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Re: Advice on script

From:SuomenkieliMaa <suomenkieli@...>
Date:Thursday, August 9, 2001, 11:33
Hi everyone!

Been out of the country, travelling in SE Asia - what
a blast!!  Anyhow, a few wks/mos.back I sent the below
to the group.  As I've discarded most of the emails
and did not notice a reply, I was wondering if anyone
would kindly reply now / or direct me to a location on
this list where I can find the archive for the reply.

Thx/Matt33


---------------------
Help!

To practically no avail, I've been trying to develop
Vya:a:h's script to follow certain rules -- namely,
must be written in "letters" of 3 as an inverted
triangle from top-right to top-left to bottom-middle.
I've noticed, however, that this sort of limits me in
terms of inventing words of considerable length,
unless I write 2 or 3 "sets" of inverted triangle
combinations together (but that may cause confusion
with preceding/following words).

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.

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.

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_)

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Replies

SuomenkieliMaa <suomenkieli@...>Voro-Seto natives out there??
Yoon Ha Lee <yl112@...>