Re: reformed Welsh Spelling - comments?

--- In conlang@yahoogroups.com, Ray Brown <ray.brown@F...> wrote:

> > I'd like to see [dd] replaced by [dh], [ff] replaced by [f] and
[f] by [v]
> > .
>
> Rather cosmetic changes.
Ones that would make it more readable to outsiders though.



> > Also the grapheme [y] does duty for several sounds.
>
> Two, in fact:
> 1. 'obscure y' =  [V]
> 2. 'clear y' = [1] in north Wales and [i] in south Wales (i.e. dialect
> variation).
>
> The rules for which |y| is obscure & which clear are simple & the
> exceptions easily learnt.
> But if one wanted reform, then the obvious thing would be to spell
'clear
> y' as |u|.
If I had to find spellings for /i 1 V/, I'd go for |i y u|,
especially since |y| is /1/ in Slavic transcriptions and
|u| is /V/ in English.  It would break with tradition, but
then, that's what a spelin reeform is all about, yes?  You'd
still have the double meaning of |w| to worry about, though.
Then again, you could write |ou| for /u/, since I assume /oV/
doesn't occur.



> Nope!  Most of the time it's /V/.
> In final syllable of polysyllabic words and in _some_ monosyllabic
> words it's [1] in north Wales and [i] in the south.
That *some* doesn't sound like an easily learned rule, as
you advertized it earlier.



-- Christian Thalmann

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