Amharic language using SIL Ethiopic font (MAC).

Every time I open a page to write Amharic language using SIL Ethiopic font, it jumps back to the English font instead. This happened since I installed Catalina system software (MAC). Please help, thanks.

In what applications do you experience this?

This sounds more likely to be a keyboard/input method issue than a font issue.

Although, I would recommend that you download and install the latest version of the SIL Ethiopic font which is called: Abyssinica

Are you sure that you have an Amharic/Ethiopic keyboard reinstalled correctly and active in Catalina? If it gets deactivated you will have to reselect it so that it is active in the text field of the application you wish to use.
Are you using a native Mac keyboard layout, or a Keyman keyboard, or some other input method/software?

BTW, the SIL font for Ethiopic also contains the basic set of Latin characters, plenty to for all the needs of the English language. That is why you need an Ethiopic/Amharic keyboard to access the ፊደላቔ.

I have a different problem. The Amharic font is not appearing in Font Book Previews section as well as other applications (Word/Excel etc) even after selecting the right font. Only english fonts are coming.

MacBook Pro OS Catalina.

Any help will be appreciated.

Which fonts are you wanting to use?

I am using Catalina. Send me a PM and I will follow up with you.

Amharic Abyssinia SIL font

what software are you using with the font?

The preview in Font Book is not showing the correct font. It shows the English font. The same applies on all application I tried - Word, Excel, Pages etc.

I understand the preview is not displaying Ethiopian characters. When you are in a document are you able to use Abyssinica SIL?

I updated to Catalina about 2 weeks ago and had a few issues but not with Keyman, though my Keyman was already pretty current. So Keyman with an Amharic keyboard has worked fine for me in MS Word 2016, TextEdit, and Chrome. Definitely update to the latest Keyman if you haven’t already.

Fontbook I believe has only ever displayed an “A-Z” Latin preview list with Ethiopic fonts, I think must be a limitation of Fontbook itself.

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@MATMAR_MG with my testing with the latest Keyman and Abyssinica SIL, I was unable to reproduce the problem you describe. Do you experience the same problems if you use the font Kefa?

Yes, same problem with Kefa.
Apple support couldn’t resolve.

It may be a problem with how your input is configured.

May I ask your suggestion on how to configure.

We need to understand what the problem is first. Is it just that you don’t see the Ethiopic characters in the font preview window? If so, that can be ignored. If you can’t use Ethiopic in a document is it because you don’t have a good way of typing the characters or if you have typed them, are they not working in Abyssinica, but they are working in another font? We need more information before we can assist.

Yes, I don’t see the Ethiopic characters in the font preview window. I also can’t use Ethiopic in a document. I have the kbd installed. This problem is in Abyssinica and Kefa fonts but they are working in another font.

Waiting for your advice.

English, Arabic, Bulgaria, Russian etc. fonts are working. Abyssinica not working.

I am still uncertain what the issue is. I don’t use macOS so I cannot help with font installation. I would be interested in seeing a screenshot with a font that “works” and a screenshot of what you see with Abyssinica. Please also let us know what font does “work”.