Re: Advice on script

    Well, you listed about all of my suggestions in your e-mail, but I'll
still tell you what I think.


In a message dated 7/5/01 4:59:16 AM, suomenkieli@YAHOO.COM writes:

<< I want to keep the above "inverted-3" pattern, but yet
I want the freedom that Latin alphabets permits where
long words can be invented and clearly marked.
Hangul, for instance, makes distinctions by adding
spaces like Engish (not to mention, case in point,
that Hangul words tend to be quite short).  Japanese,
on the other hand, just has it all run together.  I
dislike both methods.  I've considered placing little
marks between words (sort of like what I've heard
about some of the Indian langs), but that would just
be a lot of additional meaningless writing.>>

    Well, so is punctuation, for that matter.  If I'm remembering correctly,
Latin originally had no punctuation and no spaces because it didn't need it,
what with case and all.  They'd probably look at our periods and say, "Why do
you have that their?  You already know it's the end of the sentence" (in
Latin, though).

<<As I implement a system of "top symbols" to depict the
4th phoneme based on rules of vowel harmony (where 4th
phoneme would be based on 2nd phoneme) and consonant
harmony (where 4th phoneme would be based on 3rd
phoneme), I've also thought of having the top symbols
be extended or transform shape to simultaneously
indicate where a word commences & terminates.>>

    A good idea, I think.

<<eg,

vowel harmony example, where top symbol is ^
  _pahuu_ "poor" (opposite of "well")

        ^
      a   p
        h    [from v.h. rule: if 2nd=a, then 4th=uu]

consonant harmony example, where top symbol is  ‹
  _iilhdj_ "because (I was) greeting" from verb "iil"

          ‹
      i    i
        lh   [from c.h. rule: if 3rd=lh, then 4th=dj]

verb-s.pronoun top symbol is -
(this is used just with verbs, as written form &
corresponding spoken form always vary, so the top
symbol indicates that the verb is a conjugated form
and the following written subject pronoun should be
silent and pronounced rather as its corresponding
conjugated form)
  _kuun_ "I am well" (written: kuul'yi)

         -
      uu   k   (and)   i      y
         l               (ts)

      [subject pronoun _yi_ "I" has spoken value -n]

NB, the "letter" _ts_ is actually used like French "h"
in that it is silent (unless it is followed by itself,
in which case it takes on its _ts_ pronunciation)

I know my explanation above probably lacks quite a
bit, and I apologize.  For now, though, if anyone
could possibly follow my logic and offer your opinion,
I'd appreciate it!

Btw, Vya:a:hn "how are you (all)?" would be

  _mitox kuut_ (note that "ox" is a "letter" where
                "o" is like in "oval" or "au-revoir"
                and "x" like Spanish as in "Mexico")

  but its written form would look like this:

     ^         -
   i   m    uu   k   u      yy
     t         l       (ts)

  (because infinitive form of _kuut_ is _kuul_ >>

    Okay, my next suggestion is a metaphorical extension of Arabic.  Your
words are written top right to top left to bottom, but, why not change the
order of the next set if the two segments are supposed to go together?  All
your examples are verb phrases, so I'll just make up an example (leaving out
the non-listed vowels, since I don't know how your language works, exactly.
Do you have a webpage?).  Let's say the tri-consonantal root "m l k" goes
with the noun "tidings, news, gossip", and the root "h p y" goes with the
active human noun "deliverer, bringer".  So, if you wanted to smash these
words together to mean "bringer of news" (mind, I don't know how your
genitive works, or if you have one, but I'm just trying to show how you might
do it in script), it'd be:

l   m       h    p
  k             y

    See what I mean?  So, it kind of looks graphically like <  > (if the tops
were flat).  And if you wanted to keep going, you'd have all the following
segments in this inverted order, as well.  How not to confuse it with the
root "p h y", if there is one?  Make a little mark (it can just be a dot or
an x, something really small) that indicates that the order is inverted for
purposes of conjunction.
    Finally, though, if you really dislike additional writing, then you can
just leave it out.  I mean, in Hebrew and Arabic no one ever writes the small
vowels or grammatical markers which go above and below words.  Why?  Because
they either already know what they should be, or they don't care (about the
case endings in Arabic, for example).  So, if, in Arabic script, a native
Arabic speaker saw "bnt" written together, s/he would never pronounce it
/bant/ or /bUnt/, because it's /bInt/: daughter.  And this becomes even less
likely with context.  So, like Arabic, you could have these extra written
marks for purposes of grammar and reading in Vya:a:h's script, but since most
would be understood by a native speaker, you don't absolutely have to have
them; they're just there if you need them.

-David