VOS: Native Writing Systems
2006-Jul-17, Monday 18:41![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
qiihoskehLast Edited: 2006.Aug.20 Sun
The language has three native writing systems, or "levels".
Onsets:
1 null consonant
13 single consonants
2 approximants (i.e. w and y)
from 13 to 19 sequences of consonant + approximant
Rhymes:
5 vowels * 13 coda consonants
5 long vowels
5 diphthongs
Classifiers:
13 consonants * 5 vowels
2 approximants * 5 vowels
A word root is written Onset + Rhyme (+ Classifier). However, dictionaries are arranged according to rhyme.
Some words, such as the demonstratives are written entirey using classifiers. These go into a special section in dictionaries.
13 single consonants
2 approximants (i.e. w and y)
5 vowels
The alphabetic system can be easily transliterated using the letters a, e, i, u, o, r, z, l, m, n, f, s, x, h, p, t, c, k, w, and y. This is slightly different from the romanization used in these pages (documented in Phonology and Romanization).
There may also be a voicing diacritic to distinguish b, d, j, and g if these turn out to be separate phonemes.
The language has three native writing systems, or "levels".
Level A
This system uses one symbol for each basic word, with additional symbols for affixes and clitics. This is a modification of a system which evolved for another language.Level B
This uses three sets of symbols: onsets, rhymes, and classifiers. Most basic verbs and particles can be described with 75 rhymes and no more than 35 onsets (depending on which consonant + approximant combinations are possible). Basic nouns have an additional CV syllable which I'm calling a classifier for lack of a better term; there are 75 of these. The classifiers are also used for affixes and clitics. The symbols originated from the simplification of Level A symbols.Onsets:
1 null consonant
13 single consonants
2 approximants (i.e. w and y)
from 13 to 19 sequences of consonant + approximant
Rhymes:
5 vowels * 13 coda consonants
5 long vowels
5 diphthongs
Classifiers:
13 consonants * 5 vowels
2 approximants * 5 vowels
A word root is written Onset + Rhyme (+ Classifier). However, dictionaries are arranged according to rhyme.
Some words, such as the demonstratives are written entirey using classifiers. These go into a special section in dictionaries.
Level C
This is an alphabetic system, using a subset of the Level B symbols, possibly simplified.13 single consonants
2 approximants (i.e. w and y)
5 vowels
The alphabetic system can be easily transliterated using the letters a, e, i, u, o, r, z, l, m, n, f, s, x, h, p, t, c, k, w, and y. This is slightly different from the romanization used in these pages (documented in Phonology and Romanization).
There may also be a voicing diacritic to distinguish b, d, j, and g if these turn out to be separate phonemes.
