Re: Optimum number of symbols

John Cowan wrote:
>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.
"Mongolians"? Any distinction from plain old mundane "Mongols"?

                                                   Andreas

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