given at the Rift Valley Network Webinar Series. 03/11/2021.