Re: A break in the evils of English (or, Sturnan is beautiful)

Christophe Grandsire sikayal:

> > > Vengei /veN gE/ to walk, to go
> >
> > Eh?  It's *very* odd for a conlang to write {ei} for [E] and {e} for
> > [e].
> > Is that what you meant?  Or did you confuse the phonetic symbols?
> >
>
> Why is it weird? It's basically what French does!
French (and English) can *not* be used as examples of normal orthography!

Besides, it makes more sense for {ei} to be high-mid.  Everyone generally
agrees that {e} represents an unrounded (usually front) mid vowel.
Everyone agrees that {i} represents an unrounded high vowel.  Logically,
combining them to {ei} can give an unrounded mid-high vowel, or [e], which
then leaves plain {e} to represent [E] (or whatever else you need it for).

Please don't write to inform me that language XYZ does something
different.  I *know* that already.  The above phonetic values are ones
that are general and universal, or nearly so.


Jesse S. Bangs jaspax@u.washington.edu

"If you look at a thing nine hundred and ninety-nine times, you are
perfectly safe; if you look at it the thousandth time, you are in
frightful danger of seeing it for the first time."
--G.K. Chesterton

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