Re: Optimum number of symbols

Mike S:
> Nik Taylor <fortytwo@...> wrote:
> >"True" Alphabet
> >Advantages:
> >  Paucity of characters, presumed ease of learning
> >  Flexibility
> >  Easier to make abstract descriptions of a language when one must deal
> >    with single phones
>
> This might be included under the flexibility category, but I think
> it's worth mentioning: universality.  No other basic system lends
> itself to every language ever spoken in such a trivially easy way.
I don't think an alphabet lends itself in a trivially easy way to
a language with lots of lexically contrastive suprasegmental features
such as tone, nasalization and voice quality. Well -- the result may
be trivially easy, but the number of characters needed is
unsatisfactorily large. (Cf. the numberless threads on this
list about romanizations of Chinese.)

--And.

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