Re: Alexiteca, _Aalexsit'exaa_ /a.leksi.th_heka/, version 1.0

En réponse à J Y S Czhang <czhang23@...>:

>     How else to have the _au_ /@U/ diphthong and thus be able to write
> _Aum_
> , "Om" /@Um/?  ;)
>     IIRC, "Aum" is the older Romanization of the Sanskrit or is it just
> an
> alternative spelling?
>
In a little introduction of Sanskrit I have, the phoneme /o:/ is described
as "a leaning towards u", and thus transcribed "au". This transcription also
emphasises the fact that Sanskrit "au" could only be long (according to that
little introduction, only "a", "i" and "u" had short forms opposed to long
ones).

>
>     Vowels are pronounced individually, each form the nucleus for their
> own
> syllable.
How do you solve hiatus? Or don't you solve them and just keep them? (you can
do that, that's what my Astou does and what Old and Middle French did :)) )

>
> VOWELS, other LIQUIDS, RHOTICS, etc.:
>
> i           u                   ee            oo
>       U                             ü
> e         o                     e         o
>     @                               _a_ or _:r_
>     3`                              rr
>     a                           aa
>
>     schwa /@/ is _ a _  or _:r_  when when schwa is before “r”,
> i.e.
> “-er-”,”-ir-” & “-or-” in original language’s
> orthographies, etc.
>
Please don't use Unicode encoding in e-mails please :(( <sob>. Well, it's not
that bad since I can read it on my webmail (I just change the encoding of IE
for a minute :)) ). But if this time it worked, some times it doesn't :(( .

Why don't you write /U/ simply "u"? After all, you mark /u/ as "oom". Or is it
an aesthetic claim? :))

>
>     It's a great strategy for making a somewhat-flexible,
> user-friendly
> phonology(& its orthography) IMHO to cope with _really_ difficult
> consonant
> clusters and also a nice effect in a basically spartan, minimalistic
> phonology * (I cobbled it together based on Richard Harrison's and
> Rick
> Moreanu's NatLang data on "easiest"-phonemes-to-pronounce and then
> tossed in
> a few "spicy" dissonant notes as counterpoint to the basic harmony ...
> I
> think I want a just a couple more simple "rough, cracked" sound-colours
> and
> timbres tho'. Suggestions?).
>
Use creaky voice? It can be used with both vowels and consonants, and is easy
to recognise and produce (though I had never heard of it just a few months ago,
it took me one use of the IPA Help program to master creaky voice :)) . I wish
it was the same with other sounds :((( ), or at least relatively easy, and
still very exotic.

OFF-TOPIC (but may be interesting :)) ):

>     * One of the connotations of the Japanese Zen concept of _wabi_
> /"wQbI/
> is that of a cultivated naturalness and minimalistic, stark poetic
> purity -
> "perfect imperfection/imperfect perfection": simple, one-of-a-kind,
> roughly
> created, asymmetrical, plainly coloured, deliberately cracked and flawed
> by
> the very processes of creation (working with/mimicking Nature),
> "Appropriate
> Tech/High Touch," etc.
> -versus-  overly-complicated, mass-produced, smoothly
> "Techno-Fashioned,"
> symmetrical, garishly excessive, sleek/slick like steel and glass
> (shaping
> and imposing on Nature), "HyperModernism"/"Techno-Style," etc.
>
A very important concept in Japan. IMO, it's basically their concept of
perfection. The Western concept of perfection is something which has only
qualities. For the Japanese, such a thing cannot exist. Their concept of
perfection is one of perfect balance: a perfect thing balances its drawbacks
with its qualities. Same for people: a perfect person in the Western sense
would simply be inhuman for a Japanese. For them, a perfect person with some
exceptional qualities must balance them with some strong defects to stay human.
That's for instance why characters of Japanese manga with exceptional qualities
have often a stupid side: to keep them from becoming inhuman. For instance,
Goku of Dragon Ball Z is the perfect warrior, ready to sacrifice himself for
humanity. Yet he is also very naive and glutton, and not very smart. Saeba Ryo
from City Hunter is the perfect private detective, keeping cold blood when
danger is near and able to use his gun with chirurgical precision. Yet he is
also a pervert who would do anything to go out with girls :)) . And let's take
my favourite character, Sailor Moon :)) . She is a clumsy, bad-at-school
crybaby. Yet she is ready to sacrifice herself for her friends at any time and
her power to love is so great that she'll save the whole humanity with it :)) .

Sorry for the digression, but I thought it might be an interesting cultural
explanation :)) .

Christophe.

http://rainbow.conlang.free.fr

Take your life as a movie: do not let anybody else play the leading role.