From jcowan@reutershealth.com Mon Nov 03 11:07:03 2003 Received: with ECARTIS (v1.0.0; list lojban-list); Mon, 03 Nov 2003 11:07:04 -0800 (PST) Received: from [65.246.141.36] (helo=mail.reutershealth.com) by chain.digitalkingdom.org with esmtp (Exim 4.22) id 1AGk22-0005BR-CK for lojban-list@lojban.org; Mon, 03 Nov 2003 11:06:30 -0800 Received: from skunk.reutershealth.com (mail [65.246.141.36]) by mail.reutershealth.com (Pro-8.9.3/Pro-8.9.3) with SMTP id OAA01779 for ; Mon, 3 Nov 2003 14:01:31 -0500 (EST) Received: by skunk.reutershealth.com (sSMTP sendmail emulation); Mon, 3 Nov 2003 14:05:01 -0500 Date: Mon, 3 Nov 2003 14:05:01 -0500 From: John Cowan To: lojban-list@lojban.org Subject: [lojban] Re: Language creation Message-ID: <20031103190501.GG28012@skunk.reutershealth.com> References: <20031103173450.GA3467@llimona.atutiplen.net> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Disposition: inline In-Reply-To: <20031103173450.GA3467@llimona.atutiplen.net> User-Agent: Mutt/1.4.1i X-archive-position: 6549 X-ecartis-version: Ecartis v1.0.0 Sender: lojban-list-bounce@lojban.org Errors-to: lojban-list-bounce@lojban.org X-original-sender: jcowan@reutershealth.com Precedence: bulk Reply-to: lojban-list@lojban.org X-list: lojban-list Llu'is Batlle i Rossell scripsit: > As far as I know, "'" isn't a consonant like others in lojban alphabet. It's > more like something helpful for joining vowels. Something like "y" for joining > consonants. It has a sound associated, but that sound isn't as strong as a "x" > or a "c" (or any other letter :). Exactly. > And about ".", it's a way of forcing pauses (or force not to join syllabes). It > also helps maintaining some rythm when speaking. Also it is optional in writing. > And I cannot find any problem when saying "se'u" or understanding it. > (Uh. I hope I'm pronouncing it fine!) As long as you can articulate the h-sound of "'", then yes, almost certainly. > I think that "y" is nearer to "a" than "e". Mmmm maybe in the middle. But, for > example, I use two 'e' in my native language. One found in English "ten", and > another one which I cannot find in any English any example. It's the Spanish > "e". I think its symbol in IFA is also 'e'. > When speaking in lojban, I often use the 'e' in "ten". But not always. You are free to use either one. > I'm lucky, because Catalan has almost all lojban phonemes, and each letter has > a fixed sound (something like Spanish). I think it's easy for me to read or say > anything in lojban. It's important not to alter the quality of unstressed vowels in Lojban; Lojban vowels should be consistent whether stressed or unstressed (so in Spanish, but not so in Catalan from what I understand). -- A poetical purist named Cowan [that's me: jcowan@reutershealth.com] Once put the rest of us dowan. [on xml-dev] "Your verse would be sweeter http://www.ccil.org/~cowan If it only had metre http://www.reutershealth.com And rhymes that didn't force me to frowan." [overpacked line!] --Michael Kay