Re: Curvey Scripts

Nik Taylor wrote:
>I used that idea in my syllabry for W.  W. uses a syllabry, but for
>"complex" syllables (i.e., beyond CV), characters are combined in
>smaller form into a single unit.  So that, for instance, _kyan_ is
>formed from ky + ya + na in one unit (most consonants have five
>forms, Ci, Cu, Ca, Cy, Cw; the syllabry was borrowed from a
>language with five vowels, the old -e and -o forms were used when
>combining with the y- and w- series, and is now used only for that,
>thus _ky_ < _ke_), _kla_ would be ka + la, while _kal_ would be ka
>+ a + la, _ttin_ is ti + ti + na, and so on.  This can be used to
>represent syllables impossible to W. phonotactics, for instance, my
>name, Nik would be written ni + ka.
>
The Boreanesian script almost does this - represent syllables in a
single unit of letters.

There are two kinds of letters in the Boreanesian script: consonants
and codas. In the script, consonants are inherently C@ in shape. In
Boreanesian, syllables can be grouped into two types: minor and
major. Minor syllables are always phonemically C@ in shape, while
major syllables always have a coda. So if we say consonant letters
are "C" and the coda letters are "X", then all minor syllables in
Boreanesian are represented as "C" while all heavy syllables are
represented as "CX". One can therefore say that "C" and "CX" each
represent a syllabic unit.

In allegro speech, the /@/ in a minor syllable is often reduced or
dropped intirely before a major syllable forming (major) syllable
initial consonant clusters. So one could also say that "CCX" also
represents a unit. The rule of thumb is that single syllables are
not represented by more than _three_ letters in allegro speech, but
not more than _two_ in slow speech. So a "CCX" combination would
read as two syllables in slow speech but as one syllable in allegro
speech, and "CCCX" will be read as three syllables in slow speech
but two syllables in fast speech.

Regards,
-Kristian- 8-)