Re: Whatever happened to Aelya?

Christian Thalmann ascelle:
> >     Part of this is some strange conlanger need to have one-for-one
> > orthographies, which are exceedingly rare in natlangs. C doesn't represent
> > /S/ in any natlang i know of, for example, so it's use for such is strange.
> > Same for q and /N/.
>
>Small misunderstanding here.  Obrenje has a one-on-one correspondence
>between latin transcription letters and native script letters.  That
>doesn't mean those letters have exactly one possible sound!  Not at
>all: Obrenje |c| is /s/ before front vowel, otherwise /h/ inter-
>vocally, /x/ after back vowel and /C/ after front vowel.  All that
>derives from a proto-Obrenje /x/.
    Well, then when did the Roman transliteration happen? Or did it never
happen? Why should the roman transliteration be identical to the native
system? A new linguist coming in might still use a different system,
actually spelling it 's' when before a front vowel, 'h' intervocallically,
and so on. Or even some variation with 2 possible representations in
transliteration. I think the romanization of japanese with geminate letters
(chotto, for example) is a good example, since the native script actually
uses a small 'tsu'.
    At any rate, the question is does that method of orthography appeal to
you? If you like it, than it's fine. But if it doesn't, there are a zillion
ways to change it without changing the phonology...

>Too bad the Obrenaj never knew Latin letters in the first place.  =P
>See http://catharsis.netpeople.ch/fonts/cbo.gif for a draft of the
>script, and http://catharsis.netpeople.ch/langmaking/grammar.htm for
>an explanation of its use.
    Okay, here's a question or two:

    If palatization is determined by neighboring vowels, why does there
need to be a special mark for it in the native script? Wouldn't the fact
that an i follows be enough?

   And the forms with doubled letters in transcription (like nokkce or
noggze) - why does the geminate mark in the native script appear on the
kc/gz, and not on the k/g? The sample shows gemination on a g, with no z in
sight? What's going on here - I'm confused.

   Keep in mind, native script use and transcription don't have to have
anything in common at all.

>Thanx, no need to put some effort into that.  You've already been a
>lot of help, and more would probably fall under plagiarism.  ;-)
    Well, thanks for the interest if nothing else!

   Aidan

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