Re: CONLANG Digest - 30 Oct 2000 to 31 Oct 2000 (#2000-298)

John Cowan sikayal:

> Muke Tever wrote:
>
> > > "Breve" in English.  It's used in Vietnamese, too.
> >
> > I thought the Romanian sign was a circumflex?
>
> Romanian does use the circumflex in the letters â (a-circ) and î (i-circ).
> These both represent a high central vowel, as opposed to a-breve which is
> a schwa (mid central vowel).  In general, the letter â is used only in
> words derived from "Roman"; in all other words, î is used.
Actually, the orthography was changed a little while ago.  Now, <â> is the
standard spelling, with <î> used only in the personal pronouns (îmi,
îti, îi), the preposition în, compounds that begin with în-, and those few
verbs that have î as the thematic vowel.  Although it's irritating to have
to change, I think the new spellings are more aesthetic, and it makes the
central vowel series nicely spelled all with variations of <a>.


Jesse S. Bangs jaspax@u.washington.edu
"It is of the new things that men tire--of fashions and proposals and
improvements and change.  It is the old things that startle and
intoxicate.  It is the old things that are young."
-G.K. Chesterton _The Napoleon of Notting Hill_