Re: Q & X

Pavel Adamek <pavel.adamek@...> writes:

> Tero Vilkesalo wrote
> >Which sounds do you write with the letter Q or X
> >in your a priori conlangs with Latin alphabet?
>
> Transliterating Melty letters, I am using Latin letters "c, h, j, q, w, y"
> only as modifiers of preceding letter.
>
> "w" = labial
> "c" = alveolar
> "y" =  postalveolar
> "j" = palatal
> "q" = velar
> "h" = friction
>
> bilabial: vw, fw, b, p, m
> labiodental: v, f
> dental: dh, th, d, t, n
> alveolar: z, s, gc = dz, kc = ts
> postalveolar: zy, sy, gcy = dzy, kcy = tsy
> palatal: zj, sj, dj, tj, nj
> velar: zq = gh, sq = kh, g, k, nq
> labiovelar: vq = ghw, fq = khw, bq = gw, pq = kw
>
> If "c, cy, q" occurs initially or after a vowel, it means "kc, kcy, pq".
Cool!  I dimly remember fiddling with a similarly convoluted
"modifier-letter"
system for some really nasty pseudo-Celtic project with 12 or so radical
consonant phonemes and six different types of mutations, each
represented by a modifier letter.  It was deliberately meant to be more
outlandish in spelling than Gaelic ;-), but it never took off.  I'll
have to revive that beast some day!

Regarding my other conlang projects, usage depends on the language.

In Pictish, I use <q> for [q] and <x> for, you might guess it, [x].
Same with Modern Vandalic.

The transcription I currently use for Nur-ellen uses neither letter,
though I actually consider using <x> for [x] (again).  Same for the
other elflangs in my pipeline.  Some of them have labiovelars, but I
prefer transcribing [kw] as <kw>.
(*None* of them, however, has uvulars.)

Germanech, which, unlike the others, has native Latin script (the
Elflangs and Pictish are written in Tengwar and Vandalic in Arabic),
doesn't make much use of <q> and <x>, apart from an occasional <qu> for
a [k] before a front vowel, and <x> for [ks], which, however, occurs
rarely.

One day, I'll perhaps do something really, really wild with those
letters.
Everyone uses <q> for something in the back of the mouth... how about
using it for something in the front, perhaps a bilabial trill?  Yes,
that's good!  And use <x> for a *vowel*, for a change!

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