Re: /k/ in i.t.a.
| From: | Ray Brown <ray.brown@...> |
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| Date: | Tuesday, November 9, 2004, 6:57 |
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On Monday, November 8, 2004, at 01:57 , Muke Tever wrote:
> On Mon, 8 Nov 2004 13:09:55 +0100, Jean-François Colson <fa597525@SKYNET.
> BE> wrote:
>> Hi all
>>
>> I see that in Pitman Initial Teaching Alphabet, which is a phonemic
>> alphabet,
Not phonemic in the strict sense. See below.
>> different characters
>> are used for the c of cat and the k of key.
>> Is there any difference between those characters?
Nope - both denote /k/.
>> If not, how are they used?
|c| is used where /k/ is spelled |c| in the traditional spelling and |k|
is used where traditional spelling has |k| :)
> It is likely that the system is not two-way phonemic (i.e., one grapheme
> per sound and one sound per grapheme) but just one-way phonemic (one sound
> per letter).
Spot on!
> This is sensible for an alphabet that is used to teach people
> to read.
Yes, the system was not developed as "yet another reformed English
spelling", otherwise some things would surely have been done differently.
It was as strictly an _initial teaching alphabet_ in order to ease the
transition into the more difficult un-phonemic traditional spelling.
> Notice also that the sound /z/ is spelled two different ways,
> with a regular "z" for /z/ spelled "z" and with a reversed "z" (or, if you
> like, an "s" with sharp corners) for /z/ spelled "s".
Quite so.
> (Indeed, on the ITA webpage under "what is ITA" it says "The alphabet
> adheres closely to traditional orthography. The symbols are lowercase.
> Certain conventional English spellings have been retained such as the c
> and k, which have the same sound.)
Yep. It was very much in vogue some in IIRC the 1970s & possibly 80s. But
it seems to have fallen out of favor. I think it was found that it
actually confused some kids as the transition got made rather than helped
them.
Ray
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