Re: Optimum number of symbols

On Mon, 20 May 2002 23:22:05 -0400 Jake X <alwaysawake247@...>
writes:
> Although, in a 'conceptual' system that uses symbols to represent
> gramatical
> formants (in other words, a system that transcribes grammar instead
> of
> sound), nothing I've written applies. For example, in that system,
> the
> English plural ([s], [z], [ez]) would be represented as one syllable
> (like
> "pl"). As far as I know, this type of system has never survived
> historically. Does anyone know of a conlang like that?
> Jake
-

The Rokbeigalmki logographic (technically more like a 'morphemograph')
system does something like that.  Every morpheme, whether it's pronounced
as its own syllable or not, gets written separately.  So the one-syllable
word |yum| "others" is written with one character for "yu" and another
for "m" (the plural marker).  Similarly, the |-k| in |risk| and the |-t|
in |jaarihdt| are written separately.  Also, the agentive suffix |-dh| is
written separately, even when it merges with the last letter of the root.
Even weirder, the subject-tense complexes are split differently when it
comes to morphemes and syllables, so the complex |imzii| "they-female
will..." is syllabified /im/-/zaj/, but written IMZ II.  And the same
characters for the tense-showing vowels are used when simple and when
complex:
The two |a|s in |ezaza| "you are at this very moment..." are written the
same, even though the first represents A and the second represents ZA:
EZ + A + A
/e/-/za/-/za/

There is an example of Rokbeigalmki written morphemograph style at:
http://bingweb.binghamton.edu/~bh11744/theszhes.gif

in the first (leftmost) column, the 19th and 20th characters are the
symbols for "past tense" |u| and "present-immediate tense" |a|,
respectively.  (unless i counted wrong.. they should both have a
hook-shape in them, the first with a right angle next to it and the
second with a vertical line in it).
Here, the PAST character is read /u/ and the PRESENT-IMMEDIATE character
is read /za/;  however, if they were reversed, they would be /a/ and /zu/
respectively.
Besides which, the ending /z/ of the preceding character,
THEY-COMMON-PLURAL |uhmz| is part of the same syllable as the first
tense-showing vowel and not the rest of the pronoun.


-Stephen (Steg)
 "it tastes like burning..."