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Re: Featural code based on the Latin alphabet

From:Peter Bleackley <peter.bleackley@...>
Date:Wednesday, September 10, 2003, 8:31
Staving JS Bangs:
>Peter Bleackley sikyal: > > > As a featural code is the most unambiguous and flexible manner of > > representing pronunciation, and the Latin alphabet is universally available > > on a simple computer keyboard, it has occurred to me that the most logical > > writing system possible is to use the Latin alphabet as a featural code. I > > would therefore like to propose such a code. > >This is a very interesting idea. I'll echo some others' comments and give >you extra things to think about. > >First, is this meant to address all languages, or just ones that already >use the Latin alphabet? Because you're missing things like clicks, >ejectives, implosives, aspiration, etc.
Suggested symbols?
>Also, did you address the order that things must appear in?
It was implicit in the order I described things.
> > 1.3: Lateralisation > > l indicates a lateral (since it both represents a laterals in its > > most common uses, and is the initial letter of lateral). > >A lateral is implicitly an approximant, so perhaps you should allow the >{w} to be ommited when writing a lateral sound. Then, {l} can stand for >/l/, with variants like {lk} for a velar lateral.
Remember lateral fricatives! hl for [K] etc.
> > 1.4: Voicing > > Consonants are by default voiceless. Voicing is indicated by > > v since this is both a voiced consonant and the initial of voice. > >I think that voice should be automatic on sonorants, with a special >"voiceless" mark used for the rare voiceless sonorant. How about {s} for >voicelessness (is that already taken?).
I decided (for not entirely serious reasons), that self consistency came higher on the list of priorities than usability. Pete