Re: Tong-cho-la

Joe Fatula scripsit:

> 1) There could occasionally be problems where context does not differentiate
> between (say) "yos-son-ni" and "yo-so-ni".  Most roots are CV, but there are
> some CVC roots where this could come up.
The Lojban approach to this is twofold:

1) Define a set of rules for which consonant clusters are permitted and
which are not.  (For example, "ss", or any double consonant, is forbidden).
When normal word compounding processes would create a forbidden cluster,
insert the "hyphen vowel", written |y| and pronounced [@].
It never bears the stress.

2) Allow people to insert another vowel, the "buffer vowel", which is not
written, into any consonant cluster they personally have a problem with.
The most usual pronunciation of the buffer vowel is an ultrashort [1],
but any vowel can be used that doesn't overlap the hyphen vowel or the
regular vowels aeiou: some people like [Y].

In hindsight this scheme is probably too complicated, and there should
have been only one such vowel, which can be inserted wherever desired.

--
John Cowan <jcowan@...> www.ccil.org/~cowan  www.reutershealth.com
Micropayment advocates mistakenly believe that efficient allocation of
resources is the purpose of markets.  Efficiency is a byproduct of market
systems, not their goal.  The reasons markets work are not because users
have embraced efficiency but because markets are the best place to allow
users to maximize their preferences, and very often their preferences are
not for conservation of cheap resources.  --Clay Shirkey