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Script question and..

From:Aidan Grey <grey@...>
Date:Saturday, January 26, 2002, 10:13
   Given that there seems to be a script kick happening, I was wondering if
anyone has any thoughts on how a logographic syllabary might work. As I
understand it, this is somewhat similar to Mayan heiroglyphs. Or maybe
Egyptian is close enough, if you consider multiliterals (like nfr, or 'nx)
as syllables.

   How many basic logographs are necessary, do you think? Any handy
thoughts on what they would mean. I mean, I can't imagine that "taxable
income" would have a logograph of its own, but which concepts would be
important enough to have them? The script will be linear (not funky like
Egyptian or Mayan), and would work something like this, I think:

   Syllabic value underlined

   # eye _sul_
   ^ tree _tal_
   ) action
   $ _me_ the syllable, common as 1pl ending of verbs
   ! _i_, plural

   So I'd have something like:  #)$^! (say that 5 times fast in mixed
company! ;)
   which would be read as _ithamme tali_, where _itha_ is the verb 'to see'.
   and would mean "we see trees".

   Does that work?

   And the other question:

   Anyone have any ideas about how to get from the protoform *LEDSA to the
final form _leis_?

   And how would that leis be represented syllabically? /lejs/ is the
pronunciation.

   I can think of a couple of possibilities: le-i-si, using the idea of
Mayan synharmony, where a following syllable with the same vowel is
pronounced only as the consonant (if the word was _leisi_, then another
syllable (ya in Mayan) is written to show that the final vowel is pronounced).
   or, le-is (but that doubles my necessary glyphs, and I'd rather save
those spots for logographs, thanks)
   or, le-i-s
   Anyone have better/other ideas?

   Aidan

Replies

Nik Taylor <fortytwo@...>
Michael Poxon <m.poxon@...>
Aidan Grey <grey@...>LEDSA derivation