On Tuesday, November 09, 2004 7:56 AM, Ray Brown wrote:
> 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.
I hadn't read all the available documentation, but yall're right: that's not a two-way phonemic
alphabet.
In fact I was making a Keyman virtual keyboard for the QuickScript alphabet and I took the same
scheme for a few other phonemic alphabets. So my question was: "Do some dialects make a slight
phoneTic distinction between the /k/ of cat and the /k/ of key?"
>
> >> 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| :)
Of course. And which spelling is used when /k/ is spelt |qu|?
>
> > 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".
That one is somewhat similar to the TENGWAR SIGN LEFT FOLLOWING SILME.
>
> 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.)
OK. I "forgot" to read that before posting.
>
> 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.
IIRC I read it has been experienced during the 60's.
JF