Re: syllabary

 --- Eamon Graham <robertg@...> wrote: > "A.
Ingram" wrote:
> >
> > I'm thinking of making a syllabary for my conlang.
>  Has anyone else used
> > this method for scripting?  What are some of the
> drawbacks and advantages?
> > Somehow I feel that I will have to define all the
> possible phonological
> > possiblilities before I can actually begin using
> it.  This makes me think
> > that it will be a limiting factor.  I know that
> the Cherokee Indian Nation
> > uses one and I've even seen it.  I'm probably just
> missing something.
>
> Syllabaries are great but as has already been
> pointed out they're
> usually for very specific phonologies.  Even the
> Cherokee system
> doesn't exactly work: final vowels are usually
> dropped in speech,
> and there are a couple other irregularities.
>
> You might split the difference and work with an idea
> similar to that
> of Indic scripts: make each character have an
> inherent vowel (/a/
> perhaps), the vowel can be changed by putting a mark
> over or below
> it, and another mark gets rid of the vowel
> completely but keeps the
> consonant.
>
> Or you can use Hangul. :)  That's quite popular with
> East Asian
> Conlangs, as its a very efficient script.
>
> If you don't already know it, there's a good site
> about scripts that
> might give you some ideas:
>
i'm developing a syllabary for eestaak ( see a few
postings about a month ago ), in case you're
interested. the phonology is pretty restricted, but
has quite complex rules. an example ( you'll see more
in my recent posting on 'first sentence in eestaak' )
is that the name of the language, |eestaak| is written
|ge`.de. ta.ra`.ka| in the syllabary ( the |`|
indicates that the initial consonant of a syllable
glyph is pronounced eclipsed and the following
syllable glyph is pronounced without its vowel, and
eclipsed if another consonant follows it directly ;
there's also a sign |°| which indicates that the
initial consonant of the syllable glyph is pronounced
eclipsed, and the syllable ends in a nasal homorganic
with the initial consonant of the subsequent syllable
( which can undergo various mutations ).

so :

ge`.de.ta.ra`.ka >
-------------------------------------------------------
 ge` > ee        ( eclipsis with support vowel )
`de  > d > z > s ( vowel loss, eclipsis, assimilation
)
 ta  > ta
 ra` > a         ( eclipsis )
`ka  > k         ( vowel loss )
-------------------------------------------------------
> eestaak
bn

=====
bnathyuw | landan | arR
stamp the sunshine out | angelfish
your tears came like anaesthesia | phèdre

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