Re: Optimum number of symbols

Steg Belsky scripsit:

> If the idea is to make the vowel markings in abjads mandatory, i don't
> think that it's an improvement.
Harping on Mongolian once more, the Manchus decided to write their
language (which is somewhat distantly related to Mongolian) with
the Mongolian script, and *unlike* the Mongolians they found its
representational problems impossible.  So they devised the "writing
with dots and circles", which cleverly disambiguated all the sounds.
But this is more like Arabic dots than it is like Arabic or Hebrew
vowel signs, perhaps.

--
John Cowan <jcowan@...>     http://www.reutershealth.com
I amar prestar aen, han mathon ne nen,    http://www.ccil.org/~cowan
han mathon ne chae, a han noston ne 'wilith.  --Galadriel, _LOTR:FOTR_